Pope Francis spoke Monday of the “political crises” in the Americas, sources of “tension and violence,” referring specifically to Brazil, where supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro seized places of power on Sunday.
“I am thinking of the various political crises in several countries of the Americas, with their share of tensions and forms of violence that exacerbate social conflicts,” he said during his vows before the Vatican diplomatic corps.
“I think especially of what happened recently in Peru and these last few hours in Brazil,” he said. This allusion to the situation in Brazil did not appear in the original version of his speech sent to journalists.
The Pope also noted that “in many regions there are signs of a weakening of democracy due to growing political and social polarizations that are not helping to solve the urgent problems of citizens”.
After several hours of chaos reminiscent of the invasion of Washington’s Capitol two years ago after former US President Donald Trump’s election defeat, Brazilian law enforcement agencies have regained control of the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court, in which on Sept Sunday hundreds of opponents invaded the new head of state Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The situation also remains unstable in Peru, where a month after President Dina Boluarte took office, 22 people were killed in demonstrations calling for her resignation.