Silas Malafaia
Silas Lima Malafaia is a Brazilian Pentecostal pastor, author and televangelist, who also has a degree in psychology. He is the leader of the Pentecostal church Assembleia de Deus Vitória em Cristo, a branch of the broader Assembleias de Deus movement of Pentecostal churches in Brazil. He is also the CEO of the publishing company, and vice president of the Interdenominational Council of Evangelical Ministers of Brazil, which is made up of approximately 8.500 ministers and leaders from almost all Brazilian evangelical denominations.
Malafaia was born in Rio de Janeiro. He is well known for his political work and strong opposition to the promotion of homosexuality in society and abortion, as well as for defending the Prosperity theology.
According to a 2013 Forbes magazine publication, Malafaia's total net worth is estimated at US$150 million. However, he denied the information in the talkshow , in which he affirmed that his wealth revolved around R$6 million.
Viewed as a staunch conservative, Malafaia is a polarizing and controversial figure in Brazil. He is often accused of fomenting hate speech, being known for his strong opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion. His critics accuse him of being a bigot and a homophobe, which he denies.
Personal life
Malafaia was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, into a family of Portuguese descent. He converted to Pentecostalism at the age of 15 and later joined the Assembleias de Deus, one of Brazil's largest Protestant denominations.He studied theology at the Seminário Teológico do Rio de Janeiro and later earned a degree in psychology. His background in psychology has influenced his approach to preaching, often incorporating behavioral and motivational elements into his sermons.
Malafaia is married to Elizete Malafaia, and they have two children. He resides in Rio de Janeiro, where he continues to lead his ministry.
Career
Evangelical leader
Malafaia became a prominent figure in Brazilian evangelicalism through his dynamic preaching style and media outreach. He served as a pastor in the Assembleias de Deus before founding his own branch, Assembleia de Deus Vitória em Cristo, in 1993. He gained national recognition through his television program, Vitória em Cristo, broadcast on Record TV and other networks.His influence has made him a key figure in the growing political power of Brazil's evangelical bloc. Malafaia stands out among religious leaders who use media platforms - especially social networks. He is the most popular “digital pastor” in Brazil, with 4.1 million followers on Instagram in 2024 - more than almost any politician in the country at that time.
He is a vocal critic of secularism, communism, and progressive social policies, often framing political debates in religious terms. Malafaia's sermons and debates also frequently address topics such as prosperity theology, family values, and opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. His statements on homosexuality, feminism, and other social issues have drawn criticism from human rights groups and progressive activists. He has been accused of promoting hate speech, though he maintains that his views are based on biblical teachings.
Political activism
Malafaia is an active participant in Brazilian politics, aligning himself with conservative and right-wing movements. In the 2002 Brazilian presidential election, he supported Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's candidacy, with whom he maintained an alliance until 2010, when the evangelical leader broke with him and the Workers' Party to support José Serra, of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, in the 2010 presidential campaign. In the first round of the 2014 presidential election, Malafaia initially supported Marina Silva, of the Brazilian Socialist Party and an avowedly evangelical politician, against the then incumbent Dilma Rousseuf, but later joined the campaign of Aécio Neves, the PSDB candidate who was defeated in the second round.In 2018, Malafaia definitively broke with the PSDB. His new presidential candidate in those elections, this time for the Social Liberal Party, was Jair Bolsonaro, then a federal deputy of little political relevance on the Brazilian political scene and an assiduous supporter of ultraconservative agendas. The alliance between the pastor and the right-wing extremist politician proved to be much more stable, with their agendas constantly aligned and demonstrations of mutual, often unconditional, support. Two days after being elected president, Bolsonaro went to Malafaia's church, where the politician was greeted with a chorus of “Myth!”. Before handing him the microphone, Malafaia paraphrased a passage from Corinthians as an analogy to Bolsonaro's electoral victory: “God chose the foolish things to shame the wise … God chose the lowly things, those of little value, the despised, the discarded, those that are nothing … to shame the things that are – so that no flesh may boast before Him. That’s why God chose you!”.
Bolsonaro's government marked the peak of the Malafaia's political authority. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro publicly stated that the evangelical leader was one of the president's main advisors. During the COVID-19 inquiry in the Brazilian National Congress, Malafaia was even included on the list of requests for indictment in the CPI report, due to suspicions that the religious leader was part of the Hate cabinet. The preacher was also instrumental in nominating André Mendonça for the position of minister of the Supreme Federal Court in 2021, a personal recommendation of the pastor because of his “terribly evangelical” faith. For the 2022 election, Malafaia again endorsed Bolsonaro – who, however, was defeated by Lula. About a month later after the election, the evangelical leader released a video advocating that President Bolsonaro call out the Brazilian Armed Forces against what he considers to be “institutional disorder” coming from the “dictator” Alexandre de Moraes, minister of the Federal Supreme Court, who in the pastor's view has struck a blow against freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate. For Malafaia, the military could not decide on “military intervention” on its own without the consent of Bolsonaro, who should have ordered it.