Despite the fact that Brazil is a secular state with freedom of religion, Brazilians are considered one of the most religious peoples in the world. The leading religion here is Christianity, which is practiced by almost 91% of the inhabitants. However, the Brazilians do not forget their traditional cults.

Catholicism

Most of the locals are Catholic Christians. The spread of Catholicism in Brazil began simultaneously with the conquest of this country by Europeans - in the middle of the 16th century. Together with the Portuguese conquerors, missionaries came here - representatives of various Catholic orders (Benedictines, Franciscans, Jesuits, etc.). They were engaged in the dissemination of Christian doctrine, and also founded schools, hospitals and almshouses. Gradually, Catholicism replaced the traditional beliefs of the indigenous people.

Under the constitution of 1822, adopted after the recognition of Brazil as an independent state, Catholicism became the official state religion. Today in Brazil there are many Catholic shrines that annually attract hundreds of thousands of believers. These include:

• Named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the 38-meter Statue of Christ the Redeemer;
• Cathedral of Saint Sebastian in Rio de Janeiro;
• Cathedral of Nossa Señora de Aparecida in Sao Paulo.

Under the influence of local traditions, the Catholic religion in Brazil began to transform. Non-Roman variants of Catholicism often arise here. In addition, every year the number of Catholics in Brazil is declining, as evidenced by the census data. Many of them go over to the Protestant communities, and many become atheists.

Protestantism

Protestantism is the second most popular religion in Brazil. There are a huge number of different Protestant persuasions - Pentecostals, Lutherans, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists and many others. The first Protestant missionaries - French Calvinists - also appeared here in the 16th century. However, the French were quickly driven out of Brazil by the Portuguese. Then settlers from Holland tried to spread Protestantism, but this branch of Christianity was finally entrenched in Brazil only in the 19th century. Its spread was facilitated by the proclamation of freedom of conscience in 1824.

In rural areas, where education is very poorly developed, Protestant pastors, in addition to preaching, teach children to read and write and count. In the last decade, the number of Protestants in Brazil has been steadily growing.

Other religions

In addition to Christians, many adherents of other religions live in Brazil. Very popular here:

• Ancient beliefs of black slaves brought to Brazil from Africa: candomblé and umbanda. People who adhere to these religions believe in spirits, divination, conduct joint ceremonies, including songs, dances and ceremonies of offering gifts to deities. Under the influence of Christianity, some of the spirits in these religions became associated with certain Catholic saints.
• Spiritualism is the belief in the possibility of communicating with the souls of the dead. However, many of the spiritualists consider themselves to be Catholics.
• Various messianic movements that arose from a mixture of Christianity and traditional Native American beliefs. The essence of these movements comes down to faith in the imminent coming of the Savior.
• Ancestor worship and shamanism.

Also in Brazil you can meet Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Orthodox Christians. Many Brazilians do not identify themselves with any of the existing religions, however, they are engaged in various spiritual practices and claim that they are looking for their path to God outside of any church organizations.

Brazil is a secular state that does not have a state religion and grants its citizens the right to self-determination in religious matters. The religious panorama of the country is vast and varied, let us consider the main teachings that form this panorama.

The confessional space in Brazil has been changing in recent years, as evidenced by individual small studies on a particular religion. In this sense, the latest full-scale official survey, the 2010 census, can be considered somewhat outdated. However, let's take it as a kind of starting point for determining the main religions of Brazil.

Catholicism has the largest number of followers in Brazil: about 64%, or 123.3 million people out of a total population of 190.7 million. At the same time, Catholics are divided into two main groups: parishioners of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), which are the majority, and parishioners of the Brazilian Apostolic Catholic Church (port. Igreja Católica Apostolica Brasileira, ICAB). If the position of the RCC in Brazil is generally clear and does not require special explanations, then ICAB is not a completely standard phenomenon for a Catholic country. Formally, this is an entity independent of Rome, created in 1945 as a result of a split in the Catholic episcopate of Brazil. Then the former Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa went into schism, who harshly criticized the Holy See for certain dogmatic attitudes, including celibacy, and also claimed that Rome supported the fascist and Nazi regimes of the 30s and 40s. In the vast majority of dogmas and practices, ICAB duplicates the RCC, however, within this church, priests have the right to marriage and divorce, to a secular profession, and the church itself strives to abandon luxury and pay more attention to ordinary parishioners. There are about 560,000 ICAB parishioners, which in general is very large and comparable, for example, with the number of followers of African cults or with the number of atheists - about 615,000, according to the census.

Of the most noticeable trends in the development of the Catholic religion in Brazil, it should be noted that the Catholic Church is gradually losing its absolute dominance. In 2016, the Datafolha agency published the results of a survey of the country's adult population regarding religious preferences. From 1994 to 2015, the percentage of those who identify themselves as Catholics fell from 75% to 55%, and this is truly a fatal fall. The decline in the number of parishioners of the RCC in Brazil is causing serious concern in the international Catholic community. You can often find publications in authoritative Catholic journals sounding the alarm about this and calling on the Holy See to develop a coherent policy to counteract the decline of the flock in states where such a policy was not objectively required before.

Protestants are second in number.: approximately 22%, and in numerical terms - 42.3 million people. Protestants are much more fragmented than Catholics, with Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, and a number of Protestant Pentecostal movements standing out among large groups. The latter include the largest Protestant church in Brazil - the Assemblies of God (12.3 million people). It is interesting that in recent years there has been a tendency to strengthen the positions of Protestant movements due to the transition of many Catholics to them. According to the already mentioned Datafolha report, 44% of current Protestants used to be Catholics. Protestant teachings are likely to be modified and adapted to the new faster than Catholic teachings, presenting a more liberal agenda. This, however, cannot be absolutized, since there are also extremely conservative movements in Protestantism, the popularity of which should not be underestimated.

Together, Catholics and Protestants fill approximately 80% of the religious space, the remaining space is divided between non-believers, about 14%, espiritualists - 2%, candomblé - 1%, umbanda - 1%, atheists - 1%, other religions - 2%, including Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, etc. This is fresh Datafolha data, and seven years ago, during the census, the percentages were somewhat different. It is especially worth noting that the number of those who do not identify themselves with any religion has changed - from 8% it has grown to 14%. By the way, these are not only atheists, but a much wider stratum of people who do not consider themselves religious or associated with any religious organization.

Speaking of Brazilian religions, it is necessary to separately explain the above-mentioned "candomblé" and "umbanda". Brazil is known to have a huge number of immigrants from countries that were brought by the Portuguese as slaves. Africans brought to Brazil their vast cultural baggage, including certain religious beliefs, cults and practices. Candomblé and umbanda are the results of precisely this historical migration, which gave birth to intricate mixed cults in Brazil. Umbanda, in addition, is considered the only authentic Brazilian religion, since it already arose in this territory as an incredible mixture of African, Indian beliefs and spiritualism. Candomble, in turn, is also a combination of elements of different religions, including even Catholicism, but this is not an exclusively Brazilian phenomenon - those belonging to this religion can also be found in Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Spain, Italy. Together, the followers of these two most popular African-Brazilian cults make up about half a million people.

