Evangelicals protest gay marriage in Brazil
Baku, May 30 (AZERTAC). Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians marched in Rio on Saturday defending marriage between a man and a woman, and protesting a recent legal ruling allowing gay marriage.
The event, organized by Rio de Janeiro evangelical ministers, gathered some 100,000 people, according to police estimates.
The throngs of faithful marched alongside floats, wearing t-shirts emblazoned with religious slogans and waving signs praising Jesus.
The march ended at the downtown Cinelandia square, where pastors preached, the faithful prayed in unison, and a gospel concert was held.
As acknowledgement of the political clout of the group, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes was at the event, along with other politicians.
The “March for Jesus” is a main Brazilian evangelical church event.
The march and rally highlight “the principles that we defend: unity of the people of God... in favor of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, traditional families and life,” said Pastor Silas Malafaia of the Assembly of God church, who organized the event.
In comparison, 65 percent of Brazilians say they are Catholic, down from 90 percent in 1970.
On May 14, Brazil became the third and largest Latin American country to give a de facto green light to same-sex marriage when a panel overseeing Brazil’s legal system headed by the chief Supreme Court justice said that offices that issue marriage licenses had no standing to reject gay couples.
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