Linking faith and action

Jose Oscar Beozzo, director of CAFOD partner CESEP [CAFOD]

Jose Oscar Beozzo, director of CAFOD partner CESEP in Brazil, explains how his organisation links faith with action

"CAFOD is supporting our summer education programmes. We have a different programme each year. We train community leaders and they run the programmes in their communities. Last year the focus was water - called 'Water is life'.

"We look at the specific problems of their own communities and see how they can be tackled. Then we look at the problem, locally, nationally and internationally. In the second week we study the Bible, for example the place of water in the Bible.

"This year the theme is education. We will look at Christ’s role as a teacher and the role of the disciples. The idea is to analyse social problems but also to have a new reading of the Bible.

"The problem is that some people cannot afford the travel costs to come. We are hoping to open other centres in Brazil."

Making a bridge

"People normally have a good heart and normally want to do something for people in distress. I was recently with a family that adopted four kids – this is really not an easy thing to do. In this case, they wanted to do something for other people. They could grasp the situation. They saw a child and thought this child needs help.

"But with huge financial problems, they seem so removed from people. How do we combine this will to help with an understanding of the issues of trade and debt that are a major part of the problems?

"We try and make a bridge to work with other people with the same goals. Last September we ran courses for Bishops, Brazil’s trade attache Tovar discussed with them about the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The agreement is not really an agreement but more of an imposition. The problem is that the countries of Latin America need trade to pay off their debt. They cannot produce dollars so they have to trade.

"My message to CAFOD supporters is that this kind of work gives people hope. People are grateful that people they have never met are compassionate and ready to show their solidarity. That makes a big difference when you tell people we can make a big difference, we are here because people from England are in touch with us and are prepared to help us with this kind of project."

The Church in Brazil

"The religious make up of Brazil has also changed a lot in the last 20 years. While the Catholic Church has lost ground, the Pentecostal churches have been steadily growing.

"Another trend has been the growth in the non-religious sector, ranging from 15% in Rio de Janeiro to 1% in places like Piaui.

"The Catholic Church has been powerless to stop these trends. They do not have the necessary infrastructure in the towns. In parishes of 150,000 people its heavy, slow structure cannot compete with the more fleet-of-foot Pentecostal churches, which make it easy for evangelical workers to become pastors and whose ministry is rapidly increasing.

"The Assembly of God is the biggest represented Pentecostal Church followed by the Christian Congregation of Brazil.

"There are 3.5 million Baptists in Brazil and this group is growing steadily, particularly in Rio de Janeiro. The United Church of the Kingdom of God was created in 1977 and today has 2.5 million members. They use television and radio for propaganda, a sort of tele-evangelism. There are also Lutherans and Anglicans but the traditional Protestant church congregation is declining."

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