From Cicero to Marcelo Rossi
In his 13-year career, Marcelo Rossi has become a phenomenon in the Catholic Church; Newsweek dedicated a report to the priest this week, even comparing the national phenomenon to the historic Padre Cícero.
247 – The routine of Brazil's most famous priest is very similar to the lifestyle of major pop music stars. The Catholic phenomenon Father Marcelo Rossi gained fame by using unconventional methods to win over the faithful. This week, Newsweek magazine dedicated a major report to the priest (read here), which includes sales figures for his records and books. The pop priest has a legion of musical titles to his name, holds open-air masses, and constantly appears on television programs. Wherever he goes, the priest attracts crowds and even paparazzi. "I get butterflies in my stomach when I see this," says the priest as his black Toyota passes through the lines separating the fanatical fans, who wait to see him – some for more than 13 hours –, describes the magazine.
Newsweek describes Marcelo Rossi as the evangelical leader who has been reborn as Brazil's newest writer. His debut book, Ágape, published by Editora Globo, is defined by the publication as an easy-to-read, self-help book that disappeared from the shelves of the country's main bookstores shortly after its release in August of last year. Initially, the publisher believed the book would sell around one million copies. By mid-July of this year, sales had exceeded expectations, surpassing the mark of five million copies sold. The Catholic book, which was later renamed Amor Divino (Divine Love), sold 25 times more than the Brazilian bestseller of 2010.
According to Newsweek, Editora Globo knew they would strike gold by signing with the priest. "Even a napkin autographed by the preacher would be a victory," the magazine states. The article recounts the story of Marcelo Rossi's work and success in the 1990s, when the young priest created the Christian Revolutionary Movement, a time when Catholicism was facing a period of ostracism caused by the rise of evangelical churches in Brazil. Appointed in 1994 to a diocese on the outskirts of São Paulo, no one was better than that skinny, blue-eyed, educated, and talented preacher in his early twenties. And soon the church pews began to fill.
The phenomenon is clearly described in the article: 12 albums released, all award-winning, more than 12 million copies sold in 13 years of open-air masses, with musical shows and participation in the film Maria, Mãe do Filho de Deus (Mary, Mother of the Son of God), seen by two million Brazilians. In highlighting a curious feat, the publication mentions that the priest was once the creator of aerobic exercises – “Lord’s aerobics,” as he calls them – from which his favorites were selected and sold.
The magazine's analysis suggests that since Padre Cícero, the priest from the poor backlands of Northeast Brazil, the country hasn't had such a strong star. Padre Cícero, however, preached to humble peasants, while Marcelo Rossi carried out his ministry in the largest metropolises of Latin America.