President Lula (PT) sent a letter to the organizers of the March for Jesus, who holds his 33rd edition on Thursday (19) in São Paulo, stating that he stopped going to the event “by government commitments”, and that it is “an extraordinary act of collective faith, a walk of prayer, praise and commitment to a more human, fairer and more supportive Brazil”.
The petista was represented at the event by the lawyer-general of the Union, Jorge Messias, who made a brief speech talking about God and praising the march, but without mentioning the name of the president. Messiah handed the letter to the apostle Estevam Hernandes and Bishop Sonia, leaders of the Renascer Church in Christ and organizers of the march to Jesus.
The governor of São Paulo, which began at 10am with a walk and continues in the northern part of the city until the end of the day. The two posed for photos holding a flag of Israel, were greeted by Hernandes as “men of God” and tiered by the public when they descended from the electric trio. Birthday, Tarcisio received “congratulations to you” on two occasions during the event.
In the text, Lula recalls that the 33rd edition of the event refers to the age that Jesus Christ had when he died, and points out that the celebration “is already part of the heart of the Brazilian people and that, year after year, shows the transformative force of the Christian faith in our country.”
President quotes Excerpt from the Bible
“I want to congratulate them, Apostle Estevam and Bishop Sonia, for the firm and generous leadership at the head of this great movement of hope. The march to Jesus is much more than an event, an extraordinary act of collective faith, a walk of prayer, praise and commitment to a more human, more just and more supportive Brazil. Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, ”writes the head of the Planalto Palace.
The petista quotes chapter 34, verse 15 of the book of Ezekiel in the Bible, and says the couple fulfills the promise to “welcome, guide and take care of those who need it most” and that the march to Jesus has fulfilled a role of “uniting hearts around faith, strengthening the spirit of community, and showing that praise to God is a path of reconstruction, not only spiritual, but also social”.
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He justifies his absence, cites the sanction of the law that establishes the National Day of the March for Jesus in 2009, and states that his government has “promoted interreligious dialogue, respecting the different beliefs, and valued the role of churches in the construction of a fairer and more supportive Brazil.”
“Unfortunately, government commitments prevent me from being physically present in this edition. But I asked the Chief Minister of the Attorney General Jorge Messias, who represents me and our government. He takes my fraternal hug and the certainty that we follow together, working with faith and courage to do what we best know how to do: take care of the Brazilian people,” added the president.
Messiah is from the Baptist Church and, last year, took a letter signed by the president in which he remembered the petista who sanctioned the National Day of the March for Jesus in 2009, in his second term. In his speech on Thursday, he did not mention the agent. The speech was short, exalted Jesus Christ and praised the Hernandes couple.
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“I have been pathing with God for 40 years, and I had good days, bad days, but God has always been God. God never lacked me, and we are here to praise our God in spirit and in heart. To Him, all honor and glory be given,” he said before being embraced by the leaders of the reborn.
Read the full letter:
To the illustrious apostle Estevam Hernandes and Bishop Sonia, receive my most cordial greetings.
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It is with great joy that I address all the people on the occasion of the 33rd edition of the March for Jesus, a symbolic number that refers to the fullness of Christ’s mission. It is a celebration that is already part of the heart of the Brazilian people and, year after year, shows the transforming force of the Christian faith in our country.
I want to congratulate them, apostle Estevam and Bishop Sonia, for the firm and generous leadership at the head of this great movement of hope.
The march to Jesus is much more than an event, it is an extraordinary act of collective faith, a walk of prayer, of praise and commitment to a more human, fairer and more supportive Brazil.
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You have been, over the years, true shepherds of your people. A couple who, with courage and spirit of service, fulfills what is written in the book of the prophet Ezekiel:
“I will myself my sheep myself and make them stand” (Eze 34:15).
This promise is fulfilled every day in your mission to welcome, guide and take care of the ones you need most.
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Seeing the size that this celebration has gained over the years, reminds me of David, in order to unite his people and put worship with God at the center of personal life and the nation.
Like David, the march to Jesus has fulfilled this same role: uniting hearts around faith, strengthening the spirit of community, and showing that praise to God is a path of reconstruction, not only spiritual but also social.
With each step of this march, it echoes a strong message: that Brazil has a generous, faith people, who sometimes, who loves, who dreams.
A people of faith who does not give up. And it is this extraordinary faith that inspires our government every day in the mission of rebuilding Brazil, placing Brazilian families at the center of our decisions and taking care of those who need it most.
As a Christian, I am thrilled with the joy that springs from the faith of our people. And as President of the Republic, I reaffirm, in every gesture of government, my commitment to religious freedom and respect for the diversity of beliefs, because religious plurality is one of the greatest riches of our democracy.
Our government has promoted interreligious dialogue, respecting the different beliefs, and valued the role of churches in the construction of a fairer and more supportive Brazil.
Since I was very proud of the law that instituted the National Day of the March for Jesus in 2009, I see with hope how this celebration has grown and became a symbol of unity, peace and commitment to Christian values: compassion, mercy, respect for differences and love for others.
Unfortunately, government commitments prevent me from being physically present in this edition. But I asked the Chief Minister of the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, who represents me and our government.
He takes with him my fraternal hug and the certainty that we follow together, working with faith and courage to do what we best know how to do: take care of the Brazilian people.
I wish you all a blessed march, guided by the Holy Spirit, and that follows leading the light of faith throughout the country, inspiring each Brazilian and each Brazilian to believe in a fairer, less unequal and more democratic Brazil.
With respect,
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of the Federative Republic of Brazil
