Brazil: Investigation of Church Promising to "Immunize" Against Coronavirus

AFP / Nelson ALMEIDAA pharmacyworkerin front of a stock of protective masks in Sao Paulo (Brazil) on February 27, 2020

Brazilian police have opened an investigation into an evangelical church which announced a ceremony in which it promised to "immunize against any epidemic, virus or disease," said the commissioner in charge of the case on Tuesday.

"The power of God against the coronavirus. Come because there will be an anointing with consecrated oil during the fast to immunize against any epidemic, virus or disease," wrote on Global Social Networks the Holy Spirit, from Porto Alegre (southern Brazil).

Alerted by numerous calls, the police went to the worship site on Sunday, but "at that time no type of crime was identified," commissioner Laura Lopes, in charge of the crime, told AFP. the case.

"When they released this brochure, we opened an investigation to find out what they really say to the faithful and whether they are distributing remedies or vaccinations against the diseases," she added.

Representatives of this Church and some of the faithful were summoned to be questioned on the subject, she said.

The investigation aims to determine whether the religious leaders have committed the offense of "quackery" which, according to Brazilian law, consists of "instilling or announcing the cure by secret or infallible means". He is punished with a year in prison.

"At no time [the brochure] promises that the oil cures the coronavirus, at no time does it say that we will sell this oil," defended the church leader, preacher Silvio Ribeiro, on Tuesday. 'a press conference. He also claimed to refer his faithful patients to medicine "for 27 years".

"I beg your pardon. Our intention with this brochure was to bring faith, hope and love to everyone, nothing else," he said.

In the last official census in 2010, 22.2% of Brazilians declared themselves evangelical, but recent opinion polls suggest that this proportion may have reached 30% in the past ten years.

Two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have been identified in Brazil since the start of the epidemic, two men have returned from Italy to Sao Paulo, and 488 "suspect" cases are under surveillance.

According to a report established by AFP from official sources Tuesday at 17:00 GMT, the Covid-19 epidemic has caused more than 92,723 cases, for 3,155 deaths, in 78 countries and territories in the world.

AFP