Malafaia rebukes Janja, says 'PT has the devil of lies'

Pastor Silas Malafaia has sharply criticized Brazil's first lady, Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja, accusing her of deliberately distorting his past remarks about evangelical women. Malafaia, a prominent evangelical leader, claimed that "PT people have the devil of lies" and suggested Janja misrepresented his statements to create a political incident. He reacted to comments Janja made at the 4th National Meeting of Evangelicals of the PT.

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PT people have the devil of lies.

Janja had stated that Malafaia had the "nerve to go on social media and say that I was talking to insignificant women." This remark reignited a dispute dating back to August of the previous year, when Janja met with members of a church in Ceilândia, the hometown of former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro. Janja defended her meetings, asserting, "Insignificant is him, because every woman is important to me. It doesn't matter if I met with two, three, 200, or a thousand. What matters is that I talked, what matters is that I listened."

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the nerve to go on social media and say that I was talking to insignificant women.

Malafaia had previously mocked Janja's meeting, describing the attendees as women without any standing or leadership within the evangelical community. He reiterated his position, stating that Janja intentionally twisted his words. "I said she was meeting with women who had no expression, meaning they had no leadership," Malafaia told Folha, emphasizing a "monumental difference" between "women without expression" and "insignificant" women. He argued that a woman might lack societal prominence but still be significant within her home, family, and church.

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Insignificant is him, because every woman is important to me. It doesn't matter if I met with two, three, 200, or a thousand. What matters is that I talked, what matters is that I listened.

Furthermore, Malafaia challenged Janja's dismissal of his title as pastor. "If I am insignificant, why is she citing me? I am a real pastor, with over 200,000 members. What she thinks doesn't change reality," he stated, comparing it to refusing to call President Lula by his title. He suggested this reflects a "mediocre level" and that they are "very concerned" about him. The underlying conflict appears to be a battle for influence over the narrative concerning evangelical women, a demographic critical for both left-wing and right-wing political aspirations in Brazil. Malafaia also announced plans to release a video addressing Janja on his social media platforms.

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I said she was meeting with women who had no expression, meaning they had no leadership.