Carvalho denies problems between Dilma and the Church.
The Chief Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Gilberto Carvalho, said this Wednesday that there was no "rush" on the part of the Brazilian government to comment on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. During the launch of the CNBB's fraternity campaign, he described the controversy over abortion in the 2010 elections, which contributed to the dispute between Dilma Rousseff and José Serra going to a second round, as "absolutely overcome".
247 - Dilma Rousseff's silence regarding Pope Benedict XVI's resignation announcement raised suspicions about a possible discomfort on the president's part with the Catholic Church. These suspicions were denied on Wednesday by the Chief Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Gilberto Carvalho. According to him, Dilma's silence is simply due to the fact that there was no "rush" on the part of the Brazilian government to comment on Benedict XVI's resignation.
"The Brazilian government did not rush to make any major pronouncements," explained Carvalho. "Our position regarding this decision is one of respect, reverence, and a very strong desire that [Benedict XVI] may continue to contribute to the Church." According to the minister, who spoke during the launch of the fraternity campaign of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), there is "a very strong desire for much energy and much light in the choice of the new pope."
Commenting on the lack of comments from other Latin American leaders, Carvalho said that "one cannot interpret events based solely on speeches; actions are more important. I don't see what other Latin American governments have done either." "There are no problems in our relations. On the contrary, they have been the best possible. We are open, upon the arrival of the new Pope, to resuming conversation and relations at the highest possible level with the government of the Holy See," the minister continued.
Overcome
Speaking on behalf of Dilma, Carvalho denied any problems in the relationship between the Brazilian government and the Catholic Church -- in 2010, during the election campaign, the Church recommended to Brazilian bishops that they not vote for politicians who defended abortion, a controversial issue in the final stretch of that election. "There was an episode during the campaign that has been completely resolved. In our opinion, it wasn't the entire [Catholic] Church that took that position. President Dilma never expressed herself, either publicly or privately, on this perspective," commented the minister.