Luiz Couto

Luiz Albuquerque Couto (born 13 February 1945) is a Brazilian politician as well as a university professor and Catholic priest. He has spent his political career representing his home state of Paraíba, having served as state representative from 2003 to 2019.[1]

Luiz Couto
Couto in October 2012
Federal Deputy for the Paraíba
In office
1 February 2003 – 31 January 2019
State representative for Paraíba
In office
1 February 1995 – 31 January 2003
Personal details
Born (1945-02-13) 13 February 1945
Soledade, Paraíba, Brazil
Political partyPT

Personal life

Couto was born to Antônio Joaquim de Couto and Elisa Leopoldina de Albuquerque.[1] His parents were landless farmers and Couto grew up in a poor environment. He is an alumnus of the Federal University of Paraíba. Couto attended seminary from 1974 to 1978, and on 19 December 1978 Couto was ordained to the Catholic priesthood.[2] Couto has also worked as a professor, teaching theology, anthropology, and philosophy at various universities in Paraíba. On 22 December 2018 Couto celebrated mass commemorating 40 years of him being a priest.[2] Couto is a proponent of Liberation theology.[3]

Despite the Catholic church's teachings regarding homosexuality, Couto has spoken against the discrimination of LGBTQ individuals in Brazil and has also encouraged the use of condoms as a way to prevent HIV/AIDs.[3] Because of his defense of the usage of condoms, Couto was suspended from the duties of the priesthood in 2009.[4]

Political career

Couto voted against the impeachment motion of then-president Dilma Rousseff.[5] Couto voted against the 2017 Brazilian labor reform,[6] and he would vote in favor of a corruption investigation into Rousseff's successor Michel Temer.[7]

Couto was investigated in December 2018 for alleged irregularities in campaign finance during the 2018 Brazilian general election.[8]

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References
  1. "LUIZ COUTO – Biografia". Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  2. "Luiz Couto comemora aniversário e 40 anos de sacerdócio" (in Portuguese). O Nordeste. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  3. Sardinha, Edson (14 February 2009). "Padre, deputado e adversário do celibato" (in Portuguese). Congresso em Foco. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  4. "Deputado é afastado da função de padre por defender uso da camisinha". Jornal da Globo (in Portuguese). G1 Globo. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  5. "Reforma trabalhista: como votaram os deputados" (in Portuguese). Carta Capital. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  6. "Veja como deputados votaram no impeachment de Dilma, na PEC 241, na reforma trabalhista e na denúncia contra Temer" [See how deputies voted in the impeachment of Dilma, in PEC 241, in the labor reform and in the denunciation against Temer] (in Portuguese). G1 Globo. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  7. "Como votou cada deputado sobre a denúncia contra Temer" (in Portuguese). Carta Capital. 4 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  8. "Contas de campanha do candidato a senador Luiz Couto são investigadas pelo MPF-PB" (in Portuguese). G1 Globo. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
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