The population of Brazil is growing, developing and in constant internal dynamics, and, of course, the religious sphere is no exception. The confessional cross-section again actualizes the need to understand that Brazilian society is a multi-component society that requires special socio-political practices on the part of the state.

And the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The majority of Brazilian citizens are Christians (90.9%, 2010).

Christianity

The country also has followers of neo-Buddhist groups such as Absolute Freedom Kyodan.

Islam

According to the Brazilian census in 2010, there were 35,000 Muslims in the country. Muslims themselves dispute these figures, arguing that Brazil has 1.5 million followers of Islam. However, the census figures do look underestimated; J. Melton's "Encyclopedia of Religions" counted 204,000 Muslims in the country in 2010; a similar figure is contained in the Pew Research Center report.

Significant Muslim communities are located in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Foz do Iguacu, as well as smaller towns in the states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Ethnically, the majority of Brazilian Muslims are Arabs and Turks.

The bulk of Islam's followers are Sunnis; Shiites are a small part of immigrants from Asia. Since 1986, the Ahmadiyya movement has been active in the country.

Judaism

The first Jewish settlers in Brazil were the Marranos, who arrived at the beginning of the 16th century with the Portuguese. According to reports from the Inquisition, many Brazilian Marranos were condemned for secret observance of Jewish traditions. In the 17th century, in Dutch Brazil, the Marrano Jews were given the right to openly return to Judaism. In 1636, the first Jewish synagogue in the Americas was built in Recife. With the expulsion of the Dutch, the Jews also forcibly left Brazil. A new page in the history of Brazilian Judaism began with the independence of Brazil and the proclamation of freedom of religion. At the beginning of the 19th century, a significant number of Moroccan Sephardim moved to Brazil. In 1824 they rebuilt a synagogue in Belen. By the time World War I broke out, there were 5,000 to 7,000 Jews living in Brazil; during the mass emigration from Europe in the 1920s, this number increased significantly. Emigrants from Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were Ashkenazim.

According to the Jewish Confederation of Brazil, more than 125,000 Jews live in the country today; 65 thousand of them are concentrated in the state of Sao Paulo and 40 thousand in Rio de Janeiro. According to their social status, most of the Jews of Brazil belong to the middle and upper strata of society. There are Orthodox, Conservative and Reform synagogues in the country.

Hinduism

According to the "Encyclopedia of Religions" in 2010, 11 thousand Hindus lived in the country. It is believed that the first Hindus in Brazil were the Sindhis, who arrived in the country in 1960 from Suriname. In the 1970s, they were joined by a significant number of African Hindus who emigrated from the former Portuguese colonies (primarily from Mozambique). Teachers, professors, engineers and computer scientists were also invited from India to Brazil. The country also has followers of neo-Hindu movements, the largest of which are the Hare Krishnas.

Afro-Brazilian religions

Slaves brought to Brazil preserved African traditional cults, which, intertwined with Catholicism, spiritualism and Indian beliefs, turned into new syncretic religions in Brazil. For a long time, these religions were banned, only from the end of the 19th century they received some freedom. In the state of Bahia, the cult of candomblé is widespread; in the state of Rio de Janeiro - the cult of macumba (and its form - kimbanda and umbanda); in the north of the country - shango. Other religions include Batuke, Ifa cult, Enkantaria, Xangyo.

The priests and priestesses of the Afro-Brazilian religions are called the father and mother of the gods. Often priests live in separate rooms at terreiros - cult temples of these religions. The altar room of the terreiros houses pagan idols, which are regularly brought food. Recently, terrairos have increasingly acted as social centers where you can get information about health, education and civil rights. Many African gods are very often identified with Catholic saints: the thunder god Shango with Jerome or Barbara; his wife Oshun with the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin of Light; god of war Ogun - with Antony; sea ​​goddess Yemaya with the Blessed Virgin Mary; the goddess of hunting Oshossi - from St. George; deity of the Earth Omolu - with Benedict; the patron saint of the Ibezhi twins - with the holy twins Cosmas and Damian; and Eshu with Satan. However, identification may vary from cult to cult and from state to state.

According to the 2010 census, the largest Afro-Brazilian religion was Umbanda (407 thousand) and Candomblé (167 thousand); the number of adherents of other religions of this type was 14 thousand people.

local beliefs

Despite the fact that most of the indigenous peoples of Brazil were successfully Christianized by the beginning of the 21st century, the country still retains local Indian beliefs and religions (310 thousand). Among the peoples among which local beliefs predominate are the Apurinan, Bare, Bororo, Jamamady, Kanela, Kambiwa, Kanamari, Kapinawa, Kokama, Kulina, Makushi, Potigwara, Tariana, Terena, Tremembe, Truka, Tukano, Tupinikini, Tusha, Wamueh tribes. , hupda, shakriaba, shoko-kariri and yanomamo.

Since the 1930s, cults based on the use of ayahuasca have proliferated in Brazilian cities.

Other

From the middle of the 19th century, under the influence of the works of Allan Kardec, spiritualism practices spread in Brazil. Currently, 3.8 million Brazilians consider themselves spiritualists.

Brazil also has a resurgence of neo-paganism and the New Age movement (primarily Wicca and neo-druidism). Among other religions, supporters of the Chinese folk religion (46 thousand), Shintoists (8 thousand) and Rastafarians should be mentioned.

During the 2010 census, 15 million Brazilians (8% of the population) declared themselves non-believers; including 615 thousand - atheists and 124 thousand - agnostics.

Notes

1. Frank Usarski. Brazil // Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices / J. Gordon Melton , Martin Baumann. - Oxford, England: ABC CLIO, 2010. - S. 390. - 3200 p. - ISBN 1-57607-223-1.

As you know, religion is an important part of the culture of any country, especially such a colorful and diverse one as Brazil. In order to truly understand the customs and customs of the Brazilians, to understand all the intricacies of the complex national character, it is necessary, first of all, to get acquainted with their spiritual life, including their attitude towards God. If you take a map of Brazil and mark on it with colored pencils the areas of distribution of certain religious cults, you get something like a huge mosaic. What can you do: almost 170 million inhabitants, and how many people - so many opinions!

Usually Brazil is called a Catholic country, moreover, a stronghold Catholicism in Latin America. On the one hand, this is true: according to official figures in 1999, 119.7 million Brazilians, that is, approximately 73% of the population, consider themselves adherents of the Roman Catholic Church. However, on the other hand, in Brazil there are dozens of other religions, and in Catholicism itself there are two directions - canonical and national.

In the 16th-17th centuries, when a system of large land ownership was being formed in Brazil, a stable tradition developed in the north and northeast of the country. When founding a hacienda, a rich Portuguese settler, as a rule, a very pious person, at the same time mortgaged a house (Casa grande), which personified the autocratic power of the owner on his land, and a family church, which became a kind of spiritual center of his possessions. In most cases, the eldest sons of the landowners inherited their father's plantations, while the younger ones were priests, rectors of family parishes. This is how the Brazilian "land aristocracy" (nobreza da terra) was born, which concentrated in its hands all the secular and spiritual power within the boundaries of individual estates. Ancient family churches, on the walls of which portraits of famous ancestors side by side with the faces of saints, are still preserved in rural areas of Brazil. In general, the influence of Catholicism prevails in most of its territory - from Belém in the north to Rio de Janeiro in the south.

