BRAZIL-
On This Political Moment in Brazil and the Actions of Operation Car Wash
The Coordinating Council of the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil (CCIPU), having observed the escalation of the political crisis in the country culminating in the recent actions carried out by Operation Car Wash, the operation responsible for the investigation of politicians and business leaders allegedly involved in crimes of corruption, speaks to the presbyteries and churches under our jurisdiction and to Brazilian society in general, and especially to the political class and to the justice system (the Judiciary, the Federal Police, the Bar Association -OAB- and the Attorney General) with the following
PRONOUNCEMENT:
- The IPU, a church that is heir to the Protestant Reformation, has always measured its conduct against the standards of Biblical ethics and justice and has always defended the right of all of Brazilian society – be they Christians, followers of non-Christian religious traditions, or those with no religion – to live in a country under the rule of law, characterized by justice and ethics, regardless of class, creed, race or any other social convention;
- The IPU, a church founded in 1978, a dark period in Brazil’s recent history, is born out of a Presbyterian tradition that, on one side, allied itself with the military dictatorship and an authoritarian state, in pursuit of its own interests, and in so doing denied the Social Pronouncement of the Presbyterian Church in 1962, while on the other side, offered up martyrs in defense of the cause of the poor and of political freedom, will always be true to its roots and will always echo the prophetic voice of justice that must “roll down like waters.” (Amos 5:24)
- The IPU defends the deepening of the ongoing investigations of Operation Car Wash, calling on them to be balanced, without privilege or discrimination in favor of any political party, seeking justice and pursuing all evidence, wherever and to whomever they lead and for as long as they take, always guided by the rule of law and by the serenity that should characterize public officials, especially agents of the justice system;
- The IPU vehemently condemns the media-centered and theatrical character with which those that are coordinating the so-called Car Wash Task Force have imbued each phase of this investigation. Presenting routine investigative activities as spectacle has created a pernicious breeding ground, permeated with hatred for those that think differently and that, if the investigators and the political elites of this country are not careful, could spin out of control and see our streets become the scene of bloodbaths;
- The IPU condemns the leaks of selected testimony, be it of the accused, of those under investigation or of informants, always leaked to certain media outlets that do not always cover such content in an impartial or just manner;
- The IPU alerts the members of our churches to view such coverage critically and to treat with skepticism coverage that is attributed to confidential sources and whose testimony is treated as if it were a court’s verdict, despite the fact that in the jockeying for position and unscrupulous arrangements used by this and previous governments to pursue illicit enrichment to the detriment of the country, these same unscrupulous and anonymous sources are once again acting like rats trying to abandon a sinking ship so they can save their own skin;
- The IPU, considering the Pronouncement of Historic Churches Against Corruption that we signed together with other churches in September, 2014, reiterates that the growing corruption in our country has long existed and is the child of a poorly articulated political system that has always been driven by private campaign financing, transforming Congress into the true representative of the economic elites and not of the population at large, because almost 70 per cent of the members of Congress are direct representatives of major economic and financial interests in the country – both national and international.
- The IPU reiterates that true justice comes from God and that all human justice is incomplete and imperfect, must always be sought, but should not be pursued at any price. Seeking justice at any price can lead to a lynch mob mentality and risk jailing the accused precipitously, without respecting due process, just like a poor Black youth suspected of a crime can be tied to a post in the town square by those that take justice into their own hands.
- As a supreme good, justice must be sought, however the IPU reminds the People of God that attend our churches that the hypocrites, scribes and Pharisees of our day regularly elude justice (Mt. 5:20). Many of these politicians are currently facing criminal charges or are suspected of criminal practices. As we seek justice, we are unable to trust those that, in the name of justice, defend the death penalty, favor lowering the age at which children can be tried as adults, support a return to a military dictatorship and fail to respect the rights of minorities, especially of Blacks, indigenous peoples, homosexuals, followers of non-Christian religions and those without religious belief.
The IPU urges the People of God that meet in our churches to pray without ceasing for our nation. That she might be, truly, a nation where all men and all women experience the rule of law and know justice that flows like an ever-flowing stream.
Vitoria, 8 March 2016.
Ruling Elder Wertson Brasil de Souza, Moderator of the CCIPU
Ruling Elder Elson Rubens dos Santos, Vice-Moderator of the CCIPU
Ruling Elder Sérgio Augusto Miranda, First Secretary of the CCIPU
Ruling Elder Wilson Tadeu de Carvalho Eccard, Second Secretary of the CCIPU
Ruling Elder Davi Freitas Natal, Treasurer of the CCIPU