Monday, January 9, 2023 | 9:45 a.m.
Pope Francis lamented on Monday “the tensions” and “violence” in various countries of the American continent gripped by political crises, including Brazil, where Bolsonarists invaded seats of power on Sunday.
“I am thinking of the numerous political crises in various countries of the American continent, with their burden of tensions and forms of violence that exacerbate social conflicts,” Francis declared in a speech before the diplomatic corps.
“I am thinking especially of what happened recently in Peru and in the last few hours in Brazil,” he added, words that were not in the previously released speech.
The Supreme Pontiff described as “worrying” the “weakening, in many parts of the world, of democracy.”
On Sunday, thousands of Bolsonaristas broke through police barriers and stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the supreme court in Brasilia, smashing windows and vandalizing offices.
Brazilian authorities quickly launched their investigations, and leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office on January 1, vowed that “coup plotters” will be “punished.”
International condemnation
From the United States to China, passing through the European Union, Russia and Latin America, numerous countries condemned the assault by supporters of former Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro on Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace, which some consider an “attempted coup.” State” and “fascist”, and expressed their unwavering support for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
These are the main reactions:
USA. President Joe Biden called what happened “scandalous” and his national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that Washington “condemns any attempt to undermine democracy.”
“Our support for Brazil’s democratic institutions is unwavering. Brazil’s democracy will not be shaken by violence,” Sullivan said on Twitter.
China “firmly opposes the violent attack” against the seats of power in Brazil, declared Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, noting that Beijing “supports the measures taken by the Brazilian government to calm the situation, restore social order and preserve national stability”.
Russia. The Kremlin said it condemned “in the strongest possible way the actions of the instigators” of the riots, and affirmed that it supported “fully the Brazilian president” Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Canada condemned the intrusion and expressed its “support for President Lula and the democratic institutions of Brazil.” “Respect for the democratic right of the people is paramount in any democracy,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on his Twitter account.
Argentina. President Alberto Fernández expressed his solidarity with the Lula government “in the face of this coup attempt” and, as president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), called on the region to unite against “the anti-democratic reaction.” .
Mexico. “The coup attempt by Brazil’s conservatives, urged on by the oligarchic power leadership, its spokesmen and fans, is reprehensible and undemocratic,” said leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on the same social network. “Lula is not alone, he has the support of the progressive forces of his country, Mexico, the American continent and the world,” he added.
