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Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro trade accusations over Our Lady of Aparecida rumour before Brazil vote

Days before Brazil's 4 October election, Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro are disputing rumours that Bolsonaro would strip Our Lady of Aparecida of her patron saint status. Bolsonaro denies it and accuses the government of spreading fake news.

4 outlets · 2L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: The Straits Times
Image: The Guardian
Image: Al Jazeera
Image: Breitbart

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The story, neutrally told

Brazil's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, has become a campaign flashpoint as the two leading presidential candidates court religious voters. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva referred to claims that Senator Flavio Bolsonaro plans to strip the saint of her patron status if elected, and said at a 28 September rally that no one would disrespect her while he is president. Bolsonaro denies the accusation, says he respects all religions, and accuses the government of spreading "fake news".

The quarrel followed media reports that Catholic Church figures were concerned about the saint's status, and the unearthing of an abandoned 2007 bill, first proposed by a Bolsonaro-aligned lawmaker, to demote her. A Quaest survey on 27 September gave Lula 48 per cent of Catholic voting intentions against 29 per cent for Bolsonaro, while evangelicals favoured Bolsonaro 46 to 27 per cent. A University of Reading academic told AFP that Lula is trying to put Bolsonaro on the defensive on religious grounds, while voters interviewed disagreed on whether the rumour is real or a tactic.

The wider race is close: the Guardian's editorial says Lula, 80, is neck and neck with Bolsonaro in the polls ahead of Sunday's vote. The Guardian editorial also cites the Banco Master scandal, in which Flávio Bolsonaro was reportedly taped asking the bank's owner for almost $27m for a film about his father; he denies wrongdoing.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left2 outlets

Framing
The Guardian editorial does not mention the saint rumour. It presents the election as a stark choice between Lula and a Bolsonaro it calls extreme, and stresses democracy, corruption and climate.
Emphasis
Coup conviction of Jair Bolsonaro, Banco Master scandal, Trump's influence, Amazon deforestation.
Leaves out or plays down
The Aparecida controversy and the religious-voter contest.
Charged language
“no less extreme”“Donroe doctrine”
For example
“The senator has campaigned as a less crass and temperamental version of his father, but he is no less extreme.” — The Guardian

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right2 outlets

Framing
The Straits Times, carrying AFP, reports the saint dispute as a campaign scrap exposing Catholic-evangelical tensions, with Lula shown as stoking rumours and Bolsonaro denying them.
Emphasis
Religious voting splits, voter quotes, and expert commentary on Lula's tactic.
Leaves out or plays down
The Banco Master scandal, Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year sentence, and wider policy stakes.
Charged language
“lashed out”“latest election scrap”
For example
“Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has lashed out at President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for apparently feeding rumours about his right-wing rival” — The Straits Times