Brazil’s Lula vows to Evangelical voters he would respect non secular freedom By Reuters

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Leftist presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva assured Brazil’s Evangelical Christians that he wouldn’t prohibit non secular freedoms if he’s elected on Oct. 2, and praised the dedication to their beliefs.

In a public letter to Brazilian Evangelicals, Lula stated he was personally against legalizing abortion and his authorities would go away that concern for Congress to resolve.

Lula stated his message, coming lower than two weeks from a second-round runoff in opposition to far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, was prompted by marketing campaign lies unfold by his rival that warn voters {that a} Lula authorities would shut church buildings and curtail non secular freedoms.

“My authorities is not going to undertake any insurance policies that damage non secular liberty or create obstacles for church buildings to perform freely,” he stated.

Brazil’s presidential race has narrowed to a 4-percentage-point hole between leftist front-runner Lula and the incumbent Bolsonaro, and they’re now statistically tied, in keeping with a ballot revealed on Wednesday.

Lula stated the usage of non secular beliefs for political achieve within the election marketing campaign was a “unhappy scandal” and he vowed by no means to make use of faith politically or violate the separation of church from state.

His adversary Bolsonaro has robust backing from Brazil’s fast-growing Evangelical church buildings because of his conservative agenda based mostly on pro-life and household values, and rejection of homosexual marriage and the legalization of medicine.

With one in 4 Brazilians believed to be Evangelical at the moment on this predominantly Catholic nation, a current ballot by PoderData stated 62% of evangelical voters are for Bolsonaro, and solely 38% again Lula, who has the assist of 51% of Catholics.

Lula, who ruled Brazil from 2003-2010, stated he all the time maintained absolute respect for non secular freedom throughout his eight years as president, passing legal guidelines and decrees defending non secular range.

“The Brazilian folks know that I took care, with particular affection, of the poorest and, with God’s blessings, my authorities contributed to enhance the lives of thousands and thousands of households,” the previous president stated.