A Catholic priest in Brazil with a massive social media following told AP News Dec. 16 that São Paulo’s archbishop ordered him to immediately stop livestreaming Mass and halt all social media activity.
Father Júlio Lancellotti, 76, confirmed that Cardinal Odilo Scherer, the archbishop of São Paulo, issued the directive and said he accepted it “in a spirit of obedience and resilience.”
The Archdiocese of São Paulo declined to comment on the specific reasons for the order. In a statement cited by AP News, the archdiocese said “issues discussed by the archbishop and a priest are of internal concern of the church and are carried forward directly between them.”
Fr. Lancellotti has more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram and is widely known across Brazil for decades of outreach to people experiencing homelessness, particularly in São Paulo’s Mooca district, where he has worked for nearly 40 years.
Fr. Lancellotti announced last Sunday that his Masses, celebrated weekly in the chapel of São Judas University in Mooca, will no longer be broadcast live on the internet. He also stated that he will no longer be updating his social media accounts, according to the BBC News Brazil.
More than 40 Brazilian organizations that work with homeless populations sent a letter to Cardinal Scherer urging him to reconsider the decision, according to AP News. The letter, according to the news wire, emphasized the social impact of Fr. Lancellotti’s online presence and said the groups plan to attend his next Sunday Mass to show public support. The organizations stated they were not questioning the Church’s autonomy.
According to BBC News Brazil’s report, “His stances in favor of the inclusion of minorities, from drug addicts to transgender people, and his work helping homeless people in São Paulo often provoke intense criticism, especially from internet users aligned with the far-right.”
Fr. Lancellotti has faced political opposition since the COVID-19 pandemic, as his visibility increased nationwide through social media. According to the Associated Press, São Paulo’s Deputy Mayor Col. Ricardo Mello Araújo has accused the priest of enabling drug users in downtown areas, allegations Fr. Lancellotti denies. Politicians allied with former President Jair Bolsonaro have also attempted to open investigations into his work.
Fr. Lancellotti is also an outspoken supporter of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a position that has drawn additional criticism from conservative figures in the country.
The priest has denied any wrongdoing and has consistently described his outreach as a pastoral mission carried out under the Archdiocese of São Paulo, not to benefit any other political organization.
The post Brazilian cardinal orders priest to go offline appeared first on CatholicVote org.