The church's conflicting stances reflect the polarised debate between liberal Supreme Court justices who back decriminalisation and conservative legislators pursuing harsher penalties.

With over 123 million Catholics, Brazil has the world's largest Catholic population.

Lawyer Miguel Vidigal, head of the Brazilian Union of Catholic Jurists, vehemently opposes decriminalisation:

"Studies show marijuana is the entrance door for other drugs. It cannot be decriminalised" Vidigal told Crux. "Drugs are an evil in itself. They cause health, psychological and spiritual damage."

However, Father Valdir Silveira who leads the episcopal conference's Prison Pastoral Ministry, believes criminalisation fuels mass incarceration and violence. His views come from more than 18 years of working with prisoners.

"The policy of criminalising all drugs in all situations has resulted in the current crisis: mass imprisonment and growing violence" Silveira said.

"We cannot make decisions without a scientific basis. Unfortunately, that debate is completely dominated by emotional arguments."

"No proof decriminalisation worsens violence"

While five Supreme Court justices have voted to decriminalise possession of small marijuana amounts, three opposed it. A 2006 drug law stopped punishing users as traffickers but failed to define allowable possession limits.

In contrast, the Senate is debating a bill from its president that would criminalise any marijuana possession to override potential Supreme Court decriminalisation.

When the Supreme Court debate began in 2015, Catholic bishops opposed marijuana decriminalisation, arguing it could increase addiction by expanding drug circulation, especially among youths.

Vidigal insists drug use impacts society, so "it is fallacious to say the state shouldn't regulate drugs."

But Silveira counters there's no proof marijuana decriminalisation worsens violence. His Prison Pastoral claims the 2006 law led to disproportionate jailing of poor black youths while failing to curb drugs or prevent the growth of criminal gangs behind bars.

"We don't need anything like that" Silveira said. "The war on drugs causes numerous deaths and is very expensive for the State."

Sources

Catholic Herald

Crux

CathNews New Zealand

Conducted by five researchers under Auxiliary Bishop Joaquim Mol Guimarães of Belo Horizonte, the study suggests a growing dominance of voices conflicting with bishops and official structures within the Church.

Since 2018, organised groups of Catholics have targeted bishops, individual prelates and even Pope Francis. The influencers view them as allied with leftist factions.

They are particularly aligned with former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under investigation by Brazilian authorities for attempting to overthrow democratic rule in the country.

Influencers like Bernardo Küster and Father Paulo Ricardo have amassed significant followings, impacting believers with what Guimarães describes as "fake narratives" and "fabricated doubts".

"They have created giant bubbles on social media, in which their followers play a central role in determining the scope of their publications and thus reinforce their ideological perspective" Guimarães said.

Fragmentation of Catholic teaching

The research, which monitored the online activity of five Brazilian Catholic influencers over a year, reveals a fragmentation of Catholic teaching online. It has led to the emergence of parallel churches and conflicting magisteriums.

The study also highlights the spread of misinformation, with instances such as Küster's baseless accusation against theologian Leonardo Boff.

In 2021, Küster was sued by theologian Leonardo Boff after he claimed, without presenting any evidence, that the Liberation Theology thinker had diverted $2.6 million in public funds.

Boff won the suit, and Küster had to pay $22,000 in damages.

Guimarães criticises these influencers for promoting personal views detached from reality, resulting in unwarranted criticism of the Church's hierarchy.

Guimarães said these online influencers use "a manipulative teaching authority" and transmit "personal and particular views" based on "formulations of faith without connection to reality, strongly centred in moralisms impregnated by ideological and political elements".

The result, he claimed, is "undue and unfounded criticism of the church's institutional structure and hierarchy".

While some influencers opt for a lighter, more narcissistic approach, Guimarães stresses the need for digital evangelists who adhere to the Gospel's principles rather than social media's profit-driven strategies.

The research team intends to explore the audience of Catholic digital influencers further, aiming to optimise social media for evangelisation while navigating its challenges.

Sources

Crux Now

CathNews New Zealand

On May 5, Bishop José Ionilton Lisboa de Oliveira of Itacoatiara in Amazonas state, published an official decree saying that his diocese would not accept "financial support, either in cash or in other goods, from politicians, logging companies, mining companies … that contribute to deforestation and to the expulsion of indigenous peoples, "quilombolas" (descendants of escaped African slaves), riverside communities, and small farmers from their lands."

Though intended for internal distribution in his diocese, Brazil's media caught wind of de Oliveira's decree and it has gained attention across South America.

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