MISSIONARY IN BRAZIL IS THREATENED
WITH DEATH FOR DENOUNCING MURDER
Another CIMI (Indianist Missionary Council) missionary is being
threatened with death. The threats are being voiced against priest Rui Joseph
Shea, coordinator of the Indianist pastoral mission of the Diocese of Maraba',
in the state of Para'. The threats are not related to the Indian issue, but
to an accusation of abduction, torture, murder, and cremation of three men
and two children accused of theft. Priest Rui is a Canadian who naturalized
into Brazil, where he has lived for 26 years.
The threats began in late September. Priest Rui had returned from Canada
and was informed of the abduction and death of five persons. He began to
investigate the case and denounced the murder, which involves local
shop-owners and a farmer. The priest also organized a public demonstration
against violence in the municipality of Itupiranga, where he lives. The
persons who threatened him move about freely in the region, and the Police
have not taken any measures to deal with the situation.
The threats are aimed at intimadating the missionary. It is the sixth time
such a situation is registered in the last two years. In 1993, the bishop
of Roraima, dom Aldo Mongiano, sister Elsa Rosa Zotti, and the bishop of Sa~o
Fe'lix do Araguaia, dom Pedro Calsaldaliga, were also threatened with death.
This year, two missionaries serving in the Northest region managed to escape
from an attempt to lynch them. Since CIMI was founded, 22 years ago, five
missionaries have been murdered.
INDIANS ARE NOT ELECTED
None of the nine Indians who ran for deputies in the elections that
were held early this month was elected. It took one week for the counting of
votes to be concluded. Not even in regions where most of the population is
made up of Indians a significant number of votes for them was registered. Tikuna
Pedro Mendes, from the state of Amazonas, was one of the Indians who got the
largest number of votos.
In Roraima, in the Amazonian region, there were three Indians candidates,
one for federal deputy and two for state deputies. According to Euclides
Makuxi, one of the candidates , there was not enough campaign material and
he did not manage to visit all villages. He says CIR (Indian Council of
Roraima) will begin to prepare for the next elections this year.
Brasi'lia, October 14, 1994
CIMI - Indianist Missionary Council