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| Marco Feliciano | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marco Feliciano |
| Birth date | 12 January 1972 |
| Birth place | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Occupation | Pastor, Politician, Theologian |
| Party | Republicans (Brazil) (formerly PSC) |
| Office | Federal Deputy for São Paulo |
| Term start | 2011 |
Marco Feliciano is a Brazilian pastor, theologian and politician who has served as a federal deputy representing São Paulo. He rose to national prominence through his leadership in Pentecostal and evangelical organizations, his tenure in the Chamber of Deputies, and his involvement in debates over social policy in Brazil. Feliciano's career intersects with prominent figures and institutions across Brazilian religion and politics, producing significant public controversy.
Feliciano was born in São Paulo and raised in a family with ties to São Paulo neighborhoods and local evangelical communities tied to institutions such as the Assembleia de Deus congregations and regional ministries influenced by leaders like Edir Macedo, Valdemiro Santiago, and Arolde de Oliveira. He pursued theological training at ministerial schools affiliated with Brazilian Pentecostal networks and engaged with international institutions and pastors connected to Hillsong Church, Bethel Church, and the broader global Pentecostalism. His formative years included interactions with clergy and theologians linked to seminaries influenced by figures such as John Stott, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and contemporary evangelical educators at institutions like Moody Bible Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Brazilian theological centers.
Feliciano became a leading pastor within Brazilian Pentecostalism, holding pastoral roles in congregations and ministries associated with evangelical television ministries and publishing houses connected to media figures such as Silas Malafaia, Marcelo Crivella, and Paulo Mauro. He founded and led ministries that participated in national evangelical alliances and councils where leaders like Ricardo Gondim, R. R. Soares, and Missionary Frenando Camargo were influential. His pastoral work included organizing conferences and events alongside international evangelists comparable to Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, and T.D. Jakes, and collaborating with Brazilian evangelical NGOs and institutions like the Congresso Nacional de Missões and denominational bodies similar to the Convenção Geral das Assembleias de Deus no Brasil.
Entering electoral politics, Feliciano was elected to the Chamber of Deputies representing São Paulo with endorsements and networks linked to parties and politicians such as the PSC, Republicanos, Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro, and other evangelical-aligned deputies including Sâmia Bomfim (opposition), Efraim Filho, and Paulo Freire. During his terms, he served on committees and commissions that interfaced with ministries like the Ministry of Human Rights and agencies such as the Supremo Tribunal Federal in matters of legislative oversight. Feliciano participated in interparliamentary groups that engaged counterparts from legislatures such as the United States House of Representatives, the British House of Commons, and the Argentine Chamber of Deputies.
Feliciano became the focus of national and international controversy for statements on topics involving rights debates, social policy, and cultural issues that drew responses from figures and institutions including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dilma Rousseff, Michel Temer, Marco Aurélio Mello, and civil society organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Brazilian NGOs such as ABGLT and Movimento LGBT. Media coverage came from outlets such as Folha de S.Paulo, O Globo, Estadão, BBC News, and CNN Brasil, and public demonstrations involved groups linked to unions like Central Única dos Trabalhadores and student organizations connected to universities such as the University of São Paulo. International religious leaders and diplomats from countries represented at the United Nations and the Organisation of American States also reacted to his remarks.
Within the Chamber of Deputies, Feliciano advanced legislative initiatives on issues including family law, social morality, religious freedom, and cultural policy with proposals that engaged ministries and laws like the Constitution of Brazil, the Statute of the Child and Adolescent, and statutes overseen by the Ministry of Justice. His positions often aligned with conservative politicians such as Jair Bolsonaro, Onyx Lorenzoni, and Damares Alves, and contrasted with progressive policymakers including Tarcísio Motta and Sérgio Vidigal. He proposed measures affecting public funding for cultural projects administered by agencies like the Ministry of Culture and the National Arts Foundation (Funarte), and supported policies sympathetic to faith-based organizations that coordinate with international partners like World Vision and Compassion International.
Feliciano's electoral trajectory includes successful campaigns for federal deputy in elections where major party actors included the Brazilian Democratic Movement, the Workers' Party, the PSL, and the Progressistas. Campaigns involved alliances and endorsements from evangelical leaders, participation in televised debates broadcast by networks such as Rede Globo, SBT, RecordTV, and campaign financing subject to rules enforced by the Superior Electoral Court (Brazil). His vote shares and rankings in proportional representation tallies placed him among prominent evangelical representatives in the national legislature during the 2010s and early 2020s.
Category:Brazilian politicians Category:Brazilian pastors Category:Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil)