By David Eck

ARCHDIOCESE — The May 15 conviction of a Brazilian rancher who ordered the 2005 killing of Notre Dame de Namur Sister Dorothy Stang was met with joy and relief throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and around the world.

Officials said the conviction represents justice for the nearly 800 people who have been murdered in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fighting for land rights in the last 30 years.

Sister Dorothy Stang

Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, known in the Amazon region as Bida, was sentenced to 30 years in prison May 15, at the close of a 2-day trial in Brazil.

Sister Dorothy, a Dayton native, was known in the region as a fierce defender of a sustainable development project for the Amazon forest. De Moura, other ranchers and loggers were opposed to the project.

De Moura denied accusations that he paid the two men found guilty of killing the nun $25,000 to murder her.

The men who assassinated Sister Dorothy and a middleman who hired them were previously convicted and are in prison. The other rancher accused of ordering the killing, Regivaldo Pereira Galvao, was jailed briefly, released and awaits trial.

Sister Dorothy, who ministered nearly 40 years in Brazil, was shot numerous times on February 12, 2005 as she traveled to Boa Esperança in the northern state of Para. She was 73.

Witnesses have said the nun pulled out her Bible and began reading from the Beatitudes before she was shot in the face and head.

The conviction transcends Sister Dorothy’s murder and gives farm workers hope in a region described as lawless.

"This rancher is one of the people who instigated the crime and it’s very seldom in Brazil that a person at this level has been indicted in a crime," said Notre Dame de Namur Sister Elizabeth Bowyer, the order’s spokeswoman. "Its brought (farm workers) to a realization that justice is possible and that they do have rights and they do have power.

"All Sister Dorothy ever wanted for her people was justice," Sister Elizabeth said. "This verdict means there is hope for the poor and landless. It will also serve as fuel to continue the work of Sister Dorothy and hundreds of others who fought and died in the struggle to end poverty, hunger, and social injustice in Brazil."

The trial gained international attention and hundreds of news outlets from around the globe covered it. Sister Dorothy’s siblings and family members urged the court for justice, and two of her brothers attended the trial. Parishioners from across the archdiocese and people around the world wrote letters of support to prosecutors.

"I think the family and the international community has done wonderful job in obtaining this conviction," said Deacon Norm Horstman, pastoral associate at St. Raphael and St. Joseph churches in Springfield, which twin with the area of Brazil where Sister Dorothy worked. "It certainly is an important step in the right direction.’’

Sister Dorothy’s sister, Marguerite Hohm, of Fairfax VA., followed the trial over the Internet.

"We are overwhelmed and pleasantly surprised and relieved," Hohm said. "What it means to me is that Dorothy’s people will finally get peace and justice. The rainforest hopefully will survive.’’

Still, it’s important that powerful people involved in future killings in the region are held accountable, officials said.

"It’s good news but a very small piece of a long journey," Deacon Horstman said "There were over 800 murdered in that area. As important will be the very next time there is an act of violence. We have to take this now a step further for the people."

Sister Dorothy, who grew up in St. Anthony Parish in Dayton, entered the postulancy of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1948. She professed first vows in 1951 and final vows in 1956.

Sister Dorothy lived in the Amazonian region for 30 years. She was named "Woman of the Year" by the state of Para for her work on behalf of the people in that Brazilian state. Shortly before her death, she received an "Honorary Citizenship of the State" award from the state of Para. Since her death, She has been honored for her life and work by organizations and governments around the world.

Her family and other nuns knew of the escalating danger Sister Dorothy faced, but she refused to leave the area.

"She knew there was a price on her head," Sister Elizabeth said. "We all knew.’’
Hohm visited her sister in Brazil two months before the murder.

"I cried when I got the phone call," Hohm said. "We knew that sooner or later they would get her.’’