Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) had to intervene publicly to deny a rumor that gained traction on social media: the claim that he planned, if elected, to strip Our Lady of Aparecida of the title of patron saint of Brazil.
In a video released on the night of September 24, the presidential candidate called the information a "big lie" and accused opponents of exploiting the issue for electoral purposes.
How the rumor gained traction
The controversy originated from a comment by journalist Maria Cristina Fernandes during a GloboNews program. While discussing the religious electorate and the female vote, she mentioned a supposed movement within the Catholic Church against a portion of evangelicals. The clip went viral with the added claim that the project was authored or supported by Flávio Bolsonaro.
The network did not directly link the senator to the project in the original broadcast. Even so, after the repercussions, GloboNews issued a retraction in the early hours of September 25, apologizing for the error.
2007 bill already archived
There is indeed an old legislative proposal on the subject, but with no connection to Flávio Bolsonaro. Bill 2,623 was introduced in December 2007 by then-deputy Professor Victório Galli (PMDB-MT). The text aimed to amend Law 6,802/1980, replacing the expression "patron saint of Brazil" with "patron saint of Brazilian Roman Catholic apostles."
The proposal was rejected by the Chamber's Education and Culture Committee in July 2008 and definitively archived on August 22 of that year. The House itself had already clarified in 2018 that the bill was no longer under consideration.
Religion at the center of the campaign
The controversy arises at a time of heightened religious debate. Bishops and archbishops of the Catholic Church have publicly defended national sovereignty and policies aimed at the poorest, themes associated with Lula's campaign. The CNBB, in turn, reinforced that it does not endorse candidates or parties.
Flávio Bolsonaro also saw renewed circulation of an August statement in which he said that, if elected, he would decree that "Brazil belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ." Opponents interpreted the phrase as an indirect criticism of the title of patron saint of Our Lady of Aparecida.
Division by religion in the polls
Ten days before the first round scheduled for October 4, the BBC News Brasil Poll Aggregator shows Lula at 40% and Flávio Bolsonaro at 37%. In the simulated second round, the senator appears at 46% against 45% for the president.
Datafolha data show a clear difference by religion: among Catholics, Lula has 45% against 33% for Flávio; among evangelicals, the PL candidate leads with 47% versus 27% for the PT candidate.
The official recognition of Our Lady of Aparecida as patron saint occurred in 1930, by a bull from Pope Pius XI. The date of October 12 only became a national holiday in 1980, with the enactment of Law 6,802 by President João Figueiredo.