# Brazilian religious disinformation controversy > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/brazilian-religious-disinformation-controversy > Updated: 2026-09-26T21:33:00.000Z. Sources: 65. Developments: 3. The disinformation campaign regarding the religious figure Nossa Senhora Aparecida has expanded into direct accusations against religious institutions. Flávio Bolsonaro, a presidential candidate for the PL party, has accused the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) and the Workers' Party (PT) of coordinating a campaign to spread false claims that his family intends to strip the figure of her title as Patroness of Brazil. The CNBB issued a formal statement denying any involvement in the dissemination of false information, asserting its political neutrality and stating that making such accusations without evidence unfairly harms the entity. Attorney General Jorge Messias has expressed solidarity with the CNBB, defending the importance of the secular state. Investigations into the origin of the rumors traced the claims back to a 2007 legislative proposal by former deputy Victório Galli, which sought to change the title to ‘Patroness of Roman Catholic Brazilians’. This project was archived in 2008 and had no connection to Flávio Bolsonaro. In response to the spread of the rumor, which generated over 180,000 comments in 20 hours, Flávio Bolsonaro’s legal team filed a criminal complaint against 29 social media profiles. They also requested the preventive arrest of George Marques, a coordinator at the Social Communication Secretariat (Secom), alleging he encouraged the spread of the falsehood. Marques has denied intentionality. Additional controversy involves Pastor JB Carvalho, a leader of the Comunidade das Nações, who criticized Catholic devotion to Mary as a ‘pagan practice’. Legal proceedings continue to fluctuate; while Minister André Mendonça of the TSE ordered the removal of posts labeling the claims ‘notoriously untrue’, Supreme Court Minister Flávio Dino has overturned several orders to protect freedom of expression and religious liberty. ## Claims - The CNBB did not produce, authorize, or participate in the creation or dissemination of false information regarding the electoral process. (disputed by 13 sources) - Members within the CNBB assisted the PT in spreading fake news regarding the status of Nossa Senhora Aparecida. (disputed by 10 sources) - Bill 2623/2007, which proposed changing the title of Nossa Senhora Aparecida, was authored by Victório Galli and archived in 2008. (corroborated by 11 sources) - The CNBB maintains it does not belong to any political party or candidacy structure. (corroborated by 10 sources) - Flávio Bolsonaro denied the allegations and stated he respects all religions. (corroborated by 8 sources) - Secom coordinator George Marques shared a post encouraging the spread of the false information before deleting it. (corroborated by 8 sources) - Flávio Bolsonaro's defense requested the preventive arrest of Secom coordinator George Marques. (corroborated by 7 sources) - The PT party orchestrated a campaign to spread rumors that Flávio Bolsonaro intends to remove the title of Patroness from Nossa Senhora Aparecida. (corroborated by 7 sources) - Minister André Mendonça ordered the removal of social media posts linking Flávio Bolsonaro's family to attacks on the patron saint. (corroborated by 6 sources) - Supreme Court Minister Flávio Dino overturned a decision to remove a post by comedian Antonio Tabet, citing freedom of expression. (corroborated by 5 sources) - The rumor regarding Nossa Senhora Aparecida generated 180,857 comments in 20 hours. (corroborated by 4 sources) - The disinformation regarding Flávio Bolsonaro and the patron saint generated nearly 1 million social media posts in less than three days. (corroborated by 4 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-26: Flávio Bolsonaro accuses CNBB and PT of spreading fake news Flávio Bolsonaro accused the PT and the CNBB of spreading fake news regarding his alleged plan to remove Nossa Senhora Aparecida as Brazil's patroness, a claim the CNBB has officially denied. 23 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/pastor-linked-to-flvio-bolsonaro-criticizes-catholic-devotion ### 2026-09-26: Flávio Bolsonaro legal team files complaint over patron saint disinformation Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign has taken legal action against social media profiles and a government official following a viral disinformation campaign falsely linking him to a proposal to strip Nossa Senhora de她的 57 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nossa-senhora-aparecida-history-of-brazils-patroness ### 2026-09-25: Geraldo Alckmin defends Catholic traditions amid rumors Vice President Geraldo Alckmin defended Brazil's Catholic traditions after false rumors circulated regarding Flávio Bolsonaro's alleged intent to remove Nossa Senhora Aparecida as the nation's patron saint. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/geraldo-alckmin-defends-catholic-traditions-amid-rumors --- Cite as: Brazilian religious disinformation controversy. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/brazilian-religious-disinformation-controversy