How Our Lady took center stage in heated Brazilian election
A dispute over Our Lady of Aparecida’s status as Brazil’s patron saint became part of the country’s presidential election campaign and ended up in court. Lula supporters accused challenger Flávio Bolsonaro of seeking to strip the saint of her legal status; Bolsonaro’s campaign denied the allegation and said Lula was spreading fake news. The article says there is no record of Bolsonaro or his campaign making such a proposal, though a 2008 bill to alter the law was introduced by an Evangelical congressman who later became a Bolsonaro ally. The controversy carries political weight in Brazil, where Catholics remain the largest religious group but Evangelical numbers have grown, and voting intentions differ between the two groups. A 1980 federal law established October 12 as a public holiday honoring Our Lady Aparecida, patron saint of Brazil.
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Brazil’s first-round presidential campaign turned Our Lady of Aparecida into the focus of a dispute over misinformation, political speech and religion. The allegation that Flávio Bolsonaro wanted to strip her of her status as Brazil’s patroness was denied by the candidate, and courts ultimately distinguished explicit claims presented as fact from an ambiguous satirical post. 1
The rumor circulated that Bolsonaro would seek to remove Our Lady of Aparecida’s official status as patroness of Brazil. The articles report no evidence that he or his campaign proposed such a change; instead, the allegation was linked to an earlier bill by evangelical congressman Victório Galli concerning the wording of the Marian devotion in legislation. The reports give different years for the bill—2007 and 2008—and say it did not advance; ZENIT reports that it was archived in 2022. 1
The controversy gained momentum after comedian Antonio Tabet posted an image of Aparecida’s statue with a message accusing a “militia-linked family” of attacking it. Flávio Bolsonaro said the broader claim was fake news, while Tabet later issued an ironic apology. 1
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court initially ordered the removal of posts asserting that Bolsonaro planned to change Aparecida’s status. The Supreme Court temporarily overturned the order concerning Tabet’s post, citing freedom of expression and noting that it did not name Bolsonaro or his family. The electoral court later ruled collectively that explicit claims attributing such a plan to Bolsonaro should be removed, while Tabet’s ambiguous post could remain online. 1
The decisions also prompted a dispute between the courts over their respective authority in election matters. The electoral court’s president warned that unilateral rulings could undermine consistent administration of the electoral process. Judges described the case as one involving false electoral claims, rather than a restriction on Catholics’ right to venerate Mary. 1
The dispute resonated in a country where Catholics remain the largest religious group, although their share of the population has declined as evangelical identification has grown. The 2022 census figures cited in one report put Catholics at 56.7% and evangelicals at 26.9%; the same report described Catholics as more likely to support Lula and evangelicals as more likely to support Bolsonaro.
Both candidates made public gestures involving religious imagery. Bolsonaro raised an image of Our Lady of Aparecida at a rally; Lula said that while he was president “nobody” would get rid of her and later carried an image of Our Lady of Nazareth, patroness of Pará. Bolsonaro also accused people associated with the Brazilian bishops’ conference of helping spread the rumor; the conference denied involvement and said falsehoods should not be answered with further falsehoods. 1
Religious organizations urged restraint. An evangelical ministers’ council condemned what it called efforts to provoke conflict between Catholics and evangelicals, while the Archbishop of Aparecida criticized the use of the Marian devotion in electoral theatrics and called for peace and respect.
With 99.99% of votes counted in the October 4 first round, Bolsonaro received 47.03% and Lula 45.16%; neither secured an outright majority, and they were set to meet in a runoff on October 25. 1*
Marian devotion shapes Catholic identity and national politics
Marian devotion can shape both Catholic identity and public life, but it should not be treated as a political possession. The recent dispute over Our Lady of Aparecida’s status as Brazil’s patron saint illustrates how a shared religious symbol can become a point of political contest. The available news summary does not establish the court’s reasoning or the dispute’s full details, so those should not be inferred.
For many Catholics, a national Marian devotion is more than a cultural emblem. The Church recognizes popular Marian piety as an expression of faith in Christ and of trust in Mary’s intercession; it can also give communities a shared language of prayer, memory, and belonging. Pope John Paul II likewise described Marian devotion in Colombia as part of the nation’s spiritual and cultural identity, while emphasizing that Mary leads the faithful to Jesus.
That connection can enrich civic life when it inspires solidarity, peace, and service. But the Church also warns against using people’s relationship with Mary for political ends: devotion should not be appropriated by ideologies or parties to claim exclusive ownership of a people’s faith. Thus, honoring Aparecida as a national patron need not mean endorsing any candidate or political program. The key distinction is between acknowledging a genuine religious tradition and turning it into a partisan badge.
A sound Catholic reading of this episode therefore holds two truths together: Marian devotion can be a real part of a people’s identity, and it must remain ordered toward Christ rather than political advantage. Mary’s place in national life is most faithfully expressed when it draws people toward the Gospel and toward the common good, not when it is used to divide them.