Brazilian church’s pastorals exert influence on social justice issues

23 May 2013

By The Record

A worshipper participates in a procession to celebrate a Good Friday service outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida on March 29 in Brazil.

By Lise Alves

Late last year, retired Bishop Pedro Casaldaliga was forced to leave his home in Sao Felix do Araguaia because of his work against squatters who had invaded indigenous land in Mato Grosso state.

Bishop Casaldaliga, 85, known for his defense of the Xavante indigenous group, was whisked away by members of CIMI, the Brazilian bishops’ Indigenous Missionary Council, to a safe house for an undetermined period.

Bishop Erwin Krautler of Xingu, CIMI president, has been under police protection since 2007, when he was put on a hit list for his work with landless peasants and the indigenous communities. The bishop often has spoken against the construction of a hydroelectric plant along the Xingu River in Belo Monte. He also has strongly opposed advances made by farmers and loggers into the Amazon rain forest and was one of the main figures to bring to justice those who killed Sister Dorothy Stang, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, in 2005.

Brazil’s Catholic Church has always been known for its strong social stances. In the 1970s, when Brazil was under military rule, the church created the Indigenous Missionary Council and Pastoral Land Commission, or CPT. Today these two Catholic pastorals, or social commissions, still exert a great deal of political and legal pressure on landowners and conglomerates in the northern, northeastern and central regions of Brazil.

“It is the politicization of faith which has been carried on since that time,” said Sergio Ricardo Coutinho, professor of church history and president of Brazil’s Commission for Studies in History of the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since the return to democracy, Catholic pastorals have had to share this space with other social groups, but they continue to be a major social force in some regions of the country.

“Social justice has always been a focus of Brazilian social pastorals,” said Coutinho.

In Mato Grosso, CIMI is still one of the strongest voices to speak out against massacred indigenous populations. Brazilian priests continue to make international headlines when they protest government mega-projects they claim will hurt the lives of peasants, indigenous communities and small, family-run farms.

“The CPT and CIMI continue strong,” said Wagner Lopes Sanchez, professor of theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo. “They are part of the ‘resistance’ groups within the church, which continue to insist on a greater participation by the church in social issues.”

This more active participation by social pastorals has faced criticism by some parts of the church.

“There are some, mainly diocesan bishops, who oppose this more active participation in the social struggle, but they are a minority,” said Father Flavio Lazzarin, one of the national coordinators of the Pastoral Land Commission.

Father Lazzarin disputes those who say pastorals such as the CPT or CIMI are not acting as church representatives.

“Our inspiration is ultimately and primarily evangelical. The CPT works with evangelization based on the local scenario and God’s words,” he said.

Father Paulo Suess, theological adviser at the Indigenous Missionary Council, agrees. He said the council follows the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, where “the mission of the church starts ‘outside the walls’ among those who live on the outskirts of our respective societies.”

“The indigenous reality and scenario change, and we try to adapt to the demands of the indigenous people and the challenges which emerge from agribusiness and government policies,” said Father Suess.

Father Lazzarin said the resistance to these pastorals is sporadic and shifts according to the circumstances.

“The simple change of a bishop in Tocantins state, for example, changed the relationship (between dioceses and CPT) for the better,” added the priest.

Coutinho said the election of Pope Francis is likely to boost the pastorals’ work.

“The new pontiff understands and supports pastoral work, having come from a pastoral background. This is sure to give new momentum to Brazilian and Latin American pastorals and the work they do,” he said.

“To fight for the recognition of the dignity of the human person as creatures of God and to take care of planet Earth as a work of God is as important as conducting catechism and explaining the scripture,” Father Suess said in a speech given during CIMI’s 40-year celebration in 2012. – CNS