RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Evangelical pastors close to President Jair Bolsonaro consider as certain the nomination of Federal Solicitor General (AGU) André Mendonça, a Presbyterian pastor, for the vacancy on the Federal Supreme Court (STF) with the retirement of Justice Marco Aurélio Mello in July.
“He is terribly evangelical and has a 98% chance of being nominated to the STF,” said Apostle César Augusto, leader of the Fonte da Vida Apostolic Church in Goiânia. Together with Pastor Silas Malafaia, of the Assembly of God Victory in Christ, and Apostle Estevam Hernandes, of Roborn in Christ, he is today one of the evangelical leaders who attend the Planalto Palace the most – he has visited twice last month, according to the Presidency of the Republic’s official agenda.
“There is still no date for the announcement, but the president is a man of his word. Mendonça is an extremely prepared jurist and has the sympathy and the support of the evangelical segment,” he added.
The information is corroborated by other leaders of the religious sector who have been talking to the president in recent days. “From 0 to 10, the chance of being Mendonça is now 8. But it’s entirely the president’s prerogative,” said, with reservations, an important member of the Evangelical Parliamentary Front of the Chamber of Deputies.
The most emphatic declarations occur at a moment when speculation is growing about other names, who are running as outsiders in the dispute. Among them is Federal Superior Court (STJ) judge Humberto Martins, who is an Adventist and would be the favorite of the president’s eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Republicanos).
Another who runs on the sidelines is the current Federal Prosecutor General Augusto Aras, who is not an evangelical. Despite Mendonça’s favoritism, it is difficult to predict that he will be chosen, given Bolsonaro’s unpredictability, as he has already surprised everyone by nominating Kassio Nunes Marques in October last year for the vacancy of Celso de Mello – his name did not appear among the nominees until the eve of the appointment.
Movement
Mendonça has been working hard for the position and has started to approach some senators – the nomination needs to be approved by the Senate. Since last year, he has also been working to secure the support of important leaders in the evangelical sector.
Early this year, he used his weekends to visit several Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal temples, among them the giant Assemblies of God of Belém Ministry and Madureira Ministry, and the Worldwide Power of God Church, owned by the Apostle Valdemiro Santiago.
Among those who also opened doors for him was the Apostle César Augusto. “Something natural for someone who, besides being AGU and formerly Minister of Justice, is also a Presbyterian pastor,” he said.
In early April, Mendonça also started using social networks to praise the Pentecostals. On Twitter, he wrote that they “save millions of lives” and that they are the ones “where elitist religionists are unwilling to be.”
Source: Veja