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Labor lawsuit is proceeding in closed chambers; church publishes statement
The main organization of the Santo Daime religion in Brazil, the Eclectic Church of the Fluent Universal Light (in Portuguese, Igreja Eclética da Fluente Luz Universal – ICEFLU), published a note on Friday (November 1st) about accusations of sexual and labor abuse against one of the most well known Santo Daime padrinhos, psychologist Paulo Roberto Souza e Silva, leader of the Céu do Mar temple in Rio de Janeiro.
A lawsuit against the padrinho is proceeding in closed chambers in Rio de Janeiro’s Labor Court, and he has yet to appear in any hearing. The person filing the lawsuit is a 33-year-old woman, an employee and member of Céu do Mar who was expelled from the church when it came to light in the congregation that the padrinho was harassing her.
Letters and manifestos about the case have been circulating privately in recent weeks within the Daimist community in the United States. In response to the allegations, on October 9th, the Eclectic Center of the Fluent Universal Light Rita Gregório de Melo – North America (Centro Eclético de Fluente Luz Universal Rita Gregório de Melo – América Norte, CEFLURGEM-AN) released a statement suspending Paulo Roberto, as he is known, from North American ceremonies.
In 1982, Paulo Roberto founded Céu do Mar, the first Santo Daime church outside the Amazon region. He later became one of the main disseminators of the religion in the United States, where he travels frequently.
In 1982, Paulo Roberto founded Céu do Mar, the first Santo Daime church outside the Amazon region. He later became one of the main disseminators of the religion in the United States, where he travels frequently.
It is estimated that there are perhaps 20,000 Daime members, half of whom are in Brazil, where there are at least a hundred churches. Outside the country, the religion’s work is carried out in about 50 countries, including the United States, where the followers are said to be around 600 people.
In spite of being the main church in Céu do Mapiá (State of Amazonas, Brazil), ICEFLU exercises no strict control, only spiritual leadership over other temples, centers, and Daime groups. The religion went through a process of congregationalization, granting its branches increasing independence from their Amazonian headquarters.
To begin work in Rio, Paulo Roberto received batches of daime tea, or ayahuasca (a drink containing the psychedelic substance dimethyltryptamine, DMT), from Padrinho Sebastião, founder of Céu do Mapiá. He married one of the leader’s daughters, Madrinha Nonata, with whom he leads Céu do Mar.
Daime tea is considered a sacrament. Although legal for religious use in Brazil, a few leaders of ayahuasca religions have been accused of using its ability to make people more suggestible to abuse followers.
In cases of abuse, ICEFLU’s code of ethics recommends that the problem be taken to the padrinho of the church in question. In this case, the leader of Céu do Mar is himself the person suspected of harassment.
With this decentralization, it is difficult to assume that the church has formally covered up the cases. Especially since there has already been at least one investigation and a sanction against Paulo Roberto, 17 years ago, in the USA.
The same CEFLURGEM began the investigation in December 2007. A study group assembled by the center produced a report by the council called the “Synod of Protectors,” dated January 11, 2008, with signatures from nine people. The Brazilian newspaper Folha received two e-mails from independent daimista sources, with identical texts from the report, attested as authentic by one of the signatories.
“We find that there is the appearance, in this case, of sexual misconduct in a ministerial relationship. Abusive behavior can be implied from circumstances. Persons in a ministerial relationship must be aware that the appearance of impropriety can be just as convincing or damning as the impropriety itself,” says the report.
“Because of the respect and even reverence with which many people seek help from the Church’s ministers, there is an inherent imbalance of power and vulnerability of the parishioner in the ministerial relationship that nullifies even consensual sexual activities, even if the person is an adult.”
“Because of the respect and even reverence with which many people seek help from the Church’s ministers, there is an inherent imbalance of power and vulnerability of the parishioner in the ministerial relationship that nullifies even consensual sexual activities, even if the person is an adult.”
The document acknowledges that other reports of inappropriate behavior by Paulo Roberto reached the Synod. The group considered that there seemed to be a pattern of abuse that could not be ignored, disregarded, or tolerated in the future.
That was not exactly what happened. The padrinho‘s suspension did not last long. A year or two later he resumed conducting ceremonies in the United States and began receiving donations from American daimistas for Céu do Mar and the Guananshe Sanctuary spiritual resort that his family created in Ilhéus (State of Bahia, Brazil).
Contacted by calls to his cell phone number and via WhatsApp, Paulo Roberto did not respond by the time this note was published.
Translated by Marcelo Leite.
Art by Karina Alvarez.
Note: This story appeared originally in Portuguese in the blog Virada Psicodélica published by the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, here.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are by Leite, and not Chacruna. Leite sits on the advisory board of Chacruna.
Further Reading:
- ICEFLU’s Note
- CEFLURGEM’s Note
- Letter from Jonathan Goldman – leader of The Church of The Holy Light of The Queen Santo Daime Church, Ashland, Oregon
- Letter from Rev Dr Jessica Rochester – Founder and Madrinha, Céu do Montreal, Santo Daime Church
- Santo Daime Reddit Community
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