AMERICA/BRAZIL - Bishops’ Conference promotes television debate between candidates for Presidency

San Paolo (Agenzia Fides) – A Brazilian TV station, Red Siglo 21, will televise a debate in the evening of September 16 involving candidates for presidency of the Republic of Brazil. The election is set for 5 October. The debate, promoted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Brazil, (CNBB), will take place at the Marian Shrine of Aparecida, in San Paolo, and will be transmitted by every Catholic radio, television and portal in Brazil.
According to information sent to Fides by Adital, the debate will be opened by the Archbishop of Aparecida and President of the CNBB, Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis who affirms: "We want our electors to exercise their citizens rights in freedom, with responsibility and according to conscience, thinking of the good of the country, starting with knowledge of the candidates’ proposals”.
The 2 hour debate will have five parts: 1) each candidate will have two minutes to reply to a question from the president of the Bishops’ Conference; 2) they will respond to questions from the Bishops’ Conference on the following issues: education, healthcare, abortion law, land reforms, political reforms, instruction and housing; 3) then it will be the turn of Catholic media journalists to ask questions. 4) discussion among the candidates followed by concluding remarks.
The names of the participating candidates are as follows: Dilma Rousseff (Partido de los Trabajadores - PT); Marina Silva (Partido Socialista Brasilero - PSB); Aécio Neves (Partido de la Social Democracia Brasilera - PSDB); Eduardo Jorge (Partido Verde - PV); Eymael (Partido Social Demócrata Cristiano - PSDC); Luciana Genro (Partido Socialismo y Libertad - PSOL); pastor Everaldo (Partido Social Cristiano). (SL) (Agenzia Fides 02/09/2014)