Frei Tito
Encyclopedia
Frei Tito, OP
(14 September 1945 - 10 August 1974) was a Brazil
ian Roman Catholic friar
who was torture
d during his country's military dictatorship.
, Pernambuco
in the same year. In October 1968, he was first arrested by repressive forces of the dictatorship for participating in the XX Congress of the National Union of Students in Ibiúna
, Bahia
.
On November 4, 1969, Tito was arrested along with several other members of the Dominican Order, such as Frei Betto
, by political police officer Sérgio Fleury of the Department of Political and Social Order (DPSO). During approximately a whole month, Tito was severely tortured in the headquarters of DPSO, before being taken to the Presidio Tiradentes.
On early 1970, at the high of the repression, Tito was tortured in the headquarters of DPSO as a part of the Bandeirantes Operation (which consisted of the financing of torture by high-profile businessmen). At prison, Tito wrote a letter about his torture which became a symbol in the human rights
movement.
On 1971, Tito was deported to Chile
and, fearing for his life with the fall of Salvador Allende
, he fled to Italy
. In Rome
, he was unable to find support from the Catholic Church, once he was considered a "terrorist friar". He then moved to Paris
, where he found some support inside the Dominican Order.
At this point, Tito's mental health
was very unstable, as a result of the torture he suffered in Brazil. The abuses led him to persecution mania; he constantly feared a rencontre with Fleury and his other torturers. He submitted to psychiatric
treatment, but the psychological suffering made him commit suicide on August 10, 1974.
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
(14 September 1945 - 10 August 1974) was a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian Roman Catholic friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
who was torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d during his country's military dictatorship.
Biography
Tito was the director of the Association of Youth Catholic Students in 1963 and went to live in RecifeRecife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
in the same year. In October 1968, he was first arrested by repressive forces of the dictatorship for participating in the XX Congress of the National Union of Students in Ibiúna
Ibiúna
Ibiúna is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 is 72,181 and the area is 1062.1 km². The elevation is 860 m...
, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
.
On November 4, 1969, Tito was arrested along with several other members of the Dominican Order, such as Frei Betto
Frei Betto
Carlos Alberto Libânio Christo, O.P., better known as Frei Betto is a Brazilian writer, political activist, liberation theologist and Dominican friar. He was imprisoned for four years by the military dictatorship for smuggling people out of Brazil...
, by political police officer Sérgio Fleury of the Department of Political and Social Order (DPSO). During approximately a whole month, Tito was severely tortured in the headquarters of DPSO, before being taken to the Presidio Tiradentes.
On early 1970, at the high of the repression, Tito was tortured in the headquarters of DPSO as a part of the Bandeirantes Operation (which consisted of the financing of torture by high-profile businessmen). At prison, Tito wrote a letter about his torture which became a symbol in the human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
movement.
On 1971, Tito was deported to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and, fearing for his life with the fall of Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
, he fled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he was unable to find support from the Catholic Church, once he was considered a "terrorist friar". He then moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he found some support inside the Dominican Order.
At this point, Tito's mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
was very unstable, as a result of the torture he suffered in Brazil. The abuses led him to persecution mania; he constantly feared a rencontre with Fleury and his other torturers. He submitted to psychiatric
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
treatment, but the psychological suffering made him commit suicide on August 10, 1974.
Movie
The movie Batismo de Sangue (Baptism of Blood) tells the story of Tito and other priests' torture during the military regime.See also
- Frei BettoFrei BettoCarlos Alberto Libânio Christo, O.P., better known as Frei Betto is a Brazilian writer, political activist, liberation theologist and Dominican friar. He was imprisoned for four years by the military dictatorship for smuggling people out of Brazil...
- Sister MaurinaSister MaurinaSister Maurina, O.S.F., Sister Maurina, O.S.F., Sister Maurina, O.S.F., (born Maurina Borges da Silveira (1926-2011) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic Franciscan Sister. She was the only Religious Sister to be arrested and tortured during the period of Brazil's military dictatorship (1964–1985)....
- Batismo de Sangue
- Cidadão Boilesen (2009)