wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: Brazil, a country of contrasts, to host WCC 9th Assembly

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World Council of Churches - Feature
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 29/09/2005

A COUNTRY OF STRIKING CONTRASTS TO HOST THE 9TH WCC ASSEMBLY

By Rosina Duarte (*)

Free photos available, see below

The excitement and brilliance of the carnival, the grace and skill of
soccer, the exotic tropical beaches and the uproar of political scandals:
these are some superficial snapshots of Brazil, a country rich in natural
resources and creativity but battered by poverty. What is the country that
will host the World Council of Churches' 9th Assembly next February really
like?

Marked by its contrasts, Brazil is the largest Latin American nation and
the fifth largest land mass in the world. Its 8.54 million square
kilometres (slightly more than twice the size of the expanded European
Union) are inhabited by 170 million people (approximately a third of the
EU's population).

Its gorgeous Atlantic Ocean beaches are world famous. However, its
geography is marked by enormous diversity: arid deserts, plains and
savannahs, marshlands, mountain ranges as well as jungle and forest areas,
many threatened by illegal land clearing.

Huge cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (16 and 14 million inhabitants respectively) co-exist alongside regions that have an extremely low
demographic density. Diversity is also a characteristic of Brazil's
population, originating from more than 40 ethnic groups and mixed with
native indigenous peoples.

> From the Portuguese to "Lula"

Prior to being colonized by the Portuguese in 1500, Brazil was inhabited
by indigenous peoples. The majority peaceful, they were decimated by the
violence and the illness brought by the white man. Today, there are some
750,000 indigenous in the country.

As of 1530, the colonizers brought slaves from Africa. Slavery lasted for
more than 300 years and more than 3.5 million people were bought and sold,
the highest number registered among the so-called countries of the New
World. The black population today amounts to 75 million people (44 percent
of the total).

Independent since 1822, Brazil became a republic in 1889. Independence,
however, was declared by a foreign prince, the Portuguese Dom Pedro I and
the republic was not proclaimed by a revolutionary but by the leader of a
coup, Field Marshall Deodoro da Fonseca.

>From then on , Brazil suffered a series of dictatorships and coups. The
most recent took place in 1964. The military took power, suppressed civil
rights, exiled, tortured and killed their opponents, governing in a
despotic fashion for 22 years.

After less than two decades of continuous democracy, Luís Inácio
"Lula" da Silva, a former union leader, took office as president in
January 2003. The change, however, has not shielded the country from
accusations of corruption. Today, Lula and his Workers Party face
accusations related to dubious loans, influence trafficking and embezzlement.

> A land of contrasts

Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1970s, Brazil enjoyed its
status as a so-called "Country of the Future". Its incalculable natural
wealth helped justify this image, including the fact that 60 percent of
the Amazon jungle and 20 percent of the planet's potable water reserves
lie within its borders.

With 800 million hectares of farm land, the country has yet to carry out
an agrarian reform. Many of the farmers expelled from the countryside live
in misery in the cities. Others struggle to transform this reality. The
Landless Workers Movement is one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Brazilian industry began to develop in the 1950s leading to economic
growth but also to a concentration of wealth and overwhelming urbanization. The 1980s were marked by economic stagnation with over 30 million
unemployed and informal workers and 22 million impoverished.

At the same time, the concentration of income was aggravated. The 10
richest percent of the population appropriated half of the national
income, while the 40 poorest percent barely received 8 percent. Minimum
monthly wage is 300 reales (some US$ 130).

The ninth leading economy in the world, Brazil has an enormous debt: US$
237.9 billion (equivalent to 39 percent of the GDP). Though high inflation
rates decreased as of 1994, the purchasing power of the population
continued to decline.

Recently, exports have increased, breaking a historic record in 2004 when
they peaked at 32 percent and surpassed US$ 96 billion.

The poverty of the population also led to a deterioration in overall
health, increasing nutritional problems and transmittable diseases. Close
to 120,000 babies die each year before reaching their first birthday.

Around 97 percent of children aged 7-14 go to school but the country
suffers from serious educational deficiencies. Of every 100 children who
enter the school system only eight finish high school. Among Brazilians
over the age of 15, 12 percent are illiterate.

Low education levels, poverty, a lack of opportunities and increasing drug
trafficking are among the causes of violence in the big cities. Battered
by so many problems, civil society has organized itself. Today there are
an estimated 20 million activists and volunteers in the country.

> Many religions, unwavering hope

Many of those who volunteer are also involved in different churches. The
church with the highest number of faithful is the Roman Catholic Church
with 126 million (74 percent of the population). Close to 25.5 million (15
percent) of Brazilians are Protestants. Of that total, around 85 percent
are Pentecostals. Orthodox Christians are about 250,000 people.

The followers of Afro-Brazilian and syncretic religions like Candomble,
Xangô, Macumba and Umbanda make up 4 percent of the population. There
are approximately 500,000 Muslims and 100,000 Jews, together with other
smaller religious groups. Around 7.3 percent of Brazilians claim to have
no religious affiliation.

The Brazilian ecumenical movement sought to draw closer to the people
through solidarity and gained strength in the 1970s during its resistance
to the military dictatorship. In 1982 the National Council of Christian
Churches (CONIC) was created. It brings together the Evangelical Church of
Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB), the Anglican Episcopal, Reformed,
Methodist, United Presbyterian, Syrian Orthodox and Roman Catholic
Churches.

It was the CONIC that invited the World Council of Churches to hold its
9th Assembly, the first on Latin American soil, from 14-23 February, 2006
in Porto Alegre, the cradle of the World Social Forum.

During those 10 days approximately 3,000 Christians from around the world
will have the opportunity to experience the rich diversity of a fascinating country and its people who, despite enormous difficulties, struggle and
celebrate life with unwavering hope - an attitude well known to those who,
despite everything, persist in their commitment to a vision of Christian
unity.

[1.057 words]

(*) Rosina Duarte is a Brazilian free-lance journalist and carries out
communication projects with low income sectors through the Free Agency for
Information, Citizenship and Education (Alice) in Porto Alegre.

Free high resolution photos to accompany this story are available at the
WCC Assembly website: www.wcc-assembly.info

[Sidebar text]

9th WCC Assembly: Praying for a transformed world

The 9th assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will be held in
Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 14-23 February 2006. Its theme is a prayer:
"God, in your grace, transform the world".

The first WCC assembly of the 21st century, it will gather up to 3,000
church leaders and ecumenical representatives from nearly every Christian
tradition around the world. As such, it will be one of the broadest global
gatherings of its kind.

WCC assemblies are often turning points in the life of the World Council,
and this one is expected to leave its mark on ecumenical history.
Deliberations will focus on issues such as the future of the ecumenical
movement, the churches' commitment to economic justice as well as their
witness to overcoming violence, and the challenges faced in the midst of
religious plurality.

In Porto Alegre, members of the ecumenical family will be able to gather
around the assembly at a Mutirão, a Portuguese word that means coming
together for a common purpose. Made up of workshops, exhibitions and
cultural celebrations, this part of the assembly programme will offer
opportunities for members of the wider ecumenical movement to gather,
reflect and celebrate together.

This is the first WCC assembly to be held in Latin America, and it is
being hosted by the National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil
(CONIC) on behalf of churches throughout the region. Pre-assembly events
for youth and for women will be held from 11-13 February.

Assembly website: www.wcc-assembly.info

[246 words]

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author.

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, in
more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
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which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
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