ABSTRACT

While formally a secular democracy, Brazil, the largest Catholic nation in the world with a growing Evangelical population, is an excellent case in which to study the interaction of religion and party politics in the Americas. This chapter considers how culture and institutions have uniquely shaped the ways in which religion interacts with political parties historically and contemporarily. To investigate this relationship, this chapter first provides a brief description of the religious landscape in Brazil, outlining the rise of Evangelical Christianity in the country. Second, the chapter analyses the relationship between the two main religious movements in the country, Catholicism and Evangelicalism, in the evolution of politics and party dynamics. Third, it provides the current institutional context that influenced the limited connection between political parties and specific religious groups, paying special attention to the role of electoral rules and the multi-party system in undermining the connection between religious groups and political parties. Finally, this chapter elaborates on the rise of the Evangelical Caucus and its importance in the political process, discussing the ways in which the caucus weakens and strengthens the connection between religious groups and political parties.