“OUTRAJE THE TRADITIONAL RELIGION OF THE PARAENSE FAMILY”: THE SEPARATION OF THE CHURCH-STATE IN BRAZIL REPUBLIC AND THE JUSTUS NELSON PRISION IN BELÉM DO PARÁ (1889- 1925)

Abstract

This article is to portray the phenomenon of separation of church and state in the early republican period through a case study in Belém do Pará: the prison of Methodist pastor Justus Nelson. Imprisoned for four months and two weeks after making contrary and offensive statements to local Catholicism, especially the fervent devotion of Pará to Nossa Senhora de Nazaré. In this article, we will analyze the arrest of Justus Nelson and how this case dialogued with political-religious conjuncture present in a Brazil republic where the Catholic Church had ceased to be the state’s official religion, but still had a powerful influence before state institutions. Still showing, even with an institutional separation of church and state, there was a strong relationship between religion and politics institutional separation of church and state, there was a strong relationship between religion and politics local and national.