There’s a beautiful samba written by composer and poet Paul Vanzolini, that perfectly exemplifies the qualities of Bishop Edir Macedo, leader of The Universal Church, in regards to redeeming the honor of his name, as well as everything that has to do with the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God within the Brazilian society, as one of the most important institutions in our country. The name of this song is Volta Por Cima, which loosely translated means “Make a Comeback”. Its chorus has become a common Brazilian expression: “Don’t be discouraged by this setback. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and make a comeback”.

That’s exactly what the most prominent person of the Universal Church has done. He worked even harder. He opened hundreds and hundreds of churches throughout the world, broke the Folha Universal’s newspaper circulation record, which is currently 2.5 million weekly copies and has valued and invested in TV Record, Brazil’s second largest TV station, which in due time will surely be the first.

Nineteen years after his unwarranted arrest, Bishop Edir Macedo was welcomed at the Presidential Palace by President-elect, Dilma Rousseff, who was supported by her predecessor President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is often regarded as the most popular politician in the history of Brazil, with an approval rating of 87% – a world record, surpassing the popularity ratings of world famous Nelson Mandela, who besides being South Africa’s former president, is also the most important politician of all time in the continent of Africa.

The invitation Bishop Edir Macedo received to be present at President Dilma Rousseff’s inauguration is highly symbolic because it not only redeems the honor of his name but most importantly redeems all of the Universal Church’s faithful members, who were offended and hurt by the squalid arrest of their religious leader . After appearing on TV Record and then having his image censored by TV Globo, Edir Macedo reacted humbly, making us proud. We know how important he is to the Evangelical community, especially to the Universal Church’s faithful members, who, like Bishop Macedo, were honored when President Rousseff greeted him with respect and consideration at the Presidential Palace.

Like Paulo Vanzolini says, “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and make a comeback.”

* By: Councilman João Mendes de Jesus – PRB / RJ