Many Brazilians regularly attend worship services and observe all established rites (praticantes dedicados), some go to church only from time to time, perceiving the Christian ritual more as a tribute to an age-old tradition (praticantes eventuais), and some don’t even remember the last time they took communion (não praticantes), but all of them are united by the main religious holidays - Christmas (Natal) and Easter (Páscoa).

Except for the sweltering heat (at the end of December the air temperature in Rio can rise to +40 °), Brazilian Christmas is reminiscent of Russian: a late dinner, which is sometimes referred to by the French word reveillon but more often just ceia, gifts, champagne, christmas turkey. As for Easter, the attitude towards it is always more serious, I would say, reverent. On Holy Week Even the most inveterate skeptics fast, and as a result, prices for fish and seafood rise sharply: this year, for example, a kilogram of cod cost about $20! In almost every parish, in addition to solemn services, there are theatrical performances based on scenes from the Bible. The performance in the town of New Jerusalem (Pernambuco), in which famous actors take part, is of particular splendor. Easter eggs are also very popular, from cheap crafts to real works of art. On holidays, they are bought in such quantities that the Brazilians themselves, chuckling, talk about "consumer fever" ("febre de consumismo").

South of Rio de Janeiro, especially in cities such as São Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre, various sects coexist with the Catholic faith Protestantism. If until 1889 Catholicism was the official religion of colonial and imperial Brazil, then with the proclamation of the republic, all confessions received equal rights. 100 years after this event, in the late 1980s, there were about 8 million Protestants in Brazil. These included 2.1 million Lutherans of predominantly German origin, 1.1 million Baptists, 1 million followers of the Swedish Free Mission, 989,000 Pentecostals, 550,000 Presbyterians, 549,000 Congregationalists, 500,000 Methodists, 100 thousands of Seventh-day Adventists, as well as groups of adherents of the Brazilian Episcopal Church and the Salvation Army, Mormons, Reformed and Mennonites. To date, the Protestant community in Brazil is the largest in South America, while the Orthodox community is one of the minor ones. Orthodox Christians are mainly descendants of Ukrainian immigrants who arrived in Brazil at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in search of a better life.

In addition to the Christian ones, in Brazil are widespread Afro-Christian cults that arose during the era of slavery. For 350 years, the Brazilian economy was based mainly on slave labor; countless plantations of coffee, cocoa and sugar cane were cultivated by the hands of Negro slaves, who were imported in large numbers from Portuguese Angola and Mozambique, as well as from the west coast of Benin, Nigeria and Ghana. An African slave found himself in a world completely alien to him, often he could not even explain himself elementarily in Portuguese (for blacks there was a contemptuous nickname bocal, that is, "stupid", "club") and, working under duress, found himself in such difficult physically and morally humiliating conditions that religion became for him the only consolation and, in fact, the only hope. However, according to the laws of that time, pagans were subject to mandatory, if not voluntary, then forced, conversion to the Christian faith. Refusal to be baptized meant severe punishment for the slave, up to murder, and baptism meant an obvious betrayal of the customs of their ancestors. There was only one thing left: by combining the old and new religions, to make sure that "both the sheep were safe and the wolves were fed"! Thus, a specifically Brazilian candomblé cult appeared, based on religious syncretism, that is, a mixture of faith in the ancient pagan gods of black Africa ("orisha") with the veneration of Christian angels and saints.

First, in the "most African" region of Brazil - Bahia, and then throughout the country, a paradoxical situation developed. The owners considered their slaves to be Christians, although in reality they only pretended to be Christians, adhering to their own, albeit somewhat modified, faith. The official church, of course, knew about what was happening on the plantations, but looked at it through their fingers: they say, over time, the remnants of paganism will be forgotten by themselves. What really happened? Little by little, a whole syncretic pantheon took shape: the powerful god of fertility and harvest, Oshal, began to be identified with Christ; the goddess of the sea Yemanzhu - with the Blessed Virgin Mary; the deity of thunder and lightning Shango - with St. Jerome, and his female hypostasis Yansan - with St. Barbara; the formidable god of war and iron Ogun - with St. George; the deity of the land Omolu - with St. Benedict, and the patron saint of the Ibezh twins - with St. Kozma and Damian. Currently Afro-Christian cults - candomblé in bahia, macumba in Rio de Janeiro, shango in the north of Brazil - still have thousands of fans, and it never occurs to anyone to consider them obsolete.

Priests of a syncretic religion are named, depending on gender, pai de santo or mãe de santo, that is, "the father (or mother) of the saint." As a rule, these are all respected people who live in specially built for holy houses (terreiros), looking after the altars and presenting ritual dishes and drinks to the idols. The annual ceremony in honor of this or that saint is an unforgettable sight. Participants of the holiday, who are called "filhos de santo"- "children of the saint", put on clothes of a certain color and style; for example, on the day of St. Barbara - Iansan (December 4), literally all of Bahia dresses in red: women wear scarlet dresses and sundresses, men even appear at work in red jackets or at least ties. The service begins with an appeal to the evil spirit Ash, in other words, Satan with a request not to interfere with the ceremony. Then there is a ritual action in honor of the deity, accompanied by traditional songs and a round dance to the rhythmic beat of drums. During the ceremony, which lasts several hours in a row, some of the believers experience a religious trance, making involuntary convulsive movements, falling to the ground and even losing consciousness.

Over the past 30 years, not a single sociological study has given a clear answer to the question of how many Brazilians profess such a religion, since many of them, formally being Catholics, worship Shango or Yemanje. The fact, however, is that a fisherman from Ceara and a businessman from São Paulo can be an adherent of candomblé. In modern conditions, neither the color of the skin nor the social status of the believer play a significant role.

Of the representatives of other faiths living in Brazil, it should be noted Sunni Muslims (immigrants from Syria, Lebanon and other Arab countries), Buddhists and Shintoists (a Japanese colony of more than 1 million people), as well as Chinese and immigrants from the countries of the Southeast Asia), Judaists (about 150 thousand people) and, finally, spiritualists, whose number is constantly increasing. At the end of 1971, there were 759,000 Spiritualists in Brazil, and at the end of 2001, over 1.5 million. In principle, spiritualism- also partly a syncretic religion, since it combines Christian dogma with the typically Eastern idea of ​​reincarnation, that is, the posthumous transmigration of the soul into a new shell.

The most influential of the spiritualistic doctrines is kardecism, the founder of which was the French philosopher and psychologist Alain Kardec, who comprehensively developed the theory of the afterlife of the soul. According to his followers, the souls of the dead continue to exist in some other world, and through spiritually gifted people - mediums - contact can be made with them. From here, one step to the well-known spiritualistic sessions, which the Kardecists endow with the features of a religious and mystical ritual. Believers gather in prayer houses that look like an ordinary church: many of them have a Catholic altar, and the walls are decorated with quotations from the Bible. The main rites - prayers, reading and interpretation of the Gospel, the blessing of water, which is then distributed to the sick - are also reminiscent of Christian ones. However, the culmination of the session, one way or another, is communication with the spirits, and its main character is the medium. Most often, the spirit of one of the ancient African or Indian gods is invoked, and the audience asks him various questions, from purely everyday to political ones.

The spread of spiritualism in Brazilian society is due, firstly, to the fact that this doctrine not only does not seek to compete with the official church, but, on the contrary, reinforces each of its provisions with references to the Holy Scriptures, and secondly, its popularity among the artistic elite (artists , writers, musicians), whose tastes are imitated by many ordinary Brazilians.

A relatively young cult became a new stage in the development of spiritualism. umbanda that originated in Rio de Janeiro. It miraculously intertwined Christian (Catholicism), Afro-pagan (Makumba) and spiritualistic (Kardecism) elements.

A story about religious Brazil would be incomplete without mentioning messianism, that is, a mystical belief in the coming of the messiah, the emergence of a charismatic leader capable of leading the masses. Brazilian messianism originated in the arid regions of the country's northeast (sertans), where the life of the poorest population - peasants, Indians and slaves - was especially difficult for centuries. The Tupi Indians, who had long lived in these places, believed in the imminent arrival of a mythical prophet who would free them from the oppression of Europeans, day laborers, who did not even own a piece of land, were waiting for the second coming of Christ, from which the Kingdom of God would begin, and Negro slaves asked for the help of primordially African gods, however, sincere faith in the coming messiah, no matter what name he was called, was characteristic of each of them.

From time to time, on this basis, spontaneous popular uprisings arose against the landowners, the colonial authorities, and at the same time against the church. The largest was the movement of 1896-97 in the state of Bahia, where, after the abdication of Emperor Pedro II and the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic, the agrarian crisis sharply worsened. Bricklayer António Maciel, nicknamed Conselheiro (Conselheiro - "Counselor", "Mentor"), who rallied around him about 9 thousand landless peasants and former slaves, founded a religious commune in the town of Canudus. Preaching the equality and brotherhood of all people, he urged not to obey the government in Rio de Janeiro as the embodiment of the Antichrist and, moreover, to declare arable land, forests and pastures the people's property - in fact, to create a collective farm! Supporters of Conselheiro, whose number soon reached 30 thousand, saw in him a great righteous man and miracle worker, while those in power saw him as a dangerous maniac who encroached on the very foundations of the state. The troops sent to Canudus brutally dealt with the peasant community: Conselheiro himself died in battle, and his followers were almost completely exterminated by the punishers. For 5 years, the Brazilian government did not allow any mention of these tragic events in the press. Only in 1902 did the documentary novel "Sertana" by Euclidis da Cunha, dedicated to the utopia Conselheiro, appear. With this book, in fact, the Marxist agitation began in Brazil ...

Spiritual currents related to the messianic still exist in Brazil, but today their goals and methods are, of course, absolutely peaceful. Thus, the Volunteer Humanist Movement (Movimento Humanista), popular in Brazil, which proclaimed the human person as the main social value, defends the ideas of social justice with the help of the mass media and the Internet, and its slogan "Paz, força e alegria" ("Peace, strength and joy" ) implies the power of Christian mutual aid, not a heavy fist.

And the last. Studying the history of Brazil from the expedition of Cabral to the present day, one is amazed not so much by the spiritual, in particular, religious diversity of this country, but by its exceptional religious tolerance. For five centuries, Brazil did not know any religious wars, or large-scale persecution of non-Christians, typical, for example, of medieval Europe. Since 1824, the Brazilian constitution has guaranteed freedom of religion for citizens. Representatives of all world religions live compactly in such megacities as São Paulo - Italian Catholics, German Lutherans, Jewish Jews, Muslim Arabs, Japanese Buddhists - but the relations between them are quite friendly, one might say, good neighborly. Remembering their origin and preserving the customs of their ancestors, each of them considers himself, first of all, a Brazilian.

Oleg Andreev, June 2004

[Federative Republic of Brazil; Portuguese Republica Federativa do Brasil], state in South. America. Territory: 8512 thousand square meters km. Capital: Brasilia (2 million). Largest cities: Sao Paulo (approx. 10 million), Rio de Janeiro (5.6 million), Belo Horizonte (2.1 million), Salvador (2.3 million), Recife (1.4 million) . State. language: portuguese. Geography. The largest country is Lat. America, occupies 47.3% of the South American continent. In the east it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean (the length of the coastline is 6840 km). It borders: in the north with the French overseas department of Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia; in the west with Peru; in the southwest with Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay. Most of the country's territory is occupied by the Brazilian Highlands, in the north - the river basin. Amazon (60% of which belongs to B.) and its tributaries Tocantins, Xingu, Tapajos, Madeira, Purus, Zhurua, Japura and Rio Negro, forming the world's largest Amazonian lowland (1.8 million square kilometers). Population: 176.9 million (2003), which is approx. half of the population of South America; 62% of citizens of B. are under 29; 81% of Brazilians live in cities. OK. 86.6% of the population live in the northeast, southeast, and south of the country (about 36% of the territory of Byelorussia); the most densely populated coastal areas between the cities of Ilheus and Natal, where sugar cane plantations are located, and the southeast. areas where coffee is grown. Braz. the ethnos absorbed the features of 3 races: Mongoloid (the indigenous population - Indians), Negroid (Negro slaves) and Caucasoid (descendants of European emigrants). In the XV century. in B. there were several. hundreds of Indian tribes (approx. 1 million people), to-rye can be divided into 2 main groups. The first is the Indians of the rainforests, or "Canoe Indians" (the languages ​​of the "Tupi-Guarani" group), who inhabited the tropical forests along the coast, as well as the valley of the river. The Amazon and its tributaries were engaged in agriculture and various crafts. The second - the so-called. marginal Indians, inhabitants of the inner plateaus of the Center. B. (languages ​​of the “zhe” group), hunters and gatherers who did not know crafts (moved only by land). With the beginning of colonization, the number of the indigenous population decreased sharply due to diseases brought by Europeans and cruel exploitation. In present time the number of Indians reached 250 thousand (in 1972 there were 130 thousand), including thanks to the state. program to support the indigenous population, according to which 850 thousand square meters were allocated. km, i.e., 10% of the territory of Byelorussia (the so-called natural parks of the Yanomami, Xingu, and other tribes), for the free residence of the indigenous population; modern Indians belong to 200 tribal groups and speak 180 languages. Other representatives of the Mongoloid race also live in Byelorussia: 1.3 million Japanese and their descendants, as well as Chinese (0.1%) and Koreans (0.1%). According to the 1st census, conducted in B. in 1582, there were already 14,000 Negro slaves there, the number of which grew along with the increase in the areas of sugar and coffee plantations, with the discovery of new gold and diamond mines. According to some data, from the beginning. XVI to con. 19th century From 5 to 12 million black slaves were imported into Bulgaria, mainly from the West. Sudan of the Hausa, Mande, Fulani, from the West. Nigeria - Yoruba, Fon, Fanti, Ashanti, from Angola and Mozambique - Negroes of Bantu-speaking tribes. In 1798, the population of Byelorussia was 3.3 million people, of which 1.6 million were slaves. Slavery was finally abolished in the country in 1888. In present. time to the "black Brazilians" refer themselves to approx. 6% of the country's population. The Caucasoid race was initially represented only by the Portuguese, only in the 19th-20th centuries. Germans, Italians, and then Poles, Russians, Jews, Ukrainians, as well as Arabs from Lebanon and Syria appeared. In present time "white Brazilians" are approx. 55% of the population of B. The largest ethnolinguistic groups among them are the Portuguese (15%), Italians (11%), Spaniards (10%), Germans (3%), Russians (about 1%), Poles, Jews live in the country , Arabs (Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians), Armenians, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Romanians, Greeks, Dutch, etc.

