{"id":2362,"date":"2022-02-17T13:19:40","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T13:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/monica-francisco-two-women-of-opposing-faiths-unite-to-protect-sacred-candomble-space\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T16:05:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T16:05:41","slug":"monica-francisco-two-women-of-opposing-faiths-unite-to-protect-sacred-candomble-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/crcc\/monica-francisco-two-women-of-opposing-faiths-unite-to-protect-sacred-candomble-space\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u00f4nica Francisco: Two women of opposing faiths unite to protect sacred Candombl\u00e9 space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n \n \n
\n\n \n

M\u00f4nica Francisco: Two women of opposing faiths unite to protect sacred Candombl\u00e9 space<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n By<\/span>Kiratiana Freelon<\/strong>\n \n February 17, 2022<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n \n Share\n <\/span>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Copy Link<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Facebook<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n\n<\/svg>\n\n <\/span>\n X<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n LinkedIn<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Bluesky<\/span>\n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n Email<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n

This story was originally published by\u00a0Christian Science Monitor<\/a>,\u00a0with the support of CRCC\u2019s global project on\u00a0engaged spirituality<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

M\u00f4nica Francisco and M\u00e3e Seci Caxi do not see eye to eye about God.<\/p>\n

Ms. Francisco, a Rio de Janeiro state congresswoman, practiced Catholicism until she joined an evangelical church at 18. She is among the 65 million Brazilians \u2013 approximately one-third of the population \u2013 who consider themselves evangelicals.<\/p>\n

Ms. Caxi was born into a family of Candombl\u00e9 \u2013 a minority Brazilian religion of African origin that has historically been discriminated against, including by evangelicals.<\/p>\n

But when Ms. Caxi needed help in saving a space sacred to the adherents of Candombl\u00e9, she turned to the evangelical politician, who is also a pastor. United by their African heritage, the two have become unlikely allies against deep-seated religious intolerance in Brazil and for recognition of their shared culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must fight religious intolerance so that we can preserve our ancestry. We must preserve our oral traditions and African mythology as a religious practice because this reaffirms our Afro-Brazilian identity and its roots,\u201d Ms. Francisco says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur past includes an enslaved family, who probably worshipped African gods, who had to use syncretism,\u201d she adds. \u201cAlthough I am a Christian, a pastor, and have embraced the evangelical faith, it is impossible not to recognize this presence in our ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Message of justice\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

An abandoned structure outside Rio de Janeiro that a local mayor wanted to raze brought Ms. Francisco and Ms. Caxi together. Called the Terreiro da Gom\u00e9ia, it\u2019s sacred land in Afro-Brazilian worship and a national symbol of Afro-Brazilian culture. It was established by the late Jo\u00e3ozinho da Gom\u00e9ia, a\u00a0pai-de-santo<\/i>, or high priest, who was also known as the King of Candombl\u00e9 because he brought the religion out of obscurity. Gay and mixed race, he was often harassed and once imprisoned, as he fought against entrenched attitudes and prejudices.<\/p>\n

Before his death 50 years ago, the site attracted journalists, artists, and high-ranking politicians who sat high in balconies to watch its elaborate festivals and ceremonies.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe welcomed nonbelievers just as much as he welcomed believers,\u201d says Ms. Caxi, who was chosen to be a Candombl\u00e9 priest when she was a baby. She established the Gom\u00e9ia Commission in 2003 to preserve the memory of Mr. Gom\u00e9ia and calls his lifework \u201ca true social project.\u201d<\/p>\n

His message of justice resonated with Ms. Francisco too. She grew up in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s Borel\u00a0favela<\/i>, a majority-Black hill settlement where most residents live in precarious housing and have limited access to public services. When a massive landslide in Rio killed\u00a0dozens in her community in 1988 when she was a teen, she spent sleepless days and nights helping families. She calls this moment the birth of her activism. From then on, she fought for housing rights in\u00a0favelas<\/i>.<\/p>\n

When Ms. Francisco converted and began serving in various roles in the evangelical church, her activism expanded: fighting against police violence against poor Black men and for economic and political rights for women. Eventually she started her own church in Borel. When her friend Marielle Franco, an activist and politician,\u00a0was assassinated in 2018, Ms. Francisco ran for political office, easily winning a seat for the left-wing Socialism and Liberty party.<\/p>\n