Braga explains that the note speaks of the responsibility of the NCC in the text that will be "distributed and worked in parishes and churches throughout the country," but does not mention that "who coordinated the preparation of the text is the pro-abortion pastor Romi Bencke."
Bencke is a Lutheran pastor who supports abortion and same sex marriage, and was heavily involved in drafting the text for the campaign.
The Dom Bosco Center also published a video explaining Bencke's pro-abortion, feminist, and pro-gender ideology stance.
"The problem is that there is no space to talk about sexual and reproductive rights for women. People know these issues are very difficult, an abortion for example," says Bencke in the video made available by the Don Bosco group.
The video also shows Catholic priest Oscar Beozzo, a well-known liberation theologian in Brazil, who considers Bencke to be "the soul" of the 2021 ecumenical Fraternity Campaign.
"In a sense, the 2021 Fraternity Campaign pretends to be like something like a Socialist Worker's Party or the Democratic Party infiltrating the Catholic Church. The doctrine of these organizations is fully replicated in a document prepared to be executed in all the Brazilian dioceses. That must be an alarming sign for us," the group said in a video released Feb. 5.
"The campaigns of Fraternity are carried out during Lent until Palm Sunday, it is a time of penance, prayer and conversion. It is a very important time to reflect upon our lives," the Don Bosco group also said.
The video also indicates that the words Mary, Saint Joseph or the sacraments are not found in the text, and Pope Francis is mentioned only once to make a reference to caring for the environment.
Braga also said that "the 2021 Fraternity Campaign is an aberration and should be abandoned immediately."
Braga also argued that the money collected annually on Palm Sunday is used in "causes that would not be consistent with Catholic doctrine" and asked Catholics not to contribute to it. The campaign raises annually the equivalent to $700,000.
But in their statement, the Brazilian bishops argue that the money will not be spent in projects that are inconsistent with Catholic teachings.
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
"From the beginning of the 2021 Fraternity Campaign, we have informed the NCC about the difficulty and even the impossibility of working together in the structure of the Fraternity Campaign, unlike previous ecumenical campaigns. On this point, based on the last campaigns, that of 2016, this presidency (of the CNBB) has already expressed the difficulties and, in a spirit of communion and co-responsibility, will discuss the matter in a future meeting and the conclusion will be reported immediately," concludes the bishops' statement.