Source: WTL photograph© on site in Brasília.
Comment: Aside from modern furniture, the only three objects one sees in the Senate are the large Brazilian flag, the clock (seen in Brasília #9b), and this small crucifix over and above the speaker's table. According to the 2000 census Brazilians identified themselves by religious preference in the following percentages: Roman Catholic, 74%; Protestant, 15%; Spiritualist, 1%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%; several others including atheist and decline to state, the remaining percentages. In 2015, the data show these percentages: Roman Catholic, 65%; Protestant, 22%; none, 8%; Spiritist, 2%; other, 3%.
Humanities questions: (A) What does it say about Brazil that this small crucifix is placed in the halls of the Congresso? (B) Given the long trajectory of Latin American humanities from its origins roughly 3,500 years ago to the present, what might this image suggest about the trajectory of religion in the public sphere in Brazil in particular and, perhaps also, in Latin America in general?