The retired military officer, Paulo Salerno (photo), is the president of the Regional Spiritist Council in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on a number of issues and talks about his work in the Spiritist Movement.  O Consolador: When and how did you become a Spiritist?  I was 36 at the time, and my wife became seriously ill. She disincarnated in 1991.  O Consolador:  Which Spiritist Centre do you go to and what are your main duties?

I am the current president of the Spiritist Centre Sociedade Espírita Luz, Paz e Caridade, in the city of Porto Alegre. I also work as a healer, as a lecturer and public speaker, as a facilitator of the official teaching programme of the Spiritist Doctrine and as a worker in our fraternal assistance programme.

O Consolador: Tell us about the Spiritist Movement in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. How is it structured? 

It has become more and more active and dynamic. As those in charge and all workers get a clearer view of what their goals are, the Movement can only get stronger and grow in harmony. The structure is as follows: the Spiritist Centres gather in Spiritist Unions, which make up Regional Councils – there are 14 of those in our state – and at the top we have the Spiritist Federation of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Unions as well as the Regional Councils are organs aimed at reinvigorating and decentralizing the Spiritist Movement. 

O Consolador: Is there politics in Spiritism? In which way is it different to party politics? 

There is indeed politics in the Spiritist Movement. But it is based on the principles of the Doctrine, which include honour, honesty, and understanding. Our politics is about practicing the virtues inherent to good men, accepting our fellow creatures, accepting the potentials of each one of us. It is the politics of respect for the choices of each individual, whatever they are. It is, in sum, the politics of alterity and love, based on the example set out by our Master Jesus Christ. There is a clear difference between the party politics and the politics of Spiritism, and that becomes evident if one looks at the adjectives we have used here.  Party politics is generally about getting posts in the government, proselytising on the party’s ideas and standing firmly your ground on the ideological principals which guide that particular group’s views on the goals of the State. There is a clear difference also in the means we apply. In party politics, the goals – often unspeakable goals – are pursued by people who are solely motivated by  selfish, minor gain. 

O Consolador: You are part of a committee which is reviewing the internal rules of the Spiritist Federation of Rio Grande do Sul. Why are the rules being changed? 

We are in the XXI century and need to adapt our rules – like everything else in the Universe, our rules are dynamic and should evolve. As the state Federation has an impact on the regional Spiritist Movement, it needs to adapt in order to provide better service. I believe the different departments within the Federation need to improve the way they work. I also think our mandates should be extended to at least three years and my argument here is based on Allan Kardec’s Posthumous Works (second part). As for the need to periodical change of the rules, Allan Kardec recommended they should take place every 20 or 25 years. We need clear, concise rules and to achieve that we will need to carry out frequent updates.  

O Consolador: What lessons have you learned from your experience as someone who follows the medium, Divaldo Franco, when he goes to the south of Brazil? 

I have learned the most beautiful lessons about the dissemination of Spiritism, which the great task carried out by Divaldo Franco. Travelling with him, I have met a great number of fellow Spiritists in many cities, I have exchanged ideas and experiences, and felt like in a big family. I have also learned from the experience of our hosts. Every visit by Divaldo to the region is preceded by thorough planning in local Spiritist Centres, who share information, plan together and decide on a common action plan. I have learned from the example of dedication of so many people who in those occasions overcome all obstacles so as to be able to spread the message of Spiritism. 

O Consolador: What is your assessment of how Spiritist events are organised generally? 

We have improved, we have progressed. In big events, I notice the planning works really well and it is followed by effective, decentralized and coordinated action. I would like to point out that the Unions, the Spiritist Centres and the Regional Councils do a great job considering their limited financial resources. All of those involved do whatever they can in order to offer the best to the public, to secure the best possible location, the best equipment. And those events evolve in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.  I would say that we should set up semi-permanent teams for such occasions, so that we could learn from previous experiences and get better results in the future. One of the benefits would be to increase our fund raising capacity.  

O Consolador: It is clear that this is a special period for the propagation of Spiritism. What measures should Spiritist leaders put into practice in order to avoid diversions and fulfil their tasks according to what is expected? 

