The Case That Shook Céu do Mar: A Santo Daime leader’s acquittal exposes disputes over abuse, authority, and institutional reform

Paulo Roberto Silva e Souza, founder and longtime leader of Rio de Janeiro’s Céu do Mar Santo Daime church, was acquitted in May 