One of the features of braz. ethnos is the presence of specific population groups that have arisen as a result of mixed marriages of representatives of different races. Mestizos (in the Amazon they are called “caboclos”) are the descendants of the Portuguese (and other “white Brazilians”) and Indians, the mulattoes are the Portuguese (and other “white Brazilians”) and Africans, the pardos are Indians and Africans. Together they amount to approx. 38% of the population of B.

State structure

B. is a federal presidential republic. The country is divided into 26 states and the Capital Federal District. The intervention of the center in the affairs of the subjects of the federation is strictly regulated and allowed only when the interests of the entire country are affected. The highest legislative power belongs to the National Congress, which consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. The President approves bills approved by Congress. Executive power is exercised by the President and the Cabinet of Ministers headed by him. There is no Ministry of Defense in Byelorussia; it is replaced by three ministers of war (by branches of service) and the General Staff. The supreme judicial power is exercised by the Federal Supreme Court and the High Court of Justice. Their members are appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate. In 1964-1985. military-dictatorial regimes ruled in Byelorussia. The system of representative democracy was restored under the first civilian government of J. Sarney Costa (1985-1990). The 1988 constitution (as amended in 1994 and 1997) proclaimed B. a democratic legal state.

Religion

93% of the population in B. are Christians: approx. 80% are Catholics, up to 13% are Protestants. Indian and Afro-braz are also practiced in the country. cults (candomble, shango, macumba, etc.); There are communities of Buddhists, Jews and Muslims. Orthodox Churches. The parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Byelorussia are part of the Diocese of Argentina and South America. In B. there are dioceses of the K-Polish Patriarchate (in São Paulo), the Patriarchate of Antioch (in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), and ROCOR (in São Paulo). Catholic Church . On the territory of the country there are 41 archbishops, 219 bishoprics and territorial prelatures, 1 abbey with territorial jurisdiction. In addition, there is a residency for Eastern Catholics. rites (Uniates), which includes 3 bishoprics: Ukrainian, Maronite and Melkite. There are also parishes of the Armenian Apostolic Church (eparchy in São Paulo), the diocese of the Syriac-Jacobite Church (in Belo Horizonte), since 1991 several. parishes of the Coptic Church. Protestant churches, denominations and sects are represented by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil and the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession of Brazil (about 4 million parishioners), the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil (consists of 7 dioceses; headed by a bishop; 110 thousand parishioners), the Methodist Church of Brazil (60 thousand .); small Reformed churches; Baptists (about 2 million), Pentecostals (according to various sources, from 13 to 17 million), Neo-Pentecostals (about 8 million), Mennonites (about 7 thousand); Plymouth Brethren, Seventh-day Adventists, and Pseudo-Christ. sects - Jehovah's Witnesses (about 1.2 million) and Mormons (650 thousand).

Buddhism is practiced by a part of the Japanese (63% of them are Christians), Chinese, Koreans and Brazilians who do not have Asians. roots. The first Buddhist temple was built in 1932 in Sao Paulo. In 1955, almost simultaneously, the "Community of Buddhists of South America", created by the descendants of the Japanese, were registered. emigrants, and the "Buddhist Society of Brazil" under the hands of. prof. philosophy of M. N. Acevedo, who later translated into Portuguese. the language of the book by D. T. Suzuki "Introduction to Ze Buddhism". In 1976, the Buddhist monk R. Tokuda organized in pc. Espirito Santo is the first in Lat. America Zen mon-ry (in 1984, a second appeared in Minas Geraiye); In 1985, the Center for the Study of Buddhism was established in Porto Alegre, which unites all existing schools in B., including some schools of Tibet. Buddhism (since 1988). Total in B., according to some data, approx. 500 thousand Buddhists. Judaism became widespread in B. after. European immigration from Germany, Center. Europe and the Middle East. Heb. communities exist in such large cities as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Curitiba, and unite in the "Jewish Religious Association" (about 130 thousand). Islam is practiced by Arab emigrants from the Middle East. East and Pakistan, Ch. arr. Sunnis. Relig. syncretism is expressed in specific Afro-Brazilian cults popular among various segments of the population of B., as well as the presence in the country of adherents of the spiritualistic teachings of Kardecianism (named after the founder, the Frenchman Alain Kardec), who appeared in B. in the 2nd half. 19th century (In 1884, the Federation of Brazilian Spiritualists was created; at the present time, it includes about 3% of the population of Brazil). Among the Afro-brothers. The most popular cults are candomblé, macumba and shango. Candomble, the most common in pcs. Bahia, combines Yoruba beliefs with elements of Christianity. Yes, African. deities (orishi) are identified with Christ. saints: the highest deity Olorun - with Jesus Christ; Shango, Lord of Thunder and Lightning, from St. Jerome and St. Barbara; Emanzha, mistress of the sea and water, - with the Rev. Virgin Mary; Ogun, the deity of war and the patron of blacksmiths, from St. George and St. Anthony; Ibezhi, the patron saint of twins, - from St. Cosmos and St. Damian. Macumba, a cult widespread in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, combines elements of the beliefs of the Bantu-speaking tribes of Africa, Tupi-Guarani Indians and Christianity. The Macumba pantheon includes many syncretic deities from the candomblé pantheon, but a significant part of it is made up of Indian deities. The supreme deity Sultan is depicted as an Indian shooting from a bow. Shango (chango) common Ch. arr. in the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas and Paraiba. As in candomblé, the supreme deity is Olorun, and the intermediary between him and the people is Shango, the deity of thunder and lightning. Cult rites are performed in special rooms - tereira, the priests who perform these rites are called the "father" and "mother" of the gods; the culmination of any rite is the moment of a state of trance for the priest (or for one of the participants), when the invoked deity is "infused" into him. According to some data, approx. 30 million inhabitants of B. practice Afro-braz. cults.

