MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

A falsehood about Brazil's patron saint pits Supreme Court justices against each other mid-campaign

Bolsonaro accused members of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil of helping the Workers' Party spread the falsehood

A false report that presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro backed stripping Our Lady of Aparecida of her title as Brazil's patron saint has produced contradictory rulings from three Supreme Federal Court justices, a clash with the Catholic bishops' conference and a dispute dominating the final week of campaigning before Sunday's vote.

The claim has no basis. It rests on a bill introduced in 2007 by an evangelical deputy, which was shelved the following year. Bolsonaro, a Liberal Party senator and an evangelical, denied supporting any such initiative and released several videos to that effect. “It is the biggest fake news of this campaign,” he said.

The episode was amplified by a post from comedian Antonio Tabet which, without naming the candidate, associated his family with a supposed attack on the patron saint. At Bolsonaro's request, Justice André Mendonça ordered it removed; on Sunday, Justice Flávio Dino suspended that order and restored the content; Justice Luiz Fux again ordered its removal, and the case went to the full court. The Superior Electoral Court had also ordered posts on the subject taken down.

Bolsonaro accused members of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil of helping the Workers' Party spread the falsehood. The body denied it in a note stating that “a lie is not fought with another lie”. The candidate later said the text confirmed the report was false and thanked the bishops.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, seeking re-election, said on Monday at a rally in Belém: “As long as I am president of the Republic, no one will dishonour Our Lady of Aparecida,” and called for respect for all religions, including those of African origin. His running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and other allied candidates released messages aimed at Catholic voters.

The use of religious falsehoods is not new in Brazilian campaigns. Folha de S.Paulo columnist Hélio Schwartsman recalled that in 2018 a claim circulated that Workers' Party candidate Fernando Haddad would distribute material on sexual diversity in schools, and in 2022 that Lula would close churches; in both cases the party went to the electoral courts to have them removed. “Campaigns do not hesitate to embrace the fake news that favours them,” he wrote.

The Quaest poll published on Monday gave Lula 39% and Bolsonaro 34% in the first round, and a 42% tie in a prospective October 25 runoff. The only debate planned with both candidates would take place on Thursday on TV Globo; Bolsonaro confirmed his attendance and Lula had not formally responded.