Violation of society's values, female dignity and trust in religious spaces: MP points out abuses that sentenced João de Deus to compensation of R$20 million

For the prosecutor of the Public Ministry of Goiás Gabriella de Queiroz Clementino, the action established a milestone of social justice by directly affecting the assets of João Teixeira de Faria and the Centro Espírita Dom Inácio de Loyola. João de Deus and the center were jointly ordered to pay R$20 million in compensation for collective moral damages in Abadiânia, on the outskirts of the Federal District.

"The decision recognizes that the abuses committed over decades do not just represent individual injuries, but a serious trans-individual violation of society's values, female dignity and the trust placed in religious spaces of reception," said Gabriella.

The result of a public civil action filed by the Public Ministry of the State of Goiás (MPGO), the result has a historic and pioneering character, with collective protection applied on this scale to hold a religious leader and his institution financially responsible for systemic illicit acts against the sexual dignity of women, said the prosecutor.

"It is a response that looks to the past, repairing, but also to the future, preventing. It punishes the aggressor, repairs the victims and returns dignity to the community of Abadiânia", said Gabriella.

In a note to g1, João de Deus's defense informed that the records do not reflect the reality of the facts and that he will appeal the decision. He also said that the decision disregards the body of evidence and acquittals obtained over eight years, in addition to imposing a disproportionate sentence (read the full note below).

According to the sentence handed down on Tuesday (6) by judge André Luiz Figueiredo Ligório, from the Civil Court of Abadiânia, João de Deus used the physical structure, employees, organized flow of believers and the community credibility of the spiritist center to commit violations under the pretext of spiritual services.

According to the promoter, the resources will be deposited in a linked account and will be allocated preferably to the Municipality of Abadiânia and to financing public policies to prevent and combat sexual violence against women.

João de Deus, in Aparecida de Goiânia, Goiás — Photo: Renata Costa/TV Anhanguera

Joint liability of the institution

According to the assessment of lawyer specializing in Criminal Law Auro Jayme, the public civil action reflected the application of the civil effects generated by a conviction that has become final, that is, when an appeal is possible.

The expert clarified to g1 that criminal legislation establishes the unequivocal obligation to compensate for the damage caused, transforming the definitive criminal sentence into a judicial execution that legitimizes the Public Prosecutor's Office to demand material and moral compensation in favor of the victims and the community.

🔎 Solidarity conviction when determined by the Court means that, in this case, both João de Deus and Centro Espírita are responsible for the entire debt of R$ 20 million, without prior division of shares.

Auro Jayme considered, however, that the first instance decision should still open a long legal dispute in the higher courts. As this process can take years, the lawyer highlighted that the prior blocking of assets was essential to avoid hiding assets and guarantee resources for the payment of compensation at the end of the process.

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MP's legacy

For Gabriella, the greatest legacy of MPGO's work was to encourage the Justice system to understand sexual violence. Since the first charges were filed, the prosecutors' team maintained that the hundreds of abused women were inserted in a very particular context of extreme vulnerability.

"They were seeking a cure for serious illnesses for themselves or their families, they found themselves fragile and, above all, they were faced with someone invested with immense spiritual, social and economic authority, generating authentic reverential fear," said the prosecutor.

According to the prosecutor, the result recognized that psychological manipulation, the exploration of faith and even the state of paralysis or tonic immobility in the face of trauma annihilate the victim's capacity for resistance and lead to many of the facts being understood as the crime of “rape of a vulnerable person”. "We always need to repeat and reinforce: lack of reaction is not consent," he said.

Prosecutor Lucas César Costa Ferreira, head of the district of Abadiânia, highlighted that the collective conviction brings an important symbolic response for women whose cases were time-barred and could not result in criminal punishment, as the deadlines in criminal law were cut in half due to the age of João de Deus, currently 84 years old.

According to him, the decision recognized the public dimension of the damage and also protects those victims who did not see the aggressor sentenced in the criminal sphere.

MP points out abuses that sentenced João de Deus to compensation of R$20 million — Photo: Reproduction/Ministério Público de Goiás

Casa Dom Inácio de Loyola

João de Deus became known internationally for providing spiritual services at Casa Dom Inácio de Loyola, in Abadiânia, on the outskirts of the Federal District. The allegations of sexual abuse were made public in December 2018, after reports from women aired on a TV Globo program.

João was convicted in multiple cases for the crimes of rape, rape of a vulnerable person and sexual violation through fraud committed against patrons under the pretext of reserved spiritual services, in addition to illegal possession of firearms.

The sentences totaled 215 years in prison throughout the trials in the Goiás courts. Arrested preventively at the end of 2018, he was placed under house arrest using an electronic ankle bracelet.

John of God's accusations

João de Deus became a defendant in 18 complaints, 16 of which were about sexual crimes, with reports from around 200 women who formalized statements, according to Luciano Meireles, prosecutor who coordinated a task force on the case at the Public Ministry of the State of Goiás.

According to the TJ-GO, in total, there are 67 victims in the processes, as the extinction of punishment due to expiry or prescription was recognized in relation to 121 of them, who entered the processes as informants.

According to the prosecutor, João de Deus's convictions in the first instance totaled more than 500 years. Currently, the sentences imposed amount to more than 200 years in prison, according to a survey by g1 at the Court of Justice of Goiás.

Note

João Teixeira de Faria's defense informs that he will appeal the sentence handed down in the records of Public Civil Action No. 5611811-61.2018.8.09.0001, pending in the District of Abadiânia/GO.

The decision does not reflect the reality of the facts, a reality that was deconstructed by the countless acquittals handed down over these eight years, as well as by the set of evidence presented in the case and above all by the alarming disproportion of the conviction.

We continue to believe in Justice. We appealed to higher courts with the conviction that the decision will be reviewed, as the records demonstrate that what was alleged is unfounded.

📱 See other news from the region on g1 Goiás.

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