What to know about the viral claim about Brazil's patron saint jolting a tight presidential race

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, has become a surprise election issue just days ahead of the Oct. 4 vote.

A comment on Jesus by presidential candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro went viral last week and triggered fears among many Catholics that he might intend to remove the patron saint, a widely beloved figure among Brazilians.

The son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and main rival against incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva denies the claim and has called the accusations a “great lie” and “the biggest fake news of the campaign.”

The row over Our Lady of Aparecida has propelled religion to the heart of the campaign in Latin America’s biggest country, where around 56.7% of the population is Catholic and 26.9% Evangelical, according to a 2022 census by Brazil’s national statistics agency.

Polls show Lula and Bolsonaro in a close race ahead of the election on Sunday. If neither wins an outright majority, a runoff vote will take place on Oct. 25.

The AP explains the row and why it matters.

In an Aug. 23 video, Sen. Bolsonaro said that he would “declare that Brazil belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Some Catholics interpreted that as meaning that the presidential candidate would remove Our Lady of Aparecida as Brazil’s patron saint. Lula supporters on social media amplified that understanding.

They pointed to a 2007 bill with that intention presented by then-lawmaker Victório Galli, a Bolsonaro ally who served as special adviser to Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. The proposal was later shelved.

While local media has reported ties between the Bolsonaro family and a bishop that has defended such a move, Sen. Bolsonaro himself has never said he supports the removal of Our Lady of Aparecida as Brazil’s patron saint and has strongly refuted the accusations. On Tuesday, the presidential candidate said he was referring to a symbolic act such as a prayer.

Brazil's president does not have the authority to demote Our Lady of Aparecida. That is a Vatican prerogative. Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Aparecida Brazil's patron saint in 1930, a title that the Brazilian state later recognized.

At a campaign event, Sen. Bolsonaro claimed the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops, known by its Portuguese acronym CNBB, had helped Lula’s Workers’ Party to spread the rumor. The CNBB denied the accusations, stating in a statement that “a lie cannot be fought with another lie.”

Analysts say that the accusation became viral because it tapped into Catholics’ fears over losing ground to Evangelicals in the upcoming vote. Over three decades, the percentage of Evangelicals has nearly tripled, rising from 9% in 1991 to 26.9% in 2022.

“Catholics worry that the increase of Evangelicalism could translate into the removal of important national symbols and cultural markers of Catholicism,” said Rodrigo Toniol, an anthropology professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

With polls showing a dead heat, the controversy could weaken the presidential bid of Sen. Bolsonaro, who is Evangelical, by diminishing his clout among Catholics .

“It can have an impact on voting, although we will only know how big of an impact on Sunday,” Toniol said.

Lula, a Catholic, invoked the accusation without naming Sen. Bolsonaro, telling supporters gathered at a campaign event on Monday: “As long as I am President of the Republic, no one will make a mockery of Our Lady of Aparecida.”

Sen. Bolsonaro’s lawyers lodged a complaint with Brazil’s electoral authorities, asking them to intervene. That prompted another episode in the power struggle saga among Brazil’s top justices.

Justice André Mendonca, who was nominated during Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, on Friday ordered the removal of publications that said Sen. Bolsonaro would remove Our Lady of Aparecida’s title as patron saint of Brazil.

Two days later, Justice Flávio Dino, who was Lula’s justice minister from 2023 to 2024, overturned the ruling. On Monday, Justice Luiz Fux — the only justice who voted to absolve Jair Bolsonaro in his coup trial — reversed Dino’s decision.

Brazil's top electoral authority held a session on the matter on Wednesday, but had not yet reached a decision at the time of publication.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america