Joao Teixeira de Faria, better known as Joao de Deus (John of God), was a faith healer from Brazil who gained international recognition for his spiritual abilities. He was a medium who claimed to channel the spirits of deceased doctors and surgeons, and he offered psychic surgeries to his followers. His reputation attracted both common people and celebrities, including former US president Bill Clinton, actress Shirley MacLaine, and model Naomi Campbell, who sought his “healing touch.” However, his world came crashing down in 2018 when he was arrested for crimes against women and girls who sought his spiritual help.
Joao de Deus was born in a small town in the Center-west Brazilian state of Goias in 1942. He grew up in poverty and received little education. As a young man, he worked as a tailor, a truck driver, and a miner. However, he began experiencing spiritual phenomena, such as hearing voices and seeing spirits, in his early 20s. He claimed that he was a medium who could channel the spirits of deceased doctors and surgeons who would perform miraculous healings through him.
In 1976, Joao de Deus established the Casa de Dom Inacio de Loyola, a spiritual center in the town of Abadiania, Goias. The Casa became a pilgrimage site for people seeking physical and emotional healing. Joao de Deus would perform psychic surgeries, which involved making incisions on the body without anesthesia or sterilization and removing “spiritual entities” that he claimed were causing illnesses. He also offered spiritual consultations, where he would give advice and prescribe herbal remedies. His healing abilities became known internationally, and he received visitors from all over the world.
In 2012, Joao de Deus appeared on tv with Oprah Winfrey, which brought him even more international recognition. He gained a following of faithful foreigners, who called him “John of God.”
On May 19, 2021, ‘John of God’ was sentenced to an additional 99 years in prison, bringing his total sentence to 370 years. The sentence was for the crimes of rаpe and sеxuаl assаult against five women. The sentence was handed down by a judge in the Brazilian state of Goiás.
The sentencing of ‘John of God’ has had a significant impact on Brazil’s spiritual community, as well as his followers around the world. Many of his supporters have been left in shock and disbelief, while others have come forward to share their own stories of abuse at the hands of the faith healer. The downfall of ‘John of God’ has been a long time coming, and his sentencing marks the end of a dark chapter in Brazil’s spiritual history.
