President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) published, this Tuesday (23/12), a video in which he appears receiving a prayer from federal deputy and pastor Otoni de Paula (MDB-RJ), a parliamentarian who was once an ally of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). This publication took place after the signing of a decree recognizing evangelical culture as a national cultural manifestation. Check it out:
After signing the decree that recognizes the Gospel as cultural heritage of Brazil, I received a prayer from the deputy @OtoniDepFederalwith the senator @elizianegama.
Faith, respect and love have no political party. When caring for people is the purpose of… pic.twitter.com/L5BzezXLvN
– Lula (@LulaOficial) December 23, 2025
In the recording, Otoni de Paula prays for Lula and declares that the president’s blessing extends to the entire country. “President, I have no gold or silver,” said the Apostle Peter, “but what I have, I give. And I would like, in the name of Jesus, to bless you, to pray for you and to ask God to enlighten you, to keep you and to protect you,” he declared.
During the prayer, the MP stressed that the Church should not align itself with political polarization. “The Church is not right-wing, the Church is not left-wing. The Church belongs to the Lord Jesus,” he said, asking for blessings for the president’s health, family and government.
The parliamentarian stressed that the recognition of evangelical culture as a national cultural manifestation represents, according to him, an important step for the evangelical community. “Thanks to this decree, what we are doing now is also recognized as national culture. This will open huge doors for us.”
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Decree signed
The decree was previously signed by Lula during a ceremony in Planalto, in the presence of Vice President Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), the first lady Janja Lula da Silva, as well as evangelical ministers and parliamentarians. Among them, the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, the Minister of the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, and the deputy Benedita da Silva (PT-RJ).
In his speech, Lula said that the initiative came from Senator Eliziane Gama (PSD-MA) and described the decree as a gesture of justice and recognition. “It does justice to the evangelical people and to gospel music,” he said. According to the president, this act represents “an important step towards welcoming and respecting the evangelical community of Brazil”, with “a very deep symbolic force”.
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