Leonardo Boff: 'Bolsonaro's God is the God of death'

Sputnik News - The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed death on the daily lives of all Brazilians. We spoke with theologian Leonardo Boff to understand the role of God and politics in saving the country from the new coronavirus.

After heated debates for and against quarantine, this Thursday (28), Brazil registered more than a thousand deaths from coronavirus for the 3rd consecutive day and consolidates itself as the second most affected country by the pandemic worldwide.

However, theologian Leonardo Boff points out that the numbers published by the government can be questioned, since "those who control the Ministry of Health are not doctors, or people with scientific training," but military personnel.

"There are reports that the number of cases may be seven times higher, and the number of deaths five times higher than what they are reporting." stated Boff to Sputnik Mundo.

According to the founder of Liberation Theology, "many die for lack of assistance" and the "military government" is mismanaging the pandemic.

"The president wanted to impose the use of chloroquine by decree, and the Supreme Court had to intervene and prohibit it," lamented Boff. "Even without any scientific basis, he [Bolsonaro] continues to recommend this drug."

The theologian sees a "great contradiction" between a president who claims to worship God but seems indifferent to the suffering of Brazilian families who have lost relatives to COVID-19.

"Bolsonaro is continually demanding human sacrifices because he doesn't provide assistance to the people, he doesn't care about the deaths, he doesn't express any solidarity with the victims, nor with the prominent people who have died, nothing. Bolsonaro's God is not the God of life, but the God of death," declared Boff.

Indigenous Population

In addition to his concern for Brazil's poor population, "who are unable to practice social isolation," Boff is also concerned about the indigenous population.

"[In the Amazon] 44 ethnic groups were affected [by COVID-19]. Many of the indigenous people are going into the interior of the forest, believing that this way they can escape contagion," said Boff.

"Indigenous people are vulnerable to these diseases, and even die from the flu and pneumonia. With the coronavirus, it will be a total disaster," he lamented.

In addition to the health threat, the indigenous people also face "loggers, who are taking advantage of the pandemic to occupy indigenous lands".

"They are starting fires in areas larger than the city of São Paulo, and the news isn't getting anywhere because everyone is talking about the coronavirus," he denounced.

"On April 22nd, the [Environment] Minister, Ricardo Salles [...] proposed to the president that they take advantage of the fact that all media outlets are focused on the coronavirus to abolish the laws that limit deforestation. "And to extend the occupation of the Amazon Rainforest, especially indigenous lands," Boff recalled.

Environment

As a theologian who contributed to the drafting of the encyclical Laudato Si' on care for our common home, published by Pope Francis in May 2015, Boff has established himself as a leader in the environmental field.

"As Pope Francis said, we have reached an ecological emergency," said Boff. "The earth has limited resources and cannot support an unlimited project."

© REUTERS / RODOLFO BUHRERCatholic priest Reginaldo Manzotti gives communion to a woman during a drive-thru mass in celebration of Mother's Day, in Curitiba, May 10, 2020.

"The earth gives us everything we need to live, so we have to take care of it, love it, defend it, let it breathe," he argued.

"The Pope recognizes, and has said this several times, that the future of life depends on the great forests of the Congo and especially the Amazon," he emphasized.

For him, the pandemic gives us an opportunity to "reflect on the relationship we have and want to have with nature."

post-pandemic

According to the theologian, societies can evolve in two ways after the pandemic:

"Some say we're going back to a world far worse than before, with a totalitarian system that will use artificial intelligence to control every single person," he said.

But there is "another alternative," which argues that "when humanity faces the danger of extinction, a process of change begins," which will allow for the "incorporation of the ecological theme."

© PHOTO / PIXABAYAmazon

"We would arrive at a collective consciousness "To create a global social pact among all countries regarding an element that is essential to everyone: water."

According to Boff, we have the opportunity "to develop a strategy to ensure that everyone has access to water, which is an essential human right, as defined by the UN."

Esperança

From a scientific standpoint, the theologian expressed being "pessimistic" about the future of humanity. "But as a Christian and a theologian," he have hope "in God, who is the God of life."

"A God who loves life passionately will not allow our lives to disappear in such a miserable way [...] we will change, because nobody wants to die," he said.

© FOLHAPRESS / BRUNO SANTOSWith Raoni, the Kayapó indigenous leader, in the center, marking the closing of the meeting of indigenous leaders from Brazil, in the village of Piaraçu, on the banks of the Xingu River, in São José do Xingu, Mato Grosso.

"Life is stronger than death [...] I believe this will prevail, because this is the fruit of my faith."

Leonardo Boff is a Brazilian theologian and co-founder of Liberation Theology. He was a member of the Franciscan order of Friars Minor and is a professor of ethics, philosophy, and religion at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).