Masses and religious services were monitored by an NGO and federal university on the eve of the elections

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the NGO More in Common monitored religious services before the first round of Brazil’s elections. They examined Catholic, Baptist, and Assembly of God churches across the country. The study focused on whether priests and pastors were taking political positions during worship.

The researchers used services broadcast on YouTube as their source. They recorded and transcribed the masses and services, then analyzed the content carefully. This allowed them to compare political messages across different religious groups rather than relying on isolated examples.

The organizations monitored more than 7,000 churches. About 10% of Catholic and Baptist churches in Brazil were investigated. Around 2,000 Assembly of God churches were monitored, but the researchers could not calculate that group’s national percentage because its churches operate in a decentralized way. The authors described the survey as unprecedented in Brazil and said it would support future research.

The monitoring relied on masses and worship services transmitted through YouTube. Researchers recorded the broadcasts, converted them into written transcripts, and then examined the content carefully. Their goal was to detect whether priests and pastors made political statements from the altar.

This process created a common method for comparing Catholic, Baptist, and Assembly of God services. Instead of studying only public reports or individual incidents, the researchers reviewed a large collection of religious broadcasts. They looked especially for explicit voting recommendations, but also noted broader election-related messages.

The study covered more than 7,000 churches. It included approximately 10% of Catholic and Baptist churches in Brazil, while about 2,000 Assembly of God churches were monitored. The authors said this kind of survey was being conducted in Brazil for the first time. They also said the collected material would be used in future research.

An electoral crime generally means conduct that violates rules protecting the fairness or legality of an election. The article uses the term for political positioning by religious leaders during worship, but it does not provide a specific legal definition or identify a court decision. The researchers wanted to know whether such conduct was occurring.

For example, a priest or pastor could explicitly tell worshippers to vote for a candidate. That message would go beyond encouraging informed participation and could be viewed as campaign activity delivered through a religious service. Whether it legally qualifies as an electoral crime would depend on the applicable election rules and authorities’ interpretation.

The study found direct voting recommendations in 0.7% of Catholic celebrations, 1.4% of Baptist services, and 8.3% of Assembly of God services. Most cases involved congressional contests rather than the presidency. The article does not report prosecutions, penalties, or formal findings of guilt.

Researchers monitored more than 7,000 Catholic, Baptist, and Assembly of God churches across Brazil. The figure shows that the project was national in scale, rather than a small review of selected congregations. It was designed to measure political messages during worship across major religious groups.

Approximately 10% of all Catholic and Baptist churches in Brazil were investigated. The researchers also monitored about 2,000 Assembly of God churches. That number is substantial, but it cannot be converted into a national percentage because Assembly of God churches operate in a decentralized way and the total number was not available.

The study therefore provides both an overall count and group-specific coverage. Its scale gave researchers a basis for comparing explicit voting recommendations: 0.7% in Catholic celebrations, 1.4% among Baptists, and 8.3% in Assembly of God services. The authors described the survey as a first in Brazil and intended it for future research.

Explicit voting recommendations were uncommon overall, but their frequency differed sharply among the groups. They appeared in 0.7% of Catholic celebrations, 1.4% of Baptist services, and 8.3% of Assembly of God services. The figures measure direct recommendations rather than every mention of an election.

The clearest contrast was between Catholic and Assembly of God services. The Assembly of God percentage was much higher than the Catholic and Baptist percentages. The study also found that most episodes concerned requests connected to elections for Congress, not the presidency.

These results do not mean that most services contained endorsements. The article says most election-related mentions encouraged conscious voting and discouraged polarization. Such messages appeared more than five times as often as actual electoral recommendations. The researchers presented the survey as a first-of-its-kind Brazilian levantamento and said it would be used in future studies.

The most common election-related messages were not direct endorsements. Researchers found that many religious leaders encouraged people to vote consciously and urged them to avoid polarization. This suggests that election discussions often focused on how to participate rather than whom to support.

Direct recommendations were much less common. The article says messages promoting conscious voting or discouraging polarization appeared more than five times as often as actual electoral recommendations. Explicit recommendations appeared in 0.7% of Catholic celebrations, 1.4% of Baptist services, and 8.3% of Assembly of God services.

The distinction matters because mentioning an election is not the same as telling worshippers to vote for a candidate. The study’s authors were looking for possible political positioning and “electoral crime,” but their results also showed that most election references had a general civic tone. The largest share of direct episodes concerned congressional races rather than the presidency.

When religious leaders use worship services to influence an election, their messages can become part of a legal and political dispute. The article frames explicit endorsements as possible “electoral crime,” but it does not state which penalty applies or report any prosecution. The immediate consequence described is closer monitoring and investigation.

A direct instruction to vote for a candidate differs from a general appeal for conscious voting. It uses a religious setting to deliver a specific electoral recommendation. Election laws regulate campaign activity in such settings to help distinguish religious guidance from political campaigning and to protect the fairness of the contest. The exact legal treatment depends on the applicable rules.

The study found explicit recommendations in 0.7% of Catholic celebrations, 1.4% of Baptist services, and 8.3% of Assembly of God services. Most messages instead discouraged polarization or encouraged conscious voting. The researchers said the survey was unprecedented in Brazil and could support future research into religion and politics.