Malafaia without a handkerchief or documents

They caught Malafaia!... What seemed impossible: that nothing or no one would ever get close enough to silence him, happened. Returning from a trip to Portugal, disembarking at Galeão Airport, he was surprised by Federal Police agents tasked with confiscating his passport and cell phone. His world fell apart! Not even the most irreverent of his followers could have imagined such audacity. Until then, everyone considered him untouchable, capable of defying the Supreme Court without consequences. He could speak before crowds, defend Bolsonaro, conspire in his favor, commit improprieties, vomit, and swear words – and remain unpunished, protected by the invisible walls of the Church. 

He felt naked. He seemed to want to hide his shame before rebelling and declaring himself above the law. Still choking, to those who applauded his arrival, now as an ordinary citizen, he promised to do everything possible to earn his respect, that is, to remain protected by his supposed immunity. Someone should have whispered in his ears, between one sermon and another, that in Brazil we live in a secular state. Since the French Revolution, modern nations have separated religion, on the one hand, and politics, on the other. Mixing the two, as he had been doing, would only create problems. The three branches of government—the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary—know this. Each, with its own convictions, relates to God (or does not relate) as it pleases—and does so in temples, not in public squares. Therefore, André Mendonça, the "terribly evangelical" one, was mistaken in fearing catastrophic results from the precautionary measures taken against the religious leader by Alexandre de Moraes. Those who wear judicial robes with zeal and a sense of responsibility are aware that abuses must be contained or we will descend into chaos. Bolsonaro, detained under house arrest, is learning this lesson the hard way. The far-right militant who became accustomed to defying the law and power, placing himself above them, is gradually realizing that this is not the case, that he must be held accountable. In the newly inaugurated French National Assembly, the majority of parliamentarians knew and hated religious education. They did not show gratitude for its deleterious effects. On the contrary, they envisioned a population free from shackles and prejudices for the true emancipation of humanity. Among them, there were no nostalgics, only dreamers. And these people foresaw what the devout, unrestrained followers were capable of doing to their naive and helpless faithful. When he expresses his ideas, Malafaia unleashes the dogs. He doesn't mince words. One might say he makes deals with the Devil more than with God, insofar as, among Christians, Jesus is synonymous with goodness and goodwill, never with resentment, as is evident in his defenses and attacks on the far right. Perhaps, from now on, without the clothes he used to wear, he will discover qualities he didn't previously possess. This is a circumstance in which, paraphrasing Nelson Rodrigues (and inverting his maxim), perhaps nudity will be rewarded.