Hundreds march in Brazil to support religious freedom as cases of intolerance rise

By DIARLEI RODRIGUES
Updated 6:13 PM CDT, September 15, 2024

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — Practitioners of different religious traditions marched down Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana Beach on Sunday to support religious freedom in Brazil, where cases of intolerance have doubled over the past six years.

Hundreds of men, women and children from more than a dozen faiths participated in the event, known as the March for the Defense of Religious Freedom. Many of the participants were practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions that have recently faced attacks from members of Christian groups. Brazil’s recently appointed Minister for Human Rights Macaé Evaristo also joined the march, which was held for the 17th consecutive year.

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In Rio de Janeiro state, which is home to a quarter of the practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions, there’s been a proliferation of evangelical Christianity, particularly neo-Pentecostal churches founded since 1970 that focus on spreading their faith among non-believers.

Experts say that while most neo-Pentecostal proselytizing is peaceful, the spread of the faith has been accompanied by a surge of intolerance for traditional African-influenced religions, ranging from verbal abuse and discrimination to destruction of temples and forced expulsion from neighborhoods.

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https://apnews.com/article/brazil-religion-march-8b4c44ecef83cf61531e07a2e7e7e7b3