In 2005, when Pope John Paul II died, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was in his first term and took the opportunity to make a symbolic republican gesture, inviting to join the Brazilian official entourage that would go to the wake some former presidents of the Republic. But special circumstances and, especially, the deterioration of the political environment, will mark the presence of Brazilian authorities in the farewell of Pope Francis.
At that time, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and José Sarney traveled on the presidential plane and Itamar Franco, which served as ambassador in Italy, joined the entourage in the Italian capital. The only one who was not invited in 2025 was former President Fernando Collor.
Now, they are confirmed in the presidential delegation that goes to the Vatican funeral, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the first lady Janja da Silva, in addition to the presidents of the Senate, David Alcolumbre, the Hugo Motta, and the Supreme Court (STF), Luís Roberto Barroso. That is, so far, no former president has been invited or confirmed presence in the entourage.
For the teacher of the School of Business Administration at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV EAESP), Marco Teixeira, political relations have deteriorated a lot in the last 20 years. He finds an invitation to former President Bolsonaro to at least two reasons: “First, because Bolsonaro cannot leave the country. And even if he could, it would be a very big surprise because the relationship between the two are beyond opposing relationships,” says Teixeira.
Teixeira bets that former President Michel Termer-called a scammer for Lula-would not be on the list of people grateful to the current president. In addition to him, Fernando Henrique Cardosos is very advanced and Sarney has just left the hospital.
Who Lula could call it would be Dilma Rousseff herself, who is now more abroad than in Brazil due to her position. “Therefore, I believe the option is not to call anyone, since calling some and not calling others would be even anti -republican,” says the professor.
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According to Teixeira, the problem is not who is in power, it is of who was too. “Bolsonaro would not call Lula and probably would not even go, for when Pope Francis was alive, he called the Pope a communist,” he adds.
However, the teacher highlights the preservation of harmony between powers as a positive point. Representatives of the three powers will be in the delegation for the Pope’s wake. “Politics lost its original concept of conversation, negotiation, construction, and departed to the field of clash. What is interesting is that at least the relationships between the powers are preserving themselves, which probably in the previous government would not exist,” he says.