Spread of Christianity

In 1500, the Portuguese landed on the coast of Bulgaria. navigator Pedro A. Cabral and declared the territory a possession of Portugal. In 1549 the first missionaries, five Jesuits led by Manuel da Nobrega, arrived in B. along with the first governor, Tomé di Sousa. In 1553, Nobrega was appointed a provincial of B. A year later, he opened a Jesuit college, the leader of which was the priest. José de Anchieta. He compiled the first grammar of the Tupi-Guarani language and translated the catechism into it, left a description of the natural conditions of B.

Pope Julius III endowed the Portuguese. power with the rights of patronage over the Church, ie. became dependent on the state-va, the exception was the order of the Jesuits, reporting directly to the pope. The Franciscans, Benedictines, Dominicans, Capuchins, and Carmelites played a significant role in the colonization of Byelorussia. Some of them appeared in the 80s. 16th century, but ch. arr. their activity (the foundation of mon-ray and schools, including for the Indians) fell on the 17th century.

In the 70s. 17th century the first bishoprics were established in B. in Rio de Janeiro, Olinda, San Luis, and the archdiocese of Bahia. From con. XVII to ser. 18th century conflicts constantly arose between the Church and the secular administration over the rights of the Indian population, especially in connection with the right to turn Indians into slaves. Catholic The Church opposed this, and in 1537 Pope Paul III issued a bull forbidding the enslavement of the natives. As a result, slaves from Africa began to be imported into the country, to which the church authorities did not object. Negro slaves brought elements of their culture and beliefs into Catholicism over time. They united in church brotherhoods, had churches separate from the whites in the cities, which turned into centers of religions. syncretism.

In 1759-1760. By decision of the Prime Minister of Portugal, S. J. Pombal, the Jesuit order was dissolved, and its members were expelled from the metropolis and colonies, in particular from B., where by that time there were 134 members of the order. The Jesuits returned to the country again in 1841. In the end. 20th century there were 4 Jesuit provinces in B.

In 1822, the independence of B. from Portugal was proclaimed, but the country remained a monarchy until the overthrow of the imp. Pedro II in 1889. Catholic. the clergy supported the supporters of independence, while its overwhelming majority were adherents of the monarchy, so the break with the metropolis was not perceived as a revolutionary step and the Catholics. The church has not experienced shocks. The National Constitutional Assembly, chaired by the Bishop of Rio de Janeiro, adopted a constitution in 1823. It guaranteed the freedom of all Christs. religions. Regarding the non-Christ. religions declared tolerance, but all professing them were deprived of political rights. Roman Catholic confession was declared state, and he was supported. The right of patronage was transferred to the emperor B. In 1824, a new “imperial constitution” was adopted, which was in effect until the proclamation of the republic in 1889. In terms of religion, some changes were made to it. Confession of a non-Christ. religions were allowed on the condition that their representatives would worship in private homes or in buildings specially constructed for this purpose that did not look like a church. The constitution granted civil and political rights to the brothers. citizens to all naturalized foreigners, regardless of their religion. Settlement of relations between the Vatican and the brothers. The monarchy ended in 1828, when the pope announced that he agreed to "tolerate", but not recognize the right of patronage of the brothers. government. Braz. Catholic the hierarchy supported the supremacy of the state over the Church, including the prerogatives of the state in relation to c.-l. possible claims from the Vatican.

In 1828, the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, which included 22 prelates and was chaired by a Catholic. bishop, adopted a law prohibiting the entry and stay in the country of foreign monks, as well as the activities of monastic orders subordinate to anyone outside of Bulgaria (i.e., the Papal throne), and the creation of new monastic orders. Monks of forbidden orders were expelled, and their property was subject to confiscation. In 1830, the first in Lat. was appointed to B. America, the papal nuncio, whose powers extended to the entire continent.

In 1889, a republic was proclaimed, which led to the separation of the Church from the state. The new provision assumed the introduction of civil registration of marriage, the secularization of education, and the cessation of the payment of maintenance to the clergy. Members of monastic orders who swore an oath of obedience to the Pope were deprived of the right to vote. With the coming to power in 1930 of J. D. Vargas as a result of the "liberal revolution", the tradition of close interaction between the Church and the state was renewed. Constitutional acts of 1934 and 1937 allowed the state-woo to provide financial support to the Church, members of religions. Orders again received voting rights, church marriage was recognized and divorces were prohibited. Laws were passed to allow the inclusion of religion. education in the school plan and provide state. Catholic subsidies. educational institutions. In 1922, the Catholic Confederation was formed. associations, later the Life Support Center arose, to-ry coordinated educational, working, journalistic Catholic. associations. In 1935, on its basis, the organization "Brazilian Catholic Action" (which became part of the international "Catholic Action") appeared. After 2 years, it officially replaced all other organizations of lay Catholics. In 1941, the Catholic University was opened in Rio de Janeiro. In 1952 the National Bishops' Conference was established, and in 1954 the Conference of Monks was established. The National Bishops' Conference planned to introduce programs to educate the general population through radio broadcasts, the creation of Christ. rural trade unions, carrying out agrarian reform. The bishops considered the activities of this organization as an alternative to the one that was brewing, in their opinion, in the beginning. 60s revolution. By that time ok. half of the secondary schools subsidized by the state were controlled by the Church. The clergy enjoyed political rights and were represented in the state. and federal legislatures.

In 1964 in B. there was a state. a coup that marked the beginning of a military dictatorship that existed in the country until 1985. At first, the Church did not meet c.-l. serious obstacles to their social initiatives. By that time, the theory of brothers had received recognition and wide practical application in the church environment. philosopher and educator P. Freyri, which was based on the idea of ​​building a democratic society on the path of spiritual emancipation of the people under the slogan "Enlightenment-consciousness-freedom". Both ordinary clergy and the episcopate joined the campaign to educate the masses. The popularity of Freire's ideas in the Catholic The environment went beyond not only B., but also Lat. America. One of the prominent Catholic figures of this period was Elder Kamara, archbishop. Olinde and Recife, who was called "the apostle of human rights, social justice and peace." In the 60s. he founded the non-violent "Moral Pressure Movement" with the aim of helping disadvantaged people.

From the 70s. in braz. In Catholicism, the “theology of liberation” became widespread, the Franciscan L. Boff and the philosopher, sociologist and theologian W. Assman contributed to the development of a cut. The social ideas of liberation theology were shared not only by the laity, ordinary clergymen, but also by many others. hierarchies. With their assistance, Christ became widespread in B. grassroots communities. All R. 80s the number of their members reached 2 million. Within the Church itself, there was a division between progressives and traditionalists, there was a consolidation of Christ. right-wing forces and the creation of a conservative Catholic. org-tion "Protection of traditions, family and private property". She acted as an ally of the dictatorship in the offensive against the adherents of "liberation theology".

