Becker, Joao b. February 24, 1870; Sankt Wendel, Rhineland d.June 15, 1946; Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Son of Catholic southern German emigrants who was ordained archbishop of Porto Alegre in 1912 and became famous for his public anti-German sentiments.
Joao Becker’s parents left for Brazil in 1878.
Raised a Catholic, Becker was ordained in 1897 and served as a priest in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, until he was appointed bishop of Flo- rianopolis, the capital of Santa Catarina, in 1908 and archbishop of Porto Alegre in 1912. Becker was one of the leading representatives of political Catholicism in Brazil. Closely connected to the central government, Becker had far-reaching political ambitions. He tried vehemently to get loyal priests elected to parliament and hoped for a political career for himself. In 1923, Becker acted as a negotiator between the two parties of the so-called Revolution of 1923, between the government of Borges de Medeiros, from the Republic Party of Rio Grande do Sul, and the followers of Francisco de Assis Brasil, from the Federalist Party. He attempted to present himself as a suitable candidate for the Senate.In spite of his German origin, Becker belonged to the so-called ethnic renegades. During World War I, Becker closed the German-speaking Saint Josephs Community in Porto Alegre and agreed to be appointed as the leader of the nationalistic Liga de Defesa Nacional (Association for National Defense). According to contemporaries, Becker is said to have stated that the German immigration to Brazil was no good for the country and that the Germans had polluted Brazil with their Kantian thoughts, Protestantism, and beer breweries. He even came into conflict with German Jesuits in Rio Grande do Sul.
To avoid any conflict with the governing authorities, Becker supported Luso- Brazilian politicians who were backed by Getulio Vargas but branded by the Catholic Church as enemies of the Catholic faith. During the 1930s, Becker fully supported the nationalist policy of the central government and approved of the closing of all schools that offered education in non-Portuguese languages (in 1938). In line with Vargas’s initial support and admiration for the Fascist and National Socialist regimes in Europe, Becker held a very positive view of Adolf Hitler’s and Benito Mussolini’s dictatorships. However, when Vargas joined the Allies in 1942, Becker abandoned his earlier opinions and supported the fight against Nazi Germany.
Rene Gertz
See also Brazil
References and Further Reading
Isaia, Artur Cesar. Catolicismo e autoritarismo no Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, 1998.