American Maria del Castilho, 45, was in Rio de Janeiro working at the Santo Daime Céu do Mar church in October 2007 when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by religious leader Paulo Roberto Silva e Souza, known as Padrinho Paulo Roberto. Years later, in December 2025, his preventive arrest was requested by the Rio Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPRJ), accused of sexual rape by fraud and psychological violence against another supporter of Santo Daime, Jéssica Nascimento de Sousa. Meanwhile, Maria del Castilho continues to try to redeem herself. “Let women – especially new women – be protected,” she said. In a letter sent to the Daime Council of Elders, obtained by GLOBO, she explains in detail the abuse she says she suffered.
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“I had been at Daime for four months and received great teachings that enriched my life. I felt an instant connection with the doctrine and a call to work. In August 2007, I decided to quit my job and buy a ticket to Brazil. I felt a growing commitment to this path. Several members of the Daime community in Toronto (Canada) were very supportive of my decision to go to Brazil and participate in the work of Padrinho Paulo Roberto.
The work in Brazil was very powerful and enlightening, but it also left me with many questions and much to discern. I was told that Padrinho Paulo could help me in this area, so I sought his advice as a teacher on several occasions, as did many others. His help was invaluable and I began to develop my confidence in him as a teacher.
On October 15, 2007, after my last job in Brazil, he came to the guest house and asked to speak to me privately in his office. Although I was surprised because it was quite late, I didn’t want to miss my last opportunity to get more advice from this man I had come to admire and respect as a spiritual teacher.
In his office, he took me out to the balcony, where it was very dark. During our conversation, I asked who he was and what the role of a sponsor was. He said he couldn’t explain it to me in words and he would have to show it to me. It made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to be suspicious of someone everyone clearly trusted. So I allowed him to continue.
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He then pulled me closer until our bodies were pressed together. He held me tightly by my upper body, hugging me and rubbing my back, his face touching the side of my face and my neck. At this point I started to feel very uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to doubt his intentions. He walked away. I felt confused and turned my back on him, clinging to the porch railing to try to balance myself. He then started massaging my back and shoulders.
This made me extremely uncomfortable and I told him so. We went back to the office and he said I didn’t understand what he was doing. He seemed disappointed in me. I said I was sorry, but that I had a hard time trusting him and felt really uncomfortable. He said he was just trying to send me some love that I could take home. He wanted me to learn to love myself.
I wanted to believe him. He said the “shadows” I carried were responsible for my lack of trust in him. He spoke of the importance of prayer, of my continuity with Céu do Mar, with him and with (Raimunda) Nonata (Paulo Roberto’s wife). With that, I thanked him and left, returning to my room. While I was in the room, I thought a lot about what he was saying about my shadows and I started to feel guilty about my lack of confidence. I remembered that I was dealing with an important spiritual man. I felt really bad for walking away like that and I was afraid I had been rude.
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From the inn, I saw that he was still awake, in the kitchen. As I thought I wouldn’t see him again the next day, I took the opportunity to apologize for my lack of confidence and thank him again for his teachings. He was happy that I came to talk to him and asked me if I wanted more. At first I didn’t understand what he meant. He explained that he was offering more “healing work.” I agreed, fearing I would offend him if I refused.
He told me to wait for him in the hostel room. When he arrived, he took me to the back, where it was very dark. There he leaned me against the wall, pressed his body against mine and began to feel my neck and face. He lifted my arms, placed them on his shoulders and started caressing my back, my hips, my waist and the sides of my torso, very close to my breasts. He continued to run his hands over my body. With his hands on my hips, he pulled my body closer to his. I felt his erection on my right thigh.
“I was so shaken I couldn’t sleep that night.”
I was paralyzed when he brought his lips to mine and my face. I felt his breathing and sexual energy increase to a point that terrified me. I pushed him away, raised my hands to push him away and said no. He then said, “See? You don’t understand. He told me not to create fantasies and said there was darkness around me. He warned me that my darkness was the reason I distrusted him. He was angry and it scared me. I left and he left saying it was my test to see if I could trust him.
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I was so shaken that I couldn’t sleep that night. In the morning, I asked Nonata to call a car to take me to the airport early. I didn’t feel safe and wanted to get away from Padrinho Paulo.
Nonata told him I wanted to leave early. He came and asked me to come and talk to him in his office. I went, reluctantly, to avoid a scene before leaving. At the office, he asked me if I was okay. I answered no. (…) I refused and said that his behavior the day before had been completely inappropriate. He said “ok, let’s talk about it”. I replied that I didn’t want to talk, because I knew he would try to manipulate me like the day before. He said it wasn’t manipulation, but that he saw that I was alone and wanted to help.
I asked him if he thought having sex with a younger woman would help me. He said he had already helped many people. I asked him if this was how he helped: by pushing women against walls in the dark, taking advantage of them. He reiterated that he had already helped many people. I said it didn’t matter if he admitted it or not because I knew the truth and would keep it with me.
I said I didn’t want to talk to him anymore and left.
I immediately asked Nonata to call a taxi on my behalf. Seeing that I was very shaken, she took me aside and asked me what was going on. Out of respect for her, I told her the truth despite the language barrier. She listened and seemed to understand everything. She didn’t seem surprised. She hugged me and then headed to the office to talk to Padrinho Paulo.
Since returning home, I have reached out to members of the Daime community in Toronto for help. They recommended that I write this letter and present it to the Council of Elders. My goal is to ensure that this does not happen to anyone else and to express the damage and devastation that Padrinho Paulo’s actions have caused in my life and spiritual path to Daime.
The biggest problem now is my healing, because I have felt violated, exploited, humiliated and charged with a dark sexual energy that I cannot shake. My faith in this work was shaken to its core, as was my faith in the path of the Daime. I trusted Padrinho Paulo as a spiritual teacher who would protect me and help me heal. I trusted him with very personal matters, I went to him completely vulnerable, naively believing he would honor his sacred role as spiritual guide – but instead he violated that trust and abused his power. I feel deeply saddened and lost because of your actions. I am also deeply saddened by the impact this has had on our Daime community.
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As a remedy, I would like this matter to be brought to the attention of the Council of Elders and treated seriously. May women – especially newcomers – be protected. That no godfather can touch a woman under the pretext of “healing” her without the presence of another woman. I also request reimbursement of the money spent on Padrinho Paulo’s workshop and financial compensation for psychotherapy. Finally, I request a letter of apology written by Padrinho Paulo, as I do not wish to speak to him at the moment, and an acknowledgment of his actions so that I can move on.
I would also like to make clear to Padrinho Paulo and the Council of Elders that all this could compromise future legalization processes if I decide to take the matter to the judicial authorities of Canada, if the Council does not treat the case seriously.
My greatest intention is that we all learn a great lesson from this unfortunate event and that everyone has the opportunity to heal, especially Padrinho Paulo.”
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