From The Guardian:
A row of Biblical proportions has erupted in the run-up to Brazil’s presidential election, with the country’s patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, emerging as an unlikely kingmaker in the deadlocked race.
Ahead of Sunday’s vote, the two frontrunners – the leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his far-right challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro – are level in the polls. But in recent days, speculation that Bolsonaro – son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro – might strip the widely cherished patroness of her position have caused a nationwide outcry, leaving some to question if it could tip the knife-edge election in favour of Lula, who is Catholic.