Zibia in IstoÉ:
an unfortunate statement

Earlier this month, in its issue no. 2272, dated June 3rd, the IstoÉ magazine has focused again on a topic related to mediumship and, by extension, with Spiritism.

There are many important matters in this magazine relating to the same subject, we have already reported in this space on more than one occasion. Unlike other Brazilian publications, IstoÉ has not expressed regarding the spiritual doctrine, the bias that is generally shared by the mainstream press call.

It happens that this time the magazine bucked a dear principle to journalism that recommends always, when someone refers to a person, you should hear the other side.

We refer to the article by journalist John Loes, under the title "The Lady of the Spirits," which it was interviewed a well-known medium Zibia Gasparetto. According to the text of the report, the medium was questioned because of copyright of books psychographed; she attributed to the late medium Chico Xavier an unusual statement.

Here's part of the story of IstoÉ:

"But the turn that led Gasparetto’s to distance themselves from the hallmarks Spiritism precepts it did not come without criticism. For many, the maximum 'give for free what you have received for free' was relegated in the name of vanity and money. Many people demanded even that Zibia relinquished the copyright of books received from spirits, as Chico Xavier did, the largest Brazilian psychographer of all times. 'Chico gave up the rights of his books, but once he cried for me, saying he was sorry for what he had done,' reveals Zibia."

As Chico Xavier no longer lives among us, the incarnate, that the magazine would be interesting to hear people who know his life and work, since Chico Xavier never took the product of his books and excelled by living simply and without luxury as it is public and notorious.

If he was ever sorry for what he had done, surely other people would know that, and there was nothing to prevent him from changing behavior. 

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The above facts, as expected, had really bad repercussions in the Spiritism circle because people must always be respected, especially when they cannot defend themselves.

It was for this purpose that the ever vigilant and combative colleague Gerson Monteiro Simões sent to the direction of the magazine IstoÉ, on 6th of June, a letter that asked the magazine to publish a notice of grievance to show its readers that the statement attributed to Zibia Gasparetto about Chico Xavier is unfounded and there are no basis in the facts.

In the letter, basing his request, Gerson Monteiro Simões initially transcribed an excerpt from a chronic signed by journalist Artur da Távola, published in O Globo newspaper, in which the former senator of the Republic wrote referring to Chico Xavier:

"Beyond the aura of peace and peacemaking it parts from him, there is another powerful element to explain the allure and durability of impressive communication figure of Francisco Cândido Xavier: the great personal seriousness of the medium, the dedication of his life to the suffering and absolute disinterest in material. Channeling all money raised in royalties for the extensive range spiritists care activities give to Chico Xavier a moral authority (...) which places him among the great religious leaders of our time."

Gerson Monteiro Simões has continued his letter which he preserves the friendship of the late psychic, he wrote:

Following his letter, Gerson Monteiro Simões, which deprived the friendship of the late psychic, wrote:

"The life of Chico belies the testimony of respondent, because he never benefited the industry of faith. The medium Francisco Cândido Xavier, as we know, psychographed more than 400 books, totaling millions of copies sold in Brazil and abroad, of which, it must be said loud and sound, it has never received any financial advantage. He always lived at the expenses of his work as a laborer, clerk and humble public official. The works psychographed by him have been translated into Spanish, French, English, Greek, Japanese, Esperanto, Czech, and transcribed into braille. All copyrights were transferred to charities institutions.

"Besides the books, it was psychographed over ten thousand communications given by many spirits, of a personal nature, conveying all of them comfort and hope to thousands of afflicted creature, who always sought and continue to seek it in the certainty of receiving relief for their anguished souls. It's also good to know, that his psych works have been produced TV-theatres, films and plays, and he personally recorded discs and tapes with messages transmitted by the spirits. From all that he never took advantage. He lived at his retirement as a former server of the Ministry of Agriculture. He never lived at the expense of Spiritism. Chico Xavier understood that to live the message of Christ on earth it cannot live off of it, because then those who forget the 'freely give that which you have freely received' asserted by Jesus.

"If Chico Xavier had lived at his mediumship activities is clear that he could be labeled a false prophet, the 'industrial faith', but it never happened. The first thing he does when psychographs a book is to give in the copyright to a charity at a registry office. This is the peace that Chico Xavier has always enjoyed. It is the peace of mind that the money cannot give and that nothing in this world can take away. He never charged for cures performed through him. He received nothing in exchange for having comforted thousands of people in need, and that is why he can never be considered a religious professional or marketer of faith."

Speaking on behalf of all those who make up the writing team of this journal and work on it as writers, editors, translators, or any contributor, fully endorse the above words, praying the medium Zibia Gasparetto that has, in honor of the truth, manliness to rectify the words IstoÉ attributed to her.