Brazilian bishops give stark warning on political crisis as tensions rise

The Brazilian bishops have begun to weigh in on the current political crisis, calling for peace and justice but taking care not to be associated with any political group.

Many members of the country's political and economic elite have been caught up in a corruption scandal. Former President Lula da Silva was recently taken into custody for questioning and stands accused of taking bribes. Massive demonstrations have called for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff and the conviction of those accused of corruption.

After a three-day meeting, the current president of the bishops conference warned that any protests should be peaceful. "What we want is to preserve constitutional order in the country. Protests should be carried out within the law."

Denying any connection to political parties, Archbishop Sergio da Rocha said that "on the contrary, we are open to dialogue with everybody. We insist on the need to search for solutions based on dialogue and respect, without violence, which is incompatible with democracy".

The vice-president of the world's largest bishops conference, Archbishop Murilo Krieger, issued a sombre warning to the country’s governing classes. "If a country like ours were to suddenly become ungovernable it will be very difficult to speak of social peace."

Since then, and with the case around Lula appearing to gain strength, current head of State Dilma Rousseff appointed him to a cabinet post. The position does not give him immunity, but removes him from the jurisdiction of the judge who is spearheading the corruption probes. Lula took office but his nomination was soon suspended by a judge in a legal battle which continues.

Lula's nomination led other bishops to take a more direct approach to the scandal, some of them publishing irate messages on their Facebook pages. "We have been robbed. More than our money, we have been robbed of our hope, our future and our dignity," wrote the bishop of Frederico Westphalen, Archbishop  António Keller.

Blaming corrupt politicians across the political spectrum, the bishop concluded his message saying that "Brazil and the Brazilians do not deserve such humiliation and shame".