Temples, churches and protests

In recent days, the press, eager for any sensationalist news that legitimizes accusations against popular movements and parties considered leftist, delighted in images and narratives of what they called the invasion of a church in Curitiba. Ecclesiastical and civil authorities protested against the disrespect shown to the sacred place, and the matter is being debated in the city council itself. 

The debate centers on the fact that the protesters entered the church after Mass and expressed their denunciation inside the temple against the brutal and cruel murder of Moise, a young Congolese man, who was brutally tortured and murdered in a kiosk in Barra da Tijuca. During these same days, in Rio de Janeiro, another Black man was also killed, shot by a police officer neighbor who mistook him for a thief. That weekend, protests against these extreme acts of racism against Black people took place in various regions of Brazil. In Curitiba, in the city's historic center, the demonstration gathered in front of a church that historically belonged to a Black brotherhood. After Mass, in the late afternoon, the protesters entered the church and concluded their peaceful protest there. 

Regarding this event, several considerations can be made. First of all, in methodological and strategic terms, popular organizations and progressive parties have taken critical positions regarding what happened. In fact, the group that was demonstrating did not suffer any persecution, was not fleeing any repression, and did not need to occupy the church without permission from those responsible for the temple. 

From an institutional standpoint, everyone knows that most Catholic clergy agree that churches should be used for inauguration masses for right-wing governors or mayors. However, they consider any demonstration by popular groups that could be seen as left-wing to be disrespectful to the sacred space. 

In Rome, Pope Francis may prioritize dialogue with popular movements and defending the lives of African migrants, but this is not yet the sensibility of many Catholic ministers and faithful in Brazil. The social ministries of the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops) and many priests and pastoral agents participated in acts of protest and denunciation against racism. Many religious figures shouted with popular organizations that "Black lives matter," but for many Christians, both Catholic and Evangelical, this issue does not seem to be part of the proclamation of faith and the mission of the Church.  

During the Brazilian military dictatorship in Recife, students protesting against repression occupied a church in the city center. Upon learning of this, Archbishop Dom Helder Camara himself went to the church and stood alongside the students until they could safely leave the building. The same occurred in Salvador, Bahia, where the church occupied by the young men and women was the basilica of the São Bento Monastery. Abbot Dom Timóteo Amoroso Anastácio not only opened the church doors but also declared the Monastery a refuge and sanctuary for the protection of youth. Similarly, in São Bernardo do Campo, in 1980, the main church served as a shelter for assemblies of striking metalworkers persecuted by the dictatorship. 

Currently, although in a different political context, society has the right to demand from church leaders prophetic coherence with the gospel of liberation. Originally, Christianity did not have temples, but rather churches. While sanctuaries are considered sacred places, churches signify spaces for assembly. When the apostle Paul called the communities to which he wrote "churches," he was affirming that they were assemblies of people not recognized as citizens by the empire, but who, within Christian communities, could meet and express themselves as assemblies of citizens of the divine kingdom in the world. Even today, when protesters occupy a church, they are, in some way, questioning the leaders of the temple: What is the meaning and mission of the Church? 

While we hope that popular movements will always strive to respectfully engage with all environments and set an example of dialogue with everyone they encounter, we also pray to God that the disciples of Jesus will embrace the prophetic character of the Christian faith. 

Even though the stance of the archbishop and the archdiocese of Curitiba has generally been more open and supportive, we dream of times when priests and bishops not only do not oppose, but are happy when their churches are peacefully occupied by popular groups that defend justice and life for all human beings and in communion with all living beings.