Father José Eduardo de Oliveira Silva, who works in the diocese of Osasco in São Paulo, is one of the 37 defendants on the list that was delivered by the Federal Police (PF), this Thursday (21), to the Federal Supreme Court ( STF). The priest gave a statement to the corporation on November 7th, as part of the January 8th investigation in which he appears as one of the suspects in the alleged planning of a coup d’état in Brazil.
The religious man is mentioned in the investigations as part of the “legal core” of the alleged coup scheme. This group would be responsible for “advising and preparing draft decrees”, according to the PF document.
“Less than 7 days after giving a statement to the Federal Police, my client sees his name stamped by the Federal Police as one of those indicted by the investigators. The same investigators did not shy away from breaking the law and international treaty by searching conversations and spiritual directions that they have guarantee of secrecy and were carried out by the priest”, explained the priest’s lawyer, Miguel Vidigal, in a note sent to People’s Gazette.
After learning of the priest’s indictment, through the secret leak of the list of names in the investigation, the defense considered it an “abuse” and a “breach” of Minister Alexandre de Moraes’ determination that decreed absolute secrecy.
“Who gave authorization to the Federal Police to break the secrecy of the investigations? As far as we know, Minister Alexandre de Moraes decreed absolute secrecy. There has been no decision by the magistrate so far breaking this determination,” said the lawyer.
According to Vidigal, “the note from the Federal Police with the list of indictees is yet another abuse carried out by those responsible for the investigation.” “Having published it on the official website of the police agency, it contaminates the entire institution and makes it responsible for breaking the Minister’s determination”, he added.
The priest is known in Brazilian Catholic circles mainly for his videos about Christian doctrine on Instagram, a network where he has more than 400 thousand followers.
After receiving the report, Minister Alexandre de Moraes must submit it to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), which will have two weeks to decide whether to agree with the indictment requests, request archiving or indicate new steps.
Priest’s statement to the PF
The defense reported that Father José Eduardo’s testimony to the PF took place “within the expected urbanity parliaments”. However, he emphasized that “it caused astonishment and disagreement that the PF extracted conversations between the religious and the faithful and priests who regularly seek him out for spiritual direction.”
“As was already feared from the moment he learned that the investigations would break his cell phone’s password, it became clear that the Federal Police, not having found any material that could link him to what was being investigated, passed on to the priest’s conversations with the faithful. and religious people who provide spiritual direction with him, selecting phrases taken out of context, which had nothing to do with the investigation, in messages that are protected by Priestly Secrecy”, explained the lawyer.
The defense reinforced that this is an “immense precedent in our country that cannot be ignored”. “The Secular State that prevails in our legislation provides for the total separation of Church and State and guarantees in its article 13 the secrecy of the priestly office”, he adds.
Remember the case
The PF’s action against Father José Eduardo took place on February 8 of this year and targets suspects involved in an alleged coup d’état planning in Brazil, including former president Jair Bolsonaro, military personnel, advisors and allies.
In the decision by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), the priest is mentioned as part of the “legal core” of the alleged coup scheme. This group would be responsible for “advising and preparing draft decrees”, according to the document.
Reports present in the investigation say that, on November 19, 2022, Father José Eduardo participated in a meeting with Filipe Martins and Amauri Feres Saad at Palácio do Planalto to discuss the alleged coup plan. Martins, former special advisor to Bolsonaro, was arrested this Thursday in Paraná. Saad, a lawyer, is being identified as the author of the “coup draft” that motivated the operation.
The STF determined that the priest will not be able to maintain contact with the other people under investigation nor leave the country, and must hand over his passport within 24 hours.
On social media, the priest’s admirers asked for prayers for him and criticized the actions of the STF and the police.
In a note published at the time of the PF operation, the priest states that he did not cooperate with any act disrupting the Constitution. “My position on the matter is clear and unequivocal: the Republic is secular and governed by constitutional precepts, which must be respected. Breaking with the established order would be profoundly contrary to my principles”, he says.
The priest emphasizes that he has always had “his life focused on serving the general public” and that, since his ordination, his activity “has always been carried out within the limits established for the exercise of the priesthood”.
