Recently two political leaders decided to entrust their countries to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The countries are Brazil and Italy which are both historically Catholic countries. The Prime Minister of Italy is Matteo Salvini and the President of Brazil is Jair Bolsonaro.
Am I happy that countries are doing this? The answer is yes but there is a caveat. A Catholic leader must live a Catholic life and make it easy for the church to do its work. Having leaders that are religious hypocrites really hurts the credibility of a religion. A good example is Erdogan in Turkey. Turks are becoming more secular by the day while their president flaunts his fake religiosity.
Are Salvini and Bolsonaro devout Catholics? Both of them were baptized into the Catholic faith just like most Italians and Brazilians are, but does their faith go beyond that? That’s the big question.
Salvini is a darling of the alt-right. He’s known for his opposition to illegal migrants and promotes Italian nationalism. As far as I know, Salvini is divorced and living with a woman he isn’t married to. That doesn’t exactly show a Catholic life. But hey, he pulled out a rosary in front of a Catholic crowd and said: “I entrust Italy, my life and your lives to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whom I’m sure will bring us to victory.” Now, he could be willing to turn his life around. If he does, that’s wonderful. If he doesn’t then it will only do the faith harm.
Bolsonaro is an interesting story. Unlike Salvini who is probably a secularist trying to appear Catholic, Bolsonaro may be an Evangelical. It’s really hard to determine which one he is as he tries to play both sides. He’s the Brazilian version of Mike Pence who does the exact same thing. Honestly, pick one and stick to it. Bolsonaro is on his third marriage(with a woman 27 years younger than him) so if either one of his first marriages was in a Catholic Church and one or both weren’t annulled, he’s living in a state of adultery. He recently participated in a ceremony where a Traditional Catholic Bishop entrusted his nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I don’t think a true Evangelical would ever do that so he’s probably a Catholic, but is not living a Catholic life because of his adultery.
Again, a true Christian leader should only do this if he’s doing his best to lead a Christian life. Let me give an example. Beata Szydlo was the Prime Minister of Poland from November 2015 to December 2017. While Prime Minister of Poland she witnessed her son being ordained as a Catholic Priest in the traditional FSSP, which is a priestly order that exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass. She attended his first mass and received the Eucharist from him. To have a son who becomes a traditional priest, you need to live a Catholic life. It takes decades of having a Catholic home and raising a Catholic child. It’s about a million times harder than clutching a rosary in front of a crowd and talking about your love for our Lady. In 2016 when Jesus Christ was declared King of Poland it was done with a devout Catholic leader and not someone who just holds a rosary up.
Now, I don’t want to judge. If Bolsonaro and Salvini have turned their lives around and are trying their best to live by Christian principles, I’m thrilled and praise God. If that’s the case, then they absolutely did the right thing. If not, they’re just going to damage Christianity in their respective countries.
Here are some articles that talk about the consecrations.
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/italys-marian-deputy-prime-minister-vs.-vatican
Yesterday, Brazil Was Re-Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart
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