The president of Brazil called for a national day of prayer and fasting this past Sunday to “free Brazil from this evil” coronavirus pandemic.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro asked for the national day of prayer and fasting after a group of evangelical Christians made the request, CBN News reports.
“With the pastors and religious leaders, we will call for a day of fasting by Brazilians so that Brazil can free itself from this evil as soon as possible," Bolsonaro said to radio station, Jovem Pan.
According to Reuters, polls have shown that Brazilians largely disapprove of Bolsonaro for downplaying the coronavirus outbreak. Previously, Bolsonaro called the coronavirus a “little flu.”
Reuters also reported that the president’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level since he took office last year.
But evangelicals in the country said they were pleased with Bolsonaro’s announcement for a day of prayer and fasting.
“Brazil is in a serious crisis. The forces of evil are rising against a God-fearing Christian president and family defender. Sunday will be a day of fasting,” Congressman Marco Feliciano, an evangelical pastor, said in a Twitter post.
Bolsonaro is a former army captain who was raised a Roman Catholic and then re-baptized in 2016 in the River Jordan.
About 39 percent of people said in a poll that Bolsonaro’s response to the coronavirus pandemic was “bad” or “awful.” The poll also showed that 33 percent said his response was “good” or “great.”
In another poll, nearly 60 percent of respondents said they didn’t want Bolsonaro to resign despite how they feel he’s handled the coronavirus pandemic. Thirty-seven percent said they would approve a resignation, and 4 percent said they had no opinion.
As of Sunday, Brazil had 486 deaths from coronavirus. According to Health Ministry numbers, there are 11,130 confirmed cases of the virus in the country.
Related:
Christians Call for Global Day of Prayer to End Coronavirus
'God Is Bigger than the Coronavirus': America, it's Time to Pray!
Israel's Chief Rabbi Asks Citizens to Fast to End the Coronavirus Pandemic
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Buda Mendes/Staff
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
