The Justice of Rio Grande do Sul, through the 4th Civil Court Specialized in Public Finance of the District of Gravataí, in the Metropolitan Region of the Capital, ordered the interdiction of a property in the rural area of the city. Known as ‘Lucifer’s Temple’ the space gained popularity for the statue dedicated to Lucifer.
The ban is valid until the property is regularized as a religious temple with the competent public bodies, under penalty of fine of R$50 thousand per day of non-compliance. The decision was made last Friday (13).
The new decision maintains provisional protection already granted by the city of Gravataí (RS), in August this year, which claimed that the temple would be opened without licenses and permits necessary to carry out activities at the municipal level, in addition to the organization not being registered in the Registry National Legal Entities as an association or entity.
The defendants claim that the temple is used exclusively by members of the religious organization without opening to the public, which would characterize private, not commercial, use. The Court understood that there was a lack of evidence that the place did not have the status of a temple.
Freedom of belief
The decision highlights that freedom of belief is a constitutionally guaranteed right, and reinforces that the ban is due to the lack of an operating license.
“I do not envisage any undue interference with freedom of belief and worship, especially because religious temples are not immune to the police power of the Public Administration, so they must also obtain the operating licenses that are required of collective occupation establishments, in order to guarantee the social well-being of patrons and those who, indirectly, may be affected”, stated the Court.
THE CNN Master Lukas de Bara, creator of the temple, said that he does not believe that the city hall’s move was made for formal or bureaucratic reasons: “It is religious persecution, it is intolerance. We are being prevented, but we are appealing the decision and we will fight for our sacredness and our rights. What is in the Constitution must be respected.”
This content was originally published in “Templo de Lúcifer” and has been banned by the RS Court on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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