Il Nuovo Postiglione - Brazil's patron saint reappears in polarized election campaign

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face each other in an October 25 runoff, and religion has dominated the final stretch of the campaign in the deeply Christian nation.

Ahead of the first-round vote earlier this month, Bolsonaro fiercely denied a rumor that he planned to demote Brazil's beloved patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, if elected.

The saint is revered by Brazil's Catholics but is not recognized as an object of worship by its growing evangelical population.

Evangelicals are a crucial support base for Bolsonarismo, the political project Flavio inherited from his jailed father, ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro.

Monday marked Our Lady's national feast day, and both candidates made politicized remarks while attending religious services in her name.

Lula said the saint was "offended" by those who "do not respect" the religion of others, while Bolsonaro asserted his "respect for the faith of millions of Brazilians."

Catholics are a majority force in Brazil, making up 57 percent of the population.

But their numbers are declining as the evangelical community booms, now accounting for 27 percent of the population according to the latest official data from 2022.

- 'Political ploy' -

Maria Vanda Lopes was preparing to pay her respects to a tiny terracotta statue of Our Lady, which according to legend was retrieved by fishermen in 1717.

Leaning on the walking stick she had depended on to walk 240 kilometers (150 miles) from her hometown of Valinhos to the city of Aparecida, a journey of seven days, she said the fallout over the saint was "absurd."

"It's purely a political ploy. No one is going to strip her of the title," the 54-year-old education student told AFP.

She knows exactly how she'll vote.

"I'm a woman, but I'm not a feminist. I'm traditional; I'm on the right. I'm voting for Bolsonaro," she said.

Lula enjoys strong support from Catholic voters, polls show.

Brazil is a "secular state," but with Flavio Bolsonaro, "we feel insecure about the Catholic faith," said Amanda Rosa Alves dos Santos.

The 29-year-old student traveled to the shrine from the southeastern city of Vicosa and plans to vote for Lula.

The Catholic Church is trying to allay fears regarding Our Lady's patron saint status, granted by the pope in 1930.

"Of course we wonder what might happen depending on the results of the second round, but this is not the time to imagine scenarios that might frighten us," said Mario Antonio da Silva, the archbishop of Aparecida.

- 'Perfectly normal' -

"It's important not to mix politics with religion," said David de Santos from under his cowboy hat, after walking 50 kilometers in 24 hours to reach the shrine.

Without disclosing who he will vote for, the 47-year-old chainsaw operator praised the harmony between Catholics and evangelicals.

Santos said that along the way he met some evangelicals who were there to support the pilgrims, "handing out water, fruit and medicine."

"An example of the 'perfectly normal' coexistence" between the two faiths is "the Bolsonaro family," Pastor Gustavo Knauer told AFP, noting that unlike Flavio, Jair is Catholic.

Rodrigo Nunes, a professor at Rio de Janeiro's Pontifical Catholic University, called evangelicalism's conservative rhetoric "a magnetic force."

Issues such as those related to gender have resonated across the spectrum, and that is leading to "a shift of Catholic votes toward the right," he told AFP.

Bolsonaro is the favorite to win the runoff, having received 47 percent of votes in the first round compared to 45 percent for Lula.

M.Dodaro--INP