After the start of the repression in con. 60s 20th century Freyri was arrested and expelled from the country. In 1968-1977 a ban was imposed on all public appearances of Kamara and even on the mention of his name. Catholic the press and radio stations, parish activities were under the close supervision of the authorities. Stopped Mrs. grants for education. Priests, especially in rural areas, were imprisoned and expelled from the country. In response, the National Bishops' Conference asserted the right of the Church to be the moral judge of government policy and to speak for society. The most prominent critics of the police order and defenders of the dispossessed majority were Kamara and Kard. Paulo Evaristo Arns (both nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their contribution to the fight for social justice), card. Aloysio Lorscheider, President of the Latin American Bishops' Conference; Bishops Pedro Casaldaliga and Yves Lorscheiter, President of the National Bishops' Conference.

With the establishment of civil government (1985), the Catholic. The church got involved in solving social and economic problems. The “brotherhood campaign” she organized under the motto “a new millennium without the poor” was based on interaction with representatives of all faiths and with trade unions, on promoting the creation of cooperatives, on supporting agrarian reform, democratization of the media, etc. In victory in the 2002 presidential election. Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, the candidate of the left workers' party, also contributed to the Catholic. Church. She was directly involved in the formation of the party, starting from the time of its formation in 1979. The leadership of the brothers. Catholic The church shares the party program and supports it.

Brazilians really got to know Protestantism only in the 19th century, when emigration to the country became massive and the missionary movement among the Protestants intensified. churches and denominations in the USA, which received free access to Byelorussia after the establishment of the republic (1889) and the separation of the Church from the state.

B. Protestants can be divided into 3 large groups: traditional. (historical) churches and denominations having European and North American. roots and appeared mainly in the 2nd floor. XIX century., Pentecostal groups, to-rye emerged in the country in the 10s. XX century, after the appearance of the missionaries of the Assembly of God (USA); neo-orthodox evangelical communities organized after World War II under the influence of US missionaries.

Emigrants from Germany (first arrived in 1823) were usually accompanied by Lutherans. pastors, therefore already in 1837 the Evangelical Lutheran Church was established; since 1886 there were already 4 regional independent synods. In 1968 they united to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil. In 1946 the Lutherans were established. Theological School in San Leopoldo (since 1984 Higher Theological School). As a result of the split that occurred in the 1990s and the activities of the Amer. missionaries from the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod in 1904, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil arose, which became the 15th district of the Missouri Synod. In 1968, the pastor of this Church, R. Becker, founded the Lutheran University of Brazil in São Paulo.

The first Presbyterian missionary, R. Culley, came from Scotland to B. in 1855; in 1858 he created the community of Rio de Janeiro; then a representative of the Amer. Presbyterian R. Simonton (1859), who organized his congregation in Rio (1863). In 1888, the Unification Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil took place, but already at the beginning. 20th century there was a split in the church over the compatibility of membership in the church and Masonic lodges; as a result, Pastor E. C. Pereiro, who had a negative attitude towards Freemasonry, founded the conservative Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (1903). Subsequent splits gave rise to the Conservative Presbyterian Church (1938), the Fundamentalist Presbyterian Church (1956), the Renewed Presbyterian Church (1975; close to Pentecostalism), the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil (until 1978 the National Federation of Presbyterian Churches), the Traditional Presbyterian Church of Brazil (1993). In B. was formed several. national churches of the Reformed tradition: Armenians. (1927), Hung. (1932), two gall. (1933 and 1991), Arab. (1954), porter. (1958), Japanese. (1960), Chinese-Taiwanese (1962), two Korean (1964 and 1984), Canadian. (1994). Most brothers. Reformed and Presbyterian churches are members of the Latin American Association of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches.

Methodist missionaries from the United States arrived in Bulgaria in 1867 (their first unsuccessful mission dates back to 1835), but the number of congregations increased rather slowly and an independent Methodist church was established only in 1930. Later, small groups of Free Methodists and Westleyan (Westleyan) also appeared. ) Methodist groups. The Southern Baptist Convention (USA) sent its missionaries in 1881. In 1907, the history of the Brazilian Baptist Convention began, to-paradise in the present. time is approx. 1 million members and is part of the Baptist World Alliance. In 1902 Seventh-day Adventist preachers appeared in the country; their congregations grew rapidly thanks to the intensive use of radio and the organization of bible courses by correspondence. In con. 20s 20th century Mennonites arrived in B. from the USSR; their communities began to register in the country in 1930. At the time, they are mainly united in the Association of Mennonite Churches of Brazil, the Mennonite Evangelical Association, the Brazilian Convention of Fraternal Mennonite Churches.

Brazilian Pentecostalism evolved from missionary congregations: the Assembly of God, founded in 1910-1911. Swedish missionaries Daniel Berg and Gunnar Wingren who came from Chicago (USA) (currently the largest Protestant congregation of B., numbering from 8 to 13 million people), the Congregation of Christians of Brazil, which arose after a split among the Presbyterians under the hands of. Amer. missionaries in 1909 in São Paulo (currently approx. 4 million people) and the congregation of the so-called. Square Gospel, created in the 40s. Amer. missionaries and named after the square awnings under which they preached in the squares in São Paulo (currently about 200,000). From con. 50s 20th century Pentecostal denominations of the so-called began to arise. the second, and later the third wave (neo-Pentecostal or "autonomous" congregations) created by Brazilians for Brazilians. "Classical Pentecostals" paid and continue to pay main attention to the charismatic gift of "speaking in tongues" (glossolalia), the "second wave" focuses on the gift of "divine healing", the "third" sees its destiny in the gift of "casting out demons" (exorcism).

According to some data, the number of Pentecostals and neo-Pentecostals in general in South. America grew by 500% between 1960 and 1980, and every week 40 new communities appear on the continent. Some of the new members come directly from "classical" Protestants. churches. One of the reasons is that Pentecostal preachers promise them speedy resolution of problems and help in improving living conditions (including financial), as well as free expression of religions. feelings in any available form. The neo-Pentecostal congregation "World Church of the Kingdom of God", organized in con. 70s in Rio de Janeiro E. Macedo, ex. preacher of the Pentecostal congregation New Life Pentecostal Church. In present time the communities of this congregation exist in 50 countries of the world (including Russia) and, according to some data, number approx. 6 million members. In B., the congregation has 2,500 prayer houses and approx. 3 million parishioners; it owns 47 television and 26 radio stations, as well as a publishing house, a sound recording company, a bank and a newspaper. The "world church" takes a radically negative stance towards both Afro-braz. cults, and to the Catholic. Churches. In 1995, during a television interview, the church's senior preacher, Sergio von Gelde, smashed a ceramic image of the Virgin Mary, calling it "a terrible, graceless doll that can't help anyone." He was later charged with religion. discrimination and desecration of the national shrine and sentenced to 2 years in prison, which, nevertheless, did not affect the views and activities of the organization. Like most neo-Pentecostal orgs, the Worldwide Church practices "divine healing" and exorcism extensively, and adheres to a "prosperity theology." Over the last decades of the XX century. the number of Protestants increased from 9.1 to 15.4%. Protestants call themselves in pieces. Rondonia 2.7%, in Espirito Santo 27.5%; in Roraima, 23.6%, in Rio de Janeiro, 21.1%, Goiás, 20.8%, and in Acre, 20.4% of the population. Between 1991 and 2000, 11 million Brazilians became Protestants. The number of "non-religious" Brazilians increased from 4.8% to 7.3%.

