They turn up sooner or later dead

Military Police Headquarters, Fazenda Coutos, Brazil.
Columban Fr Colin McLean finds inspiration as well as violence in one of Brazil’s notorious 'favelas' (slums)
. Fr Colin speaks with Columban Fr John Boles:

"Three more lifted (arrested) the other night", commented Fr Colin as he read the local paper over breakfast. "Two released, one not heard of since...Poor guy’s probably dead by now....”

If Fr Colin said this without a hint of surprise, it is because in 16 years as pastor of Fazenda Coutos Parish he’s read it all before. Read about it, heard about it and seen it, along with most of his parishioners. The truth is that poverty, crime and violence are endemic in this sprawling slum, on the edge of Salvador, Brazil’s third largest city.

The current wave of killings has come as the local population finds itself caught in a war between drug gangs and the police. For years, gangs held sway over much of the area. Then, as part of a "clean-up campaign" ahead of the 2014 World Cup, the military police were sent in. "Trouble is...", reflects Colin, "...I don’t know if the police are the solution, or just another part of the problem."

Columban Fr Colin McClean with Senhora Valdelice. She has seen two of her sons murdered in the drug violence.
Fr Colin explains that when a shooting occurs, the police often don’t know who’s responsible. "People are too scared to speak up. So, the cops just round up a whole pile of  suspects. Some they let go. Some they knock around a bit. Some just disappear. Usually, they turn up sooner or later dead."

Many of Colin’s congregation have sad tales to tell. Senhora Valdelice, a Eucharistic Minister,  has lost two sons in the drug wars. One Good Friday, she offered to take the part of Our Lady in the passion play. "When she took Jesus in her arms", Colin recalls, "it was like a Pieta  for her murdered children." Eventually after some time, Senhora Valdelice found one of her sons, after his body was discovered on the local refuse tip.

Even Fr Colin himself has courted disaster. At one point, he heard a commotion next door and ran round to find his neighbour shot dead. Later, he had to flee for his life as five armed men arrived on the scene. "Presumably, they’d come to bump off any witnesses," he adds.

Fazenda Coutos Parish view across the rooftops.    Columban Fr Colin with locals.

So, why does Fr Colin stay? "Believe it or not", he explains, "there’s alot of good things going on here." Good things that he himself has often had a hand in.

There is a vibrant Afro-Brazilian cultural scene in Salvador. Dance and song come naturally to this exuberant people, providing a counter-weight to gangland violence.

Through Columban mission, Fr Colin help set up a theatre group which specializes in stories of slavery and liberation. The theatre group has performed widely in Brazil and abroad.

From Left: Marcelo (Permanent Deacon), Columban Fr John Boles, Columban Fr Colin McClean.
Fr Colin McLean SSC is originally from Australia and has been a missionary in Brazil since 1985. Fr John Boles SSC is originally from England, and has worked in South America as a Columban missionary priest since 1994.

Read another article by Fr Colin: Football, the right language or A Gospel theatre or To dream dreams

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