Marcelo Crivella
Marcelo Crivella | |
---|---|
Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
Assumed office 1 February 2023 | |
Constituency | Rio de Janeiro |
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro | |
In office 1 January 2017 – 31 December 2020[a] | |
Vice Mayor |
|
Preceded by | Eduardo Paes |
Succeeded by | Eduardo Paes |
Senator for Rio de Janeiro | |
In office 1 February 2003 – 31 December 2016 | |
Preceded by | Eduardo Lopes |
Minister of Fishing and Aquaculture | |
In office 2 March 2012 – 17 March 2014 | |
President | Dilma Rousseff |
Preceded by | Nóbrega de Oliveira |
Succeeded by | Eduardo Lopes |
Personal details | |
Born | Marcelo Bezerra Crivella 9 October 1957 Republicanos (2005–present) |
Other political affiliations | PL (2002–2005) |
Spouse |
Sylvia Jane Hodge (m. 1980) |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | Santa Ursula University (B.E.) |
Occupation | Pentecostal pastor, politician |
Profession | Engineer |
Website | www |
Personal | |
Religion | Christian |
Denomination | Neopentecostal |
Church | Universal Church of the Kingdom of God |
Marcelo Bezerra Crivella (Portuguese pronunciation: [maʁˈsɛlu biˈzeʁɐ kɾiˈvɛlɐ]; born 9 October 1957) is a Brazilian Evangelical pastor, gospel singer and politician. He served as the mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro from 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2020. In the 2020 election, Crivella ran for a second term but lost to Eduardo Paes in each of the city's 49 constituencies.[3]
In 2002, Crivella was elected as a federal
With a Civil Engineering degree from
He is a bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), an international evangelical church founded by his uncle Edir Macedo in 1977.
Early life
Born in Rio de Janeiro to Catholic parents, Crivella attended the
Religious career
In 1992, he became a missionary pastor in South Africa for the universal Church, until 2002.[5] He became pastor and bishop, having worked ten years diffusing the Universal Church in the African continent.
In 1999 he was part of an event at the Maracana sports stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
By 1999, he had signed a contract with Sony Records.
Crivella is the author of the books Histórias de Sabedoria e Humildade, a collection of moral and religious tales, Um Sonho que se Tornou Realidade, which is about the Projeto Nordeste, and “Evangelizando a África,” a book he wrote during his 10 years he spent in Africa as a missionary.[8] He is considered a preacher of the prosperity gospel.[9]
Political career
Marcelo Crivella entered political life, being a founder of the
In 2006 Crivella ran for governor of Rio de Janeiro state. He ran for mayor of the capital in 2004 and 2008, but was unsuccessful in the three races. In 2004 he came in second in the disputed Rio de Janeiro municipal election, but he did not succeed to go to the second round against
In 2006, he was gubernatorial candidate for the state of Rio de Janeiro, and was supported by the President
In 2008, he ran for mayor of the state capital, but came in 3rd place in the first round and was eliminated.
Crivella reached the second round but was defeated on his running for Governor of Rio de Janeiro in 2014 by Luiz Fernando Pezão.
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
In 2016, Marcelo Crivella won the election for Rio de Janeiro Mayor beating left-wing candidate Marcelo Freixo by about 20 percentage points. He is the first Pentecostal to govern a big Brazilian city.[11]
As mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Crivella called the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro, which is rooted in the afro-Brazilian religions, an "unchristian excess" and ordered severe financial cuts for the organizers.[12]
Arrest
On 22 December 2020, just nine days before the end of his term as mayor, Crivella was arrested at his home in Rio de Janeiro, after investigations on a kickback corruption scheme during his administration.[13] Because his vice mayor, Fernando Mac Dowell, died in 2018, the president of the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro, Jorge Felippe, became interim mayor.[14]
Parliamentary conduct
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (September 2019) |
In the Brazilian Senate, Crivella established himself as a representative of the Brazilian diaspora, as many citizens are working abroad. He was president of the Subcomissão Permanente de Proteção dos Cidadãos Brasileiros no Exterior (Permanent Subcommittee on Protection of Brazilian Citizens Abroad), subject to the Comissão de Relações Exteriores e Defesa Nacional (Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense), of which Crivella was vice president. As an example, he led efforts to gain better treatment of Brazilians picked up in the United States as illegal immigrants. As policy, they are detained while their cases are being reviewed, which can be lengthy.
Personal views
Crivella identifies as a conservative politician but he has been a great ally of President Lula. His party supports the government. Crivella opposes the
He opposes civil unions for homosexuals and the codification of homophobia. After protests by activists, he explained that he feared unintended consequences of a proposed law against homophobia, but certainly wants protections and equal rights for homosexuals.
Veja magazine had a cover story about the influence of Charles Darwin, who developed the theory of evolution. In an interview, Crivella said that he is a creationist and rejects this theory. The Senator said "there is no conclusive proofs that [...] one species could generate another species".
Criticism
He has been criticized for his 1999 book Evangelizing Africa in which he said that homosexuality was a "terrible evil", that Catholics were demonic, that African religions were based on "evil spirits", and that Hindus drank their children's blood.[15][16] He has since tried to distance himself from the book, saying that it was the work of a young, immature missionary.[15]
Notes
- ^ Suspended from office from 22 December 2020 to 31 December 2020.[1] As consequence, the President of the Municipal Chamber took office as interim Mayor until the inauguration of Mayor-elect Eduardo Paes.[2]
References
- ^ Phillips, Dom (22 December 2020). "Rio de Janeiro mayor arrested in corruption investigation". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Sales, Stéfano (22 December 2020). "Presidente da Câmara do Rio vai substituir Crivella na Prefeitura; saiba quem é". CNN Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (30 November 2020). "Rio voters inflict humiliating electoral wipeout on mayor". The Guardian.
- ^ Stålsett, S.J. Spirits of Globalization: The Growth of insanity and Experiential Spiritualities in a Global Age. University of Michigan SCM Press, 2006. p. 51.
- ^ a b Vera Araujo, Marcelo Crivella: o metódico pastor e a frustração pelas derrotas, oglobo.globo.com, Brazil, October 5, 2014
- ^ PZ, CD DA FÉ, folha.uol.com.br, Brazil, December 26, 1999
- ^ AFP, Brésil: Crivella, évangélique puritain maire de Rio la sensuelle, lepoint.fr, France, October 31, 2016
- ^ Sims, Shannon (October 30, 2016). "Rio de Janeiro Elects Conservative, Sometimes Homophobic, Bishop To Mayor As Brazil Swings Right". Forbes. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ Jones, Patrice M. (May 17, 2001). "Give and get rich, church preaches". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ^ Vera Araujo, Marcelo Crivella: o metódico pastor e a frustração pelas derrotas, oglobo.globo.com, Brazil, October 5, 2014
- ^ "Rio de Janeiro: A Pentecostal's progress". The Economist. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ Philipp Lichterbeck: Brasilien: Droht dem Karneval das Aus? In: Der Tagesspiegel. December 19, 2017, accessed on January 6, 2020.
- ^ Albuquerque, Ana Luísa; Seabra, Cátia (2020-12-22). "Prefeito Marcelo Crivella é preso em casa no Rio". Folha de São Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ "Prefeito Marcelo Crivella é preso em operação da polícia e do MPRJ" [Mayor Marcelo Crivella is arrested during police and Prosecution Office operation]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ a b Leahy, Joe (October 24, 2016). "Brazil's evangelicals push politics to the right". Financial Times. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ Samuels, Gabriel (November 2, 2016). "Rio de Janeiro elects mayor who said homosexuality is 'evil'". The Independent. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
External links
- Marcelo Crivella, official website
- Bio: "Marcelo Crivella", Brazilian Senate website
- BBC News: "Marcelo Crivella: Brazilian evangelist becomes Rio Mayor", Election news in BBC