The contemporary man, and even more so, the man of the future will reject anything that defies reason and understanding. All workers and those with a managing role in Spiritist Centres should make sure they welcome and provide the best service to all of those who come to us looking for assistance. Such meetings provide an important opportunity to engage with people and go through the main points of the Doctrine, base always on reason and coherence. Moreover, the public is ever more demanding, expecting higher standards in the way of theoretical knowledge and even managerial skills.  

Spiritist public speakers and lecturers have, in my view, an important role to play. As someone who is by the nature of the job highly visible and exposed, the Spiritist lecturer should make sure he or she has very good theoretical knowledge, being able to apply the teachings of Christ to the challenges of our days. Without neglecting the need for spiritual comfort for so many, the need of encouragement in the face of adversity, the Spiritual public speaker should be able to bring in the latest findings of science.  

We should also be able to provide good, clean, comfortable facilities to all of those who come to us, as well as a basic library. But most of all, our actions should come with love, lots of love. 

O Consolador: What are your thoughts on Spiritist books – their relevance, their availability, their cost? 

I believe books are of extraordinary importance for the development of Spiritism. They enable us to reach an ever wider audience. 

In Brazil and other countries, the book is the basis for the propagation of the Doctrine. Spiritist lecturers use and make reference to books during their talks. The theoretical background we need to understand our roles on Earth, to console the distressed, can be found in Spiritist books. How could we envisage the propagation of Spiritism without the technological revolution brought about by Gutenberg, with the press? And we are living a new technological revolution, to which the printing industry must adapt: the electronic book. Ebook readers, portable devices which allow us to carry hundreds of books in their electronic memory, are now available at reasonable prices. Imagine the day we can get they whole archive of Spiritist books within one such device… We must also pay attention to audio books, recorded using the MP3 technology. More and more we are able to listen to a book, rather than reading a book. Now I ask: what are we doing about these new technologies? Are we prepared for them? 

O Consolador: What about the average price of Spiritist books in Brazil? Is it too high? 

Spiritist books could be cheaper, but the prices aren’t really high if you consider all the technology involved in the publication. You have in general 200 or so pages, so it’s not too expensive what we pay. Divaldo Franco has his Book Team, which works with different groups in different locations. I notice that that in areas where people earn more, they buy more books, but that is not always the case. The good thing is that Spiritist books are now available in most Brazilian bookshops, almost 100% of them. If you want to buy a Spiritist book, you will be able to. There’s big demand, and not only from Spiritists, there’s interest also from the general public. 

O Consolador: What are your views on the individualism and the frantic competition and consumerism which are in the core of our society? 

When we concentrate our attentions on material things and guide our actions by physical pleasures, we encourage a surge in individualism, competition, making way for growing selfishness and pride.  Men and women of our times are making a huge effort in order to HAVE, in order to ACHIEVE, and they forget to work in order to BE. To be more altruistic, selfless and fraternal, in order to achieve the true spiritual values, such as the development of intelligence, the amassing of knowledge and the moral development. 

O Consolador: What have you learned in life from your experience as a Spiritist? 

I have learned a great deal and I know I have not gone as far as I could have. Knowing what do to doesn’t necessarily mean doing the right things, applying Christian values to your life. But at least one realises he or she is responsible for their actions and thoughts, especially on the way we deal with other people and the nature. I believe I am a bit more restrained than I used to be, a bit more selfless and thoughtful. The experiences we go through within Spiritism tend to liberate us from archaic concepts and paradigms and to make us better people. 

O Consolador: Your final thoughts… 

I thank you for the opportunity with this interview. This publication has been doing a great job since it began, four years ago. I wish the message of Christ enters the hearts of each and every one of you, opening your eyes to the fact that life is eternal, to the need of abiding by the Laws of God. And I wish in particular that we can enter this new phase the planet is going through – Regeneration – with our heads high, with peace, in order to face the day-to-day challenges. We must bear in mind that we are building our own future. We built the past, we are building the present, we are building the future, which will hope will be a happy one. I hope we get there by loving ourselves and our neighbours.