On March 23, Brazil\u2019s Supreme Federal Court permanently closed the investigation into the involvement of Father Jos\u00e9 Eduardo de Oliveira e Silva in the attempted coup d\u2019\u00e9tat aimed at preventing the inauguration of then-President-elect Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva in 2022.<\/p>\n
Justice Alexandre de Moraes signed the decision on March 20 \u2014 12 days after the priest\u2019s defense attorney, Miguel Vidigal, requested the permanent closure of the investigation.<\/p>\n
The priest, from Osasco in the state of S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil, was named as a suspect by the Federal Police in November 2024, under suspicion of being part of a \u201clegal core\u201d responsible for advising on and drafting decrees intended to serve alleged coup-related interests. <\/p>\n
Others under investigation for the attempted coup d\u2019\u00e9tat include the country\u2019s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, along with advisers, allies, military personnel, and former ministers of his administration. However, on Feb. 18, the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic did not file charges against the priest before the Supreme Federal Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is to be hoped that the investigation against Father Jos\u00e9 Eduardo was an isolated incident on the part of the Brazilian state and that the religious freedoms enshrined in the Federal Constitution and in the Brazil-Holy See Agreement (Federal Decree No. 7.107\/2010) will be guaranteed by the Judiciary. Had these norms been observed, unfounded and slanderous messages \u2014 as well as aggressive outbursts \u2014 could have been avoided, whether coming from the media or from private individuals who were quick to unjustly accuse the clergyman of illicit acts,\u201d Vidigal told ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News.<\/p>\n
\u201cFather Jos\u00e9 Eduardo\u2019s defense team consistently alerted the Judiciary and the Federal Police \u2014 the agency in charge of the investigation \u2014 that the visits the clergyman made in Brasilia were never of a conspiratorial nature but rather strictly fulfilled what is expected of a Catholic priest: spiritual care and guidance \u2014 nothing more than that,\u201d Vidigal said. \u201cThe Father had his private life exposed, yet he was never charged with any of the irregularities initially imputed to him; even so, the Judiciary had not requested the formal dismissal of the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n