CNS STORY: Pope likely to discuss violence, poverty with Brazilian president

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BRAZIL-ISSUES May-8-2007 (570 words) With BRAZIL-VIOLENCE. xxxi

Pope likely to discuss violence, poverty with Brazilian president

By Barbara J. Fraser
Catholic News Service

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNS) -- When Pope Benedict XVI meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, social issues such as violence, poverty and abortion are expected to be high on the agenda.

The pope will meet the president May 10 during his May 9-13 visit to Brazil.

Some of the issues already have caused friction between the president and the Brazilian bishops.

In a message addressed to "working men and women" on Brazilian Labor Day May 1, the Brazilian bishops' conference acknowledged that "some public policies have provided a transfer of income, new jobs and a readjustment of the minimum wage's purchasing power."

However, they denounced "the persistence of unemployment or underemployment, informal labor, child labor, migration within the country and to other countries" and "the situation of workers who labor in slavery, trafficking of persons and the number of job-related accidents."

The bishops also stated that an economic policy that places priority on paying interest on public debt undermines the government's ability to address "the basic needs of workers and the country's development."

Although the president, a former lathe operator and leader of the Workers' Party, was re-elected by a wide margin last October, Cardinal Geraldo Agnelo of Salvador recently told the British Broadcasting Corp. that he was "not completely satisfied" with the administration.

"It talks about what it wants to do, but a full term has gone by," he said. "The government always favored capital instead of labor."

In a May 7 interview with Catholic radio stations, da Silva said the bishops had been unfair in their criticism and noted that Brazil's economy is strong. An anti-poverty program that provides cash subsidies for more than 11 million Brazilians has been credited with reducing poverty slightly in the impoverished northeastern part of the country.

But Brazil's bishops said the government has failed to address key issues, particularly land reform. Bishop Mauro Montagnoli of Ilheus said there was a "lack of political will" to implement land reform and that the bishops would continue to press for change.

Archbishop Geraldo Lyrio Rocha of Mariana, the newly elected president of the Brazilian bishops' conference, said reform must go beyond simply redistributing land to landless farmers.

"It isn't enough to give people land if conditions for agricultural development do not exist," he said.

Abortion is another issue that is likely to come up in the pope's conversation with the president. Da Silva told the Catholic radio stations that, although he opposes abortion, his "position as father, husband and citizen" and his "behavior as president" are "two completely different things."

Calling abortion a public health issue, he said, "If Brazil had a good process of family planning and sex education, perhaps we would not have the number of unwanted pregnancies that we have today in Brazil."

In the interview, the president also faced questions about corruption scandals in his party that have caused even staunch supporters to become critical and disenchanted. Going on the offensive, he blamed the media for being quick to report corruption accusations but slow to publicize cases in which a politician is cleared.

"The investigation has barely begun before the person is already convicted publicly, and afterward no one apologizes," the president said. He added that corruption cases should only be made public once investigations have shown those involved to be guilty.

END

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