Real Importance and Media Exposure – Folha de S. Paulo, January 29, 1969

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

I cannot simply continue with my previous explanation to satisfy the public’s interest or desire for information on the TFP. I would be forced to discuss facts the average reader is unfamiliar with. Therefore, I must start by outlining the scope of the topics and events I will address. To do this, it is best to demonstrate that these topics and events are central to the major issues facing Brazilians who genuinely love their country.

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It’s common to say that a country’s main institutions are its driving forces. Brazil’s key forces include the Church, the Armed Forces, professional associations, and universities. With some goodwill, we might also add political parties.

The press often covers these institutions, but it does not always give them the prominence they deserve. Main news usually focuses on politics—the conflicts between parties and the actions of official bodies driven by multipartyism. Developments involving other institutions are often regarded as less important. As a result, many readers believe that political events are more crucial for the country’s future than other events. From this perspective, a sensational debate among congressmen would always, and necessarily, have a much greater impact than appointing a university professor, approving or condemning a Church doctrine, or similar events.

While we acknowledge the genuine and reasonable importance of party life, the time has come for readers to see how lacking it is in our country. Party activity was halted with a single stroke of the pen. Some celebrated the measure; others did not. In any case, the pause has arrived. I wonder what unimaginable upheavals, unpredictable complications, and insurmountable obstacles a government would face if it tried to suspend the Armed Forces or the Episcopate (as Fr. Joseph Comblin—now enjoying a peaceful retirement in the Archdiocese of Recife—has boldly advocated), or attempted to suspend universities and professional associations indefinitely.

This question reveals an important truth: understanding the significance of various events isn’t just about how much coverage they receive in most newspapers. Developments within the internal lives of large non-political institutions (of which I have mentioned four, but many others could be included) might be more impactful to the country than many partisan events. If a clear-minded Brazilian wants to grasp the country’s core, he must pay serious and ongoing attention to what happens inside our large institutions.

For example, the elevation of Fathers Helder Camara, José Maria Pires, and many others to the episcopate was significant for the Church’s internal life, comparable only to the appointments of Fathers Geraldo Sigaud and Antonio de Castro Mayer as bishops. Over time, these events proved to be more important for the country than most partisan events during the same period. This illustrates the high impact that developments in large, apolitical institutions can have on a national scale.

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I say this because, although the TFP is a civic entity, it is impossible to understand its origins and the intense fluctuations of support and opposition surrounding it without considering, in Brazil, the history of the major crisis that has sadly shaken the Church.

To encourage my readers to develop an interest in this vital prehistory, I want to show that it connects to what is deepest in Brazil’s life today. God willing, next Wednesday, I will share some facts that clarify many aspects of the TFP. For example, our ideological and structural unity is so strong that it surprises those who observe us from the outside.