Public rift among Brazil’s bishops over presidential election

October 15, 2010

The National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB) has issued a remarkable rebuke to the bishops of the conference’s South Region 1, who have urged Catholics not to vote for candidate Dilma Rousseff, the frontrunner in the October 31 presidential election. The leading prelate in South Region 1 is Cardinal Odilo Scherer of Sao Paulo.

In 2007, Rousseff called for the legalization of abortion in the world’s largest Catholic nation.

In its statement, the CNBB’s justice and peace commission said that the bishops of South Region 1 do not speak for the nation’s bishops. “The CNBB does not suggest any candidate, and recalls that the choice is a free and conscious act of each citizen,” the statement continues. “Faced with this great responsibility, we urge Catholics to consider ethical criteria, especially unconditional respect for life, family, religious freedom, and human dignity.”

According to Vatican statistics, 85% of the nation’s 189 million people are Catholic.

 

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Further information:

• Bishops condemn misuse of faith for winning votes and call for responsible voting (Fides)
• Brazil Presidential Candidates Clash Over Abortion, Asset Sales in Debate (Bloomberg)
• Brazilian president threatens to reconsider accords with Church (CWN, 10/8)