Authorities to probe into accusations against psychic João de Deus

The Civil Police and prosecutors in Goiás state, in Central-West Brazil, will assemble special task forces to scrutinize sexual abuse allegations involving psychic João Teixeira de Faria, internationally known as João de Deus.

The police will set the number of commissioners to be assigned to the case during a meeting called by Commissioner-General André Fernandes on Monday (Dec. 10), in Goiânia, the state capital.

Inquired had been launched on the accusations made by individuals who paid regular visits to the Casa Dom Inácio de Loyola, in the small town of Abadiânia, but the number of reports skyrocketed after the case emerged on the press. A special task force was believed to be necessary due to the complexity of the case.

The Prosecution Service is expected to work alongside prosecutors from other states where there are women who claim they were victims of sexual abuse by the medium. The first testimonies will be heard on Tuesday (11).

The scandal involving João de Deus was brought to the fore last Friday (7), when a TV show featured a number of reports from women who stated they had been molested by the psychic. João de Deus is said to have taken these women to isolated rooms in the house where he provides spiritual guidance, and abused them by caressing their bodies. Some say he showed his penis and forced them to touch it so they could be cured.

Our reporters were unable to reach the medium or his counsel. Calls have been made since Sunday (9) to the numbers on his website, to no avail.

In a note released Saturday (8), the Brazilian Spiritist Foundation says that spiritual services should never be conducted in isolation, with the medium and the person receiving assistance by themselves. The foundation also said it “does not recommend any mediums to work on their own,” since, by doing so, they are “not linked to the spiritist movement or under its guidance.”