“Don’t worry,” I’ve been having to say to people, “I did have a proper holiday, with plenty of time on Ipanema beach and in the Bossa Nova bars of Copacobana!” But it is true that my recent trip to Rio de Janeiro also included some extraordinary experiences of the less glamorous side of Brazil in the company of our USPG mission partner Fr Nicholas Wheeler. Some of you may remember him as the preacher at the first Eucharist I celebrated after my ordination to the priesthood last summer. He was formerly the Rector of the Old St Pancras Team in Camden Town, but is now established in his new post as Priest Missioner in Cidade de Deus, one of the most deprived communities of Rio.
Cidade de Deus was founded in 1960 as part of the government program to re-house the inhabitants of Rio’s favelas (urban slums). However, as Fernando Meirelles’ film of 2002 “City of God” documents, the reality was far less utopian. The neighbourhood soon came under the control of “The Traffic” and its residents suffered years of violent conflict between competing drug gangs which the police did little to control.
Since the worst conflicts of the 80s and 90s, residents told me that life has got much better for the people of Cidade de Deus, even in the last few months as the police presence has become much more visible. But it is still one of the most notoriously violent communities in the world and I would certainly felt very uncomfortable were I not in the company of a local priest and myself wearing a dog collar. The church is an important presence in this community, as in much of Brazil, so I found people very welcoming and willing to talk. Fr Nicholas is already establishing a local reputation and attracting new people to the Anglican Church, Christ the King.
He is also working very closely with the strong local Roman Catholic Church, including the setting up of a joint Lent course on the contribution of the church to public security and plans for a joint Palm Sunday procession through the streets. It was encouraging to see such strong links between Christians who overcome traditional denominational divides to recognise one another as co-workers for God’s Kingdom in the face of such adversity. Regrettably an increasingly attractive option to a lot of the residents of Cidade de Deus is the Pentecostalism that promises health and wealth for those whose faith is strong enough. Independent churches with titles such as “Power and Authority Ministries” are springing up on every corner. In the face of such a lack of health and educational opportunities, you can certainly see the attractions of the prosperity gospel.
Fr Nicholas has big plans for the development of Christ the King and the use of its buildings during his time in Brazil, so he is grateful for the financial support of our church through USPG and for the gift of the Stations of the Cross which I brought with me. But he is held back tremendously by the church’s lack of funds: while I was there he was even having to buy communion wafers out of his own salary. There may be other ways in which we can help in the future. But in the meantime the prayers and sense of solidarity between our two churches means a great deal to Fr Nicholas and his congregation who assured me of their prayers in return. Along with the other USPG supporting churches, there is a picture of St John-at-Hampstead on the board at the back of Christ the King. Under it are verses from the traditional Latin hymn sung during the foot washing on Maundy Thursday: “We have been gathered into one body by the love of Christ; let us revere and love the living God and with a sincere heart let us love one another.”