Brazilian cardinal orders a popular Catholic priest to go offline following right-wing attacks

SAO PAULO AP A renowned Brazilian Catholic priest substantiated Tuesday that he was ordered by Sao Paulo s archbishop to stop broadcasting his services and avoid social media postings all-together following attacks from right-wing figures who denounce his actions as leftist With million followers on Instagram J lio Lancellotti is famous all over Brazil for his extensive advocacy and outreach work with homeless people in Sao Paulo On Tuesday he reported journalists he received the news from Cardinal Odilo Scherer Sao Paulo s archbishop in a spirit of obedience and resilience Sao Paulo s archdiocese mentioned in a report that issues discussed by the archbishop and a priest are of internal concern of the church and are carried forward directly between them Lancellotti s services were regularly broadcast Sunday mornings and in one of his latest he warned churchgoers that his online following would not be able to watch if they did not attend in person Later on Tuesday more than Brazilian organizations that work for homeless people sent a letter to Cardinal Scherer asking him to reconsider his decision to suspend Lancelotti s broadcasts and social media activity The letter seen by The Associated Press does not question the Church s autonomy and focuses on the social impact of the cardinal s decision The signatory organizations will send representatives to next Sunday s operation to offer Father Lancellotti their constituents endorsement Lancellotti has accumulated political adversaries in Brazil since the COVID- pandemic though he has performed similar work in Sao Paulo s Mooca district for almost years Sao Paulo s Deputy Mayor Col Ricardo Mello Araujo has accused Lancellotti of empowering drug users scattered downtown a claim the priest denies City councilors allied with former President Jair Bolsonaro have tried to open investigations against the clergyman s work Lancellotti denies any wrongdoing The Catholic priest an outspoken supporter of President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva has for numerous years defended his work as a pastoral action of the archdiocese arguing that he does not belong to any nonprofit organization Follow AP s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https apnews com hub latin-america Source