RELIGION
A rumor about Brazil's patron saint increasingly rattles the Bolsonaro campaign
Catholic faithful at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida on Oct. 12, 2025, the feast day of Brazil's patron saint. Photo: Thiago Leon/SNA
Just days before Brazil's presidential election, a claim that Flávio Bolsonaro wants to strip Our Lady of Aparecida of her title as the country's patron saint has slipped beyond anyone's control, courts included. The far-right candidate denies it, no hard evidence supports it, and his campaign has fought it with a zeal usually reserved for real scandals. Two justices have since issued opposing orders on whether posts repeating it may stay online…
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