Jorge Godinho Barreto Nery: 

“The Golden Pact is the best expression of understanding among Spiritists” 

The new President of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB) covers
in this interview a number of issues and says that achieving fraternity is the biggest challenge for the Spiritist Movement in Brazil
 

	The Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB) elected in March its new president, Jorge Godinho Barreto Nery (photo). For more than three decades he has played a prominent role in the Brazilian Federation and abroad. Jorge Godinho was President of the Spiritist Centre
Léon Denis, in Rio de Janeiro, in the 1970s. As a Spiritist speaker, he has travelled the world to help disseminate Spiritism.

He is a military man, having served in the Brazilian Air Force for 48 years, retiring as lieutenant-brigadier. 

Do administrative aspects of the unification of Spiritism, its bureaucracy, affect the principle of spontaneous union among Spiritists? 

Union must be spontaneous, a free choice made by human beings and, in this case, Spiritists. That is the only way that each one of us will express this feeling of union out of choice. Jesus Christ, our master and leading example, says: “My disciples will be recognised for loving each other”. If we aim to be disciples of Christ then the principle of UNION will be kept in any circumstance. 

Many Spiritist Groups in Brazil see the state level and national level federations merely as administrative, bureaucratic bodies. What do you plan to do to get FEB and the Spiritist Groups closer to each other? 

First and foremost, I would like to say that the Brazilian model of Spiritist Federations is not only important; it is the ideal programme for Spiritism in the country. FEB dedicates all its efforts to the great job of unification. However, we respect free will and will always work hard to minimise and overcome damaging dissent. We must get together to assist in the impersonal and joint task of bringing the Gospel to the people. 

The Golden Pact (signed in 1949 by FEB and the Brazilian state federations) can still be seen as the great landmark of the unification of Spiritism in Brazil? 

The Golden Pact is the best expression of understanding among Spiritists, who may disagree in the debate of ideas, but should not make of their disagreement a reason for rows and intolerance. The Golden Pact came to enable the development of Spiritism within a climate of freedom, but it should never discard the principles of fraternal love, union and the Unification of the Spiritist Movement in Brazil. The Golden Pact will always be the great watershed in the Unification of Spiritism, having consolidated the early work of Dr Bezerra de Menezes. 

What are the biggest challenges facing the Brazilian Spiritist Movement? 

To consolidate Union and fraternity. 

What are your views on eBooks and digital media? Would free books available for download in the Internet have a negative impact on the finances of FEB? 

This is something we need to discuss. But FEB has already put more than 120 eBooks on its website for download, some of them free of charge. The plan is to increase this number every week. 

In a world driven by money, where even Spiritist meetings become huge events, charging a fee from the participants, what is FEB’s advice? 

We recommend caution and respect, without complicity, but guided by the Gospel. 

Your final thoughts, please. 

I thank you for this opportunity, wishing that we can continue to be connected by a sweet alliance of fraternity and peace under the guidance and protection of Ishmael, the Spiritual Benefactor of Brazil, and Jesus.