BIDA ABSOLVED OF SR. DOROTHY STANG'S MURDER

CONTACT: Sister Joan Krimm, SNDdeN

513-679-8180

Sister Dorothy Stang, SND, and coworker.

IPSWICH, MA – On May 6, after a two-day trial resided over by Judge Raimundo Moisés Alves Flexa, a jury of seven absolved Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura (“Bida”) of responsibility for the death of Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Dorothy Stang. There is the possibility that the prosecutor will appeal this decision. Bida had been convicted on May 15, 2007. Because of the length of the sentence, he was entitled to this retrial.

Rayfran das Neves Sales, also accused of involvement in the murder of Sister Dorothy, was retried with Bida and sentenced to 28 years in prison, with no possibility of appeal. This was his third trial. Two other men, Clodoaldo (Eduardo) and Amair Feijoli (Tato) have already been convicted and are serving sentences.

Speaking of the verdict, Sister Kathryne Webster, who worked for many years with Sister Dorothy, said, “We the Sisters of Notre Dame in Brazil accept and are respectful of the justice process. We are immensely disappointed with the exoneration of Vitlamiro Bastos de Moura. We are committed to continue to walk with our people in Anapu. They have a right to live and be safe. We will work with the people and proper authorities to make that happen.”

“As Sisters of Notre Dame, we grieve that, with Bida’s release, justice has again been thwarted,” said Sister Camilla Burns, congregational leader. “Dorothy is our sister, so our grief is personal. We also grieve for the many unknown murder victims of Anapu. In this season of resurrection, we hope and we fervently pray that one day all people, especially the people of Dorothy’s beloved Brazil, will be treated with the reverence they are due as human beings.”

Sr. Dorothy was murdered February 12, 2005, in the area of land called “Esperança” that has been reserved as a Project of Sustainable Development. The 73-year-old Sister stood with farmers as they defended themselves against the ranchers and loggers who were evicting them from their land.

Sister Dorothy is among the 776 people murdered for land-related reasons in the Brazilian state of Para, the location of much of the Amazon rainforest, over the past 30 years. During the same three decades, three other authors of land-related murders in Para were convicted but not given jail terms.

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are an international Roman Catholic community whose purpose is to make known God’s goodness.  There are more than 1600 Sisters working in 16 countries, 18 of them in Brasil.

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