I don't want to give the impression I'm profiting from something sacred
Em ano eleitoral, o presidente Lula optou por não comparecer à Marcha para Jesus em São Paulo, enviando em seu lugar o procurador-geral Jorge Messias e tornando pública sua razão: recusa-se a transformar o sagrado em palanque. A ausência deliberada revela uma tensão antiga e sempre renovada entre fé e poder — e a aposta de que a distinção entre os dois pode, ela mesma, ser uma forma de política.
- Com as eleições de outubro se aproximando, o voto evangélico tornou-se um dos territórios mais disputados da política brasileira.
- O senador Flávio Bolsonaro compareceu à marcha, foi ovacionado pela multidão e falou em 'grande guerra espiritual' — ocupando o espaço que Lula deixou vazio.
- Lula tornou sua ausência um ato público: ligou ao vivo para o bispo Hernandes e ao procurador Messias, explicando que não frequenta eventos religiosos em períodos eleitorais para não instrumentalizar o sagrado.
- A marcha reuniu cerca de 35 mil pessoas em São Paulo, lembrando que desde 2019 — quando Bolsonaro pai foi o primeiro presidente a comparecer — o evento nunca mais saiu do radar eleitoral.
- A aposta de Lula é que a recusa em aparecer pode valer mais do que a presença: uma sinalização de respeito à fé que, paradoxalmente, também é um cálculo político.
O presidente Lula decidiu não ir à Marcha para Jesus em São Paulo e quis que todos soubessem o motivo. Em conversa telefônica com o bispo Estevam Hernandes e o procurador-geral Jorge Messias — seu representante no evento —, Lula afirmou que não participa de atividades religiosas em anos eleitorais para não dar a impressão de que está lucrando politicamente com algo sagrado. Messias publicou o vídeo da conversa no Instagram, tornando o raciocínio do presidente explicitamente público.
O contexto pesa. Lula assinou em 2009 a lei que tornou a Marcha para Jesus um feriado nacional — decisão da qual disse se orgulhar — mas traçou uma linha entre apoiar o evento institucionalmente e aparecer nele durante uma campanha. Nunca foi pessoalmente à marcha, mesmo tendo sido o responsável por inscrevê-la no calendário do país.
O contraste com a oposição foi imediato. O senador Flávio Bolsonaro compareceu, foi recebido com entusiasmo pela multidão e falou em 'grande guerra espiritual'. Sua presença reforçou uma realidade eleitoral: os cristãos evangélicos e carismáticos formam um bloco expressivo, e os candidatos disputam sua adesão com crescente intensidade. O marco simbólico dessa disputa foi 2019, quando Jair Bolsonaro tornou-se o primeiro presidente em exercício a participar da marcha — que desde então nunca mais saiu da arena política.
Ao se ausentar e explicar publicamente o porquê, Lula faz uma aposta específica: a de que eleitores valorizarão um presidente que se recusa a confundir fé com campanha. Se esse cálculo se sustentará, só outubro dirá.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a deliberate choice not to attend the March for Jesus in São Paulo this week, and he wanted people to know exactly why. Speaking by phone with Bishop Estevam Hernandes and Attorney General Jorge Messias—who stood in for him at the event—Lula explained that he refuses to participate in religious gatherings during election years. "I don't take part in anything religious during an election period because I don't want to give the impression that I'm trying to profit politically from something sacred," he said. Messias, who represented the president at the gathering, posted video of the conversation on Instagram, making the reasoning public.
The timing matters. Brazil heads to elections in October, and the religious vote has become increasingly contested terrain. Lula signed the law in 2009 that made the March for Jesus an official national observance—a decision he said he remained proud of. He expressed gratitude for Bishop Hernandes and his work, telling Messias to "take good care of our bishop." But the president drew a line between supporting the event institutionally and showing up in person during a campaign season. He has never attended the march in person, despite his role in cementing its place on the national calendar.
The contrast with his opposition was stark. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the main challenger to Lula's government in the coming election, showed up and was cheered by the crowd. Flávio spoke of a "great spiritual war" unfolding in Brazil and said he came to "recharge his batteries" and pray for Brazilian families. The senator's presence and the crowd's reception underscored a political reality: evangelical and charismatic Christian voters represent a significant bloc, and candidates compete for their support.
This year's march drew an estimated 35,000 people to the streets of São Paulo. The event has deep roots in Brazil's religious landscape. The first March for Jesus happened in 1993, drawing inspiration from a similar mobilization that had been running in the United Kingdom since the 1980s. For years it remained a grassroots gathering. Then in 2019, Jair Bolsonaro became the first sitting president to attend, a symbolic moment that signaled how thoroughly the event had entered electoral politics. The pandemic interrupted the march for two years after that, but it returned, and so did the political calculations around who would show up.
Lula's decision to stay away—and to explain it publicly—reflects a particular reading of the moment. He is betting that voters will respect a president who refuses to blur the line between faith and politics, who treats religious spaces as genuinely sacred rather than as campaign backdrops. Whether that calculation holds will become clearer as October approaches and both sides continue to compete for the allegiance of Brazil's religious voters.
Citas Notables
I don't take part in anything religious during an election period because I don't want to give the impression that I'm trying to profit politically from something sacred.— President Lula, in a phone call with Bishop Estevam Hernandes and Attorney General Jorge Messias
Brazil lives in a great spiritual war. Nothing better than being here to recharge and pray for Brazilian families.— Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, at the March for Jesus
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Lula skip an event he himself made into law? That seems like leaving political capital on the table.
He's making a different kind of argument—that respecting the sacred is itself a political position. By staying away, he's saying: I won't use your faith to win your vote.
But Flávio showed up and got cheered. Doesn't that give Flávio the advantage?
In the short term, maybe. But Lula is betting that some voters will see his absence as integrity, not weakness. He's treating the religious space as genuinely off-limits, not as a stage.
Is this new for him? Has he always stayed away from the march?
Yes. He's never attended in person, even though he signed the law making it official in 2009. So this is consistent with him, not a sudden shift.
What about the evangelical vote? Isn't that crucial in October?
Absolutely. But there are different ways to compete for it. Lula's approach is to show respect for the boundary between faith and politics. Flávio's is to show up and pray alongside them. Both are strategies.
Which one wins?
That's what October will tell us.