VZCZCXRO7821
PP RUEHRG RUEHROV
DE RUEHSO #0855/01 2970954
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 240954Z OCT 07
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7603
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 8716
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RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 8398
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RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SAO PAULO 000855 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC, EUR/WE, AND DRL/IRF 
STATE PASS USTR FOR KDUCKWORTH 
NSC FOR TOMASULO 
DEPT OF TREASURY FOR OASIA, DAS LEE AND JHOEK 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
USAID FOR LAC/AA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SCUL PINR KIRF ECON BR
SUBJECT: SAO PAULO'S ARCHBISHOP ON SOCIAL ISSUES 
 
REF: (A) SAO PAULO 464; (B) SAO PAULO 250 
 
¶1.  (U) In a recent courtesy call, Consul General (CG) sought the 
views of Dom Odilo Pedro Scherer, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, on a 
range of issues in Brazil's political life and on the role of the 
Church in Brazil and Latin America.  Dom Odilo, who replaced 
Cardinal Claudio Hummes in late April, and who will himself be 
elevated to the College of Cardinals next month, commentedthat the 
Pope's five-day visit to Sao Paulo in My (ref A) was "short but 
intense."  In reality, e said, there are two Popes, the media Pope 
and he real one.  Pope Benedict is much different in prson than 
his public image would suggest, he added, much warmer and more 
personable and engaging. 
 
¶2.  (U) Addressing issues facing the Church in Bazil and the 
region, Archbishop Scherer noted tht attendance at Sunday Mass, 
though still low, hs increased in recent years, though the shortage 
of clergy remains a problem.  Brazilian laws prohibiting public 
subsidies to religious education make it difficult to sustain 
Catholic schools; these schools can offer quality education, he 
noted, but because their cost per student is higher, poor families 
cannot afford to send their children to Catholic schools. 
Liberation theology has lost some of its force and meaning in recent 
years and no longer poses a serious problem, in Scherer's view.  On 
the other hand, the growth of evangelical movements in Brazil and 
elsewhere in the region is of concern.  Many Catholics leave the 
Church to join evangelical congregations, he said, in part because 
the Church has failed in its mission to deepen people's faith and 
strengthen their sense of belonging to the Church. 
 
¶3.  (U) The Archbishop, who served previously as Secretary-General 
of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB), stressed 
that the Church does not have a political mission.  It is not 
affiliated with any political party and does not embrace any 
ideology.  It acts rather as a moral and ethical force in society. 
The challenge, he said, is to make its voice heard.  Mainstream 
media, at least in Brazil, tend to silence the Church, he asserted, 
not out of a censorship mentality but because of market forces; the 
Church's message is not perceived as likely to sell advertising or 
improve ratings, so it is sometimes ignored or buried.  This 
requires the Church to find its own modes and vehicles of expression 
as a public voice.  Contrast this, he suggested, with "Rede Record," 
a television network established and owned by Bishop Edir Macedo, 
founder and leader of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God 
(IURD in Portuguese), Brazil's largest Pentecostal organization. 
Founded in 1989, Rede Record recently passed SBT to become Brazil's 
second-largest TV network in terms of audience, after the mammoth 
Rede Globo.  Earlier this month, TV Record launched "Record News," 
Brazil's first 24-hour news channel.  In Scherer's view, the network 
operates as commercial enterprise but also serves as a vehicle to 
advance the interests of the Pentecostal church in Brazil. 
According to press reports, the Universal Church buys 300 million 
Reals (about USD 160 million) of programming from TV Record. 
 
¶4.  (U) In addition to its social and pastoral work with the poor, 
the elderly, prisoners, and other marginalized individuals and 
groups, the Church is active in combating public corruption, 
Archbishop Scherer said.  It is not clear whether corruption in 
Brazil has increased in recent years; more likely, he averred, more 
corruption comes to light because vigilance has increased.  More 
wrongdoers are exposed by the media or identified by the police and 
are tried, convicted, and punished.  Increasingly, public figures 
who trumpet their morals are found to be corrupt.  Of yet more 
concern is the corruption found in the justice system, because it 
undermines people's trust in democratic institutions.  Here again, 
though, there has been a marked increase in investigations of 
judges.  Corruption, he said, is less tolerated than it used to be. 
 
¶5.  (U) Asked about "Bolsa Familia" (BF), the Lula administration's 
flagship conditional cash transfer program for the poor, Dom Odilo 
said the initiative has had contradictory effects.  On the plus 
 
SAO PAULO 00000855  002 OF 002 
 
 
side, the cash stipend concretely helps very poor families and 
causes more money to circulate in impoverished communities and funds 
small initiatives.  If families meet the conditions - keeping their 
children in school and ensuring they get their vaccinations - it 
could also have long-term benefits.  However, in some cases the 
monthly stipends foster dependency on the part of recipients.  Worse 
yet, the program's close association with the federal government and 
ruling party has turned it into an electoral instrument, distorting 
the political system. 
 
¶6.  (U) Comment: Archbishop Scherer - slated to become a Cardinal 
next month - presides over the world's third largest Catholic 
archdiocese, a metropolitan area of significant economic and 
political clout which also suffers from extensive poverty, violent 
crime, and other social ills.  The Church, which was widely 
recognized during and after the military dictatorship for its 
important role in defending human rights and advocating for 
democracy, has lost some of its political stature in recent years, 
but remains a relevant opinion leader on the challenges facing 
contemporary Brazilian society.  End Comment. 
 
¶7.  (U) This cable was cleared by Embassy Brasilia. 
 
WHITE