Janja Calls Malafaia 'Insignificant' at PT Evangelical Meeting

Overview

• On Monday, June 8, First Lady Rosângela 'Janja' da Silva publicly answered pastor Silas Malafaia at the PT's 4th National Meeting of Evangelicals by calling him 'insignificant' after he had mocked her meetings with evangelical women.
• Malafaia had privately criticized those gatherings in August 2025, saying the participants had 'no expression in the evangelical world,' and Janja said she does not consider him a pastor.
• Janja began holding listening sessions with evangelical women in mid-2025 to understand barriers between that constituency and the progressive field and said she will continue the meetings because they surface shared problems such as maternal health, safety and access to services.
• The confrontation highlights a broader partisan contest for evangelical influence since Malafaia backs Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and polls show strong evangelical disapproval of President Lula and rising public unease about the first lady's political role.
• The dispute could alter campaign messaging by forcing the PT to press faith-language in outreach while risking backlash from voters who oppose Janja’s public role, so watch for further responses from evangelical leaders and any shifts in polling on the group before the 2026 election.