Originally published at The Crux
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SÃO PAULO – The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) issued a statement on Sept. 27 denying any involvement in the production or dissemination of disinformation about far-right presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.
Since last week, Flávio Bolsonaro – the older son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest following his 2023 conviction for attempting a coup – has been attacked on social media by supporters of incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his main opponent in the elections scheduled for Oct. 4, over his alleged intention to strip Our Lady Aparecida of her title as Patroness of Brazil.
It all began on Sept. 24, when journalist Maria Cristina Fernandes said on the GloboNews cable channel during a news program that the Brazilian Church was mobilizing against a project by Evangelical leaders to remove the title of Patroness of Brazil from Our Lady Aparecida. Such a mobilization, she added, could help Lula’s campaign.
GloboNews later acknowledged the information was false and apologized, but the damage had already been done. Just moments after Fernandes’s commentary, a series of social media
