“I pray to Our Lady of Aparecida to protect and care for the Brazilian people,” said the Pope, invoking the patron saint of Brazil, when addressing the faithful who accompanied him on the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square. “Let him free from hatred, intolerance and violence,” added the pontiff during his greeting to the faithful who speak Portuguese.
Francisco’s prayer was given days before the second round that on Sunday will define the next president of the South American country, in a ballot between the current ultraconservative president, Jair Bolsonaro, and the two-time president, the leftist Lula da Silva.
The elections in Brazil have been preceded by one of the most violent campaigns since free elections were held again in 1989 after the end of the dictatorshipa climate of tension that has grown particularly since the inauguration of Bolsonaro.
At least three supporters of the candidates (two of Lula da Silva and one of the president) were killed in homicides solely as a result of their political sympathies between July and September, out of a total of more than 200 cases of political violence registered in the first half of the year, according to an NGO.
According to Observatory of Political and Electoral Violence of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Since Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019, cases of political violence have increased 335% in Brazil, with a total of 1,209.
Source: Ambito
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