When Father João Paulo Souto Victor went to Rome to do a master’s degree on the influence of social networks on the formation of the Christian conscience, he did not imagine that the end of his period in the Italian capital would be with a video of himself going viral. on the Internet.
On Wednesday (26), after the end of the general audience at the Vatican, the religious of the diocese of Campina Grande (PB) met Pope Francis and asked the Brazilians for a blessing. In a relaxed manner, the pontiff smiled and fired: “You have no salvation. You drink a lot of cachaça and pray little”.
The video, recorded by a colleague, quickly gained momentum on the networks, and the repercussion frightened the priest, given the number of messages he received. “I am surprised and happy, because it was a unique experience. To look into the eyes of the Pope, to see his peaceful face, his affectionate smile,” said João Paulo by telephone, to whom the statement demonstrates Francisco’s ability to surprise us .
The 37-year-old Brazilian priest has been in Europe for a year and eight months, and Wednesday’s meeting marked the end of his period in the Italian capital, after studying moral theology at the Alfonsiana Academy in Rome. The contact with the pontiff was spontaneous, without preparation, he said, who defined the moment as a dream come true. “After playing he made the sign of the cross on my forehead,” he says.
“I always say that the Pope has immense affection for Brazil. He always addresses the country with positive words. The Pope’s word is always of encouragement and encouragement.”
Although Francisco has played with the amount of cachaça and prayers of Brazilians and says, in a relaxed tone, that Brazil has no salvation, the position of the pontiff is far from the opinion of the people of the country, according to a recent survey by Datafolha.
Despite the health, political and economic crises, most Brazilians say they are proud of the country and full of hope for the future. According to the institute, 90% of those polled say that Brazil has a way, and 8% say no. They said 2% of respondents depend. Datafolha also questioned whether Brazilians were proud of the country, and 70% of those polled said they were more proud than ashamed of Brazil, compared to 26% who said the opposite. I didn’t know how to answer 1%, and 2% gave other answers.
The margin of error is two percentage points, up or down. Datafolha heard from 2,071 people from across the country on the 11th and 12th of this month. The confidence level of the survey is 95%.