Appointed by the president for the vacancy left by the (Supreme Federal Court), the attorney general of the Union, became known nationally as “Bessias” in 2016, in the episode of the leak of a Lava Jato wiretap.
It was between Lula and the former president, disclosed by the then judge and now senator. At the time, Dilma said that she would send “Bessias” along with her term of office, “if necessary”, so that Lula could become minister of the Civil House of her government.
The dialogue was understood at the time by Minister Gilmar Mendes, of the STF, as an indication that the appointment had as its main objective to obstruct the Lava Jato investigations and a possible arrest.
Despite there being no irregularities in the conduct of the former assistant, who held the position of director, the audio leak recalls one of the moments of greatest rejection of the PT governments.
Years later, Messias played an important role as the Lula government’s interlocutor with evangelicals — a segment that mostly joined the former president.
A member of the Baptist Church and deacon of a congregation in Brasília, he often uses his speeches and social media to comment on how the Bible influences his views on the world.
The minister was called for the first time by evangelical leaders in 2023, when a resolution from the National Health Council was published suggesting reducing the minimum age for starting hormonal therapy for sex change to 14 years old.
It was one of the main concerns of evangelical segments with Lula as President of the Republic: that a left-wing government would advance on gender issues, with policies on transsexuality for children and adolescents.
Messias was activated at the time by the Evangelical Parliamentary Front of the Chamber. The minister told politicians that this agenda was not defended by Lula and promised to coordinate with the Ministry of Health that the resolution would not go forward.
The head of the AGU took a position on the issue in the Supreme Court. A lawsuit filed by associations linked to the CFM (Federal Council of Medicine) questioned an opinion that prohibited hormone therapy for “the treatment of gender incongruity or gender dysphoria in children and adolescents”.
Messiah spoke out against the action. “The aforementioned constitutional provisions point to the importance of specificities involving the protection of the health of children and adolescents, including the control and supervision of procedures of interest to health,” he said.
Messias is not affiliated with PT. Considered progressive, he gained confidence through the work he began as a legal consultant for ministries. Attorney of the National Treasury since 2007, he was a legal consultant for the Ministries of Education and Science, Technology and Innovation, under the command of Aloizio Mercadante, and was also Secretary of Regulation and Supervision of Higher Education.
After participating in the Dilma government, he served as head of the PT cabinet in the Senate.
Messias has a degree in Law from the Faculty of Law of Recife (UFPE) and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Brasília (UnB).
He gained recognition from President Lula while he was still assembling the government. In the role of legal coordinator of the transition, he worked on drafting decrees restructuring the Esplanada, including defining the budget for 2023.
In the first year of the government, Lula began to describe Messias as efficient and discreet in office, to the point of . The vacancy was, however, occupied by Flávio Dino, then Minister of Justice.
Supporters of Messias’ appointment to the court, including ministers and PT leaders, highlight his qualifications. Remember that, when appointed to the Supreme Court, he was the fourth minister of the current composition to assume the chair after leaving the AGU, following the path taken by Gilmar Mendes, Dias Toffoli and André Mendonça.