Orthodoxy came to B. at the beginning. 20th century with the first wave of immigration of Christian Arabs, Russians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Armenians. In 1903 Sir. emigrants who belonged to the Patriarchate of Antioch founded the first orthodox church in B. in São Paulo. church, Oct. 1925 indoors Sir. Church opened the first Russian. parish, in 1930 in Rio de Janeiro - the second. In 1931, a Russian was built near Rio de Janeiro. temple in the name of the Holy Trinity, operating to this day. time. In 1934, Russian. Orthodox, which then recognized over themselves the jurisdiction of the Synod of Bishops abroad, headed by Met. Anthony (Khrapovitsky), they turned to him with a request to open a Russian in B. bishop's chair. Oct. In 1934 the department was opened, its first primate was Bishop. Detroit, wiki. Theodosius (Samoilovich) of the Eastern American diocese, with the assimilation of the title “ep. São Paulo and all of Brazil”, which arrived in B. on 5 Jan. 1935 In 1939, the ROCOR Diocese of Brazil was recognized as a state, and on August 6. In the same year, a cathedral was consecrated in São Paulo in the name of St. Nicholas. To con. 50s in B. there were more than 10 Russian. orthodox parishes. In the 90s. pl. brother. orthodox parishes came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. Total in con. In 2002, the Russian Orthodox Church in B. had 6 churches: in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Porto Alegre, the Apostles Peter and Paul in Santa Rosa, ap. John the Evangelist in Campina das Misoyes, ap. John the Theologian and Mts. Zinaida in Rio de Janeiro, in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in Sao Paulo. They are part of the Argentine and South American diocese. Since 1994, Porto Alegre has been home to the residence of the permanent representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in B. The Polish Patriarchate, which is represented by the diocese of São Paulo and all of Brazil (the department in the Cathedral of St. Peter in São Paulo) as part of the Metropolia of Buenos Aires and South. America, subject to approx. 10 parishes, consisting of descendants of the Greek. and Ukrainian emigrants. In 1993, the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church USA (UOC USA; former autocephalous schismatics, in 1995 transferred to the jurisdiction of the K-Polish Patriarchate) headed by Met. Constantine Bagan ordained a bishop for B. with the title of "Brazilian and all South America"; his residence is in the city of Curitiba in the southeast of B.

V. P. Andronova

Old Believers. The first group of Old Believers arrived in B. in 1958 from Hong Kong and in July of the same year founded the colony of Santa Cruz (Ponta Grossa, State of Parana). In 1962, part of the families of Nekrasov Cossacks from Turkey arrived in the colony of Pau-Furada (Parana State). In 1963-1964 A large group of Old Believers, with the assistance of the Tolstoy Foundation, emigrated from Byelorussia to the United States (the states of Oregon and Alaska). In the 80s. Settlements were founded in the northwest of Brazil, in the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso. The Old Believers living in B. are mainly employed in agriculture. Families remain patriarchal. Marriages are usually concluded early, often between representatives of the Old Believer communities of different countries (for example, B. and Australia). The restriction on the marriage of blood and spiritual relatives (“up to the 8th generation”) is strictly observed. Marriages with the local population are very rare. Russians are preserved. folklore and everyday traditions. Up to now time, the old type of Russian is used as everyday. clothes. The main language of communication in the family is Russian, children receive an 8-grade education in the state. schools in Portuguese. language in bras. program. Following. some of the Portuguese youth have this. gradually replaces Russian. language.

Most of the samples Old Believers - Bespopovtsy, classifying themselves as Spasov's consent. However, modern the Old Believers living in B. are the descendants of representatives of different regions of Russia and, accordingly, of different consents. They preserve the traditions of icon painting, reading and znamenny singing, singing of spiritual verses. Most know the Church Slavonic. language, owns a hook letter. Notation in chant. Znamenny books with marks and signs, texts are true speech. The tradition of community singing has been preserved. Some of the liturgical books were taken out of Russia in the 1920s and 1930s. 20th century (handwritten and printed), others printed in B. and the USA, and also brought from Russia already in the end. 20th century Handwritten "commemorative books" have been preserved, in which the history of the communities is recorded.

Lit.: Waldmann Is. M. Fazenda Santa Cruz dos Campos Gerais e a colonizacao russa 1792-1990. Ponta Grossa; Parana, 1992; Nakamura E. Romanovka - a village of Old Believers in Manchuria (1936-1945) // Sat. Traditional spiritual and material culture of Russian Old Believer settlements in Europe, Asia and America / Ed. ed. N. N. Pokrovsky, R. Morris. Novosibirsk, 1992; Argudyaeva Yu. Old Believers // Russia and the Asia-Pacific Region. 1993. No. 2.

I. V. Dynnikova

Legislation regarding religion

According to the constitution adopted in 1988, Braz. the state guarantees to all persons living in B. “freedom of conscience and beliefs ... including the free exercise of religion. cult ... and the protection of places of worship and rituals, "if only religion. or philosophical convictions do not entail renunciation of civic duties (Article 5). The armed forces are obliged to provide an opportunity for alternative service for those who are religious. convictions do not allow taking up arms (art. 143). State bodies. the authorities do not have the right “to establish, subsidize, interfere with, or establish relations with religious denominations or churches… except for cooperation in the public interest” (Article 19). In schools, "religious education is optional" but "provided during normal school hours" (art. 210), relig. schools have access to public funds (art. 213). The state recognizes a church marriage if the laws of the country were not violated during its conclusion (Article 226).

Lit.: Morris J. W. The History of the Brazil Mission // History of the Theological Seminary in Virginia and Its Historical Background: In 2 vol. /Ed. W. Goodwin. Rochester (N. Y.), 1924; Brazil. M., 1963; Lloyd Mecham J. Church and State in Latin America: (A History of Politico-Ecclesiastical Relations). Chapel Hill, 1966; Slavkin L . YU . Land of the Holy Cross. M., 1970; Grigulevich I . Church and oligarchy in Latin America, 1810-1959. M., 1981; Culture of Brazil. M., 1981; Bruneau T. C. The Church in Brazil: The Politics of Religion. Austin (Texas), 1982; Constituao: Republica Federativa do Brasil, 1988. Brasilia, 1988; Mainwaring S. Igreja Catolica e politica no Brasil, 1916-1985. San Paulo, 1989; Cook G. New Face of the Church in Latin America. N.Y., 1994; Andronova V . P . Evangelical expansion into Latin America: Essays on the history of the app. Protestantism. M., 1995; Moseikin M . N . Father Theodosius - Archbishop of Sao Paulo and all Brazil // Lat. America. 2000. No. 7. S. 69-74; Statistical abstract of Latin America. Los Angeles, 2000. Vol. 36; Anuario estadistico de America Latina y el Caribe / Naciones Unidos. Santiago (Chile), 2000; Catholic Almanac, 2002. Huntington (Indiana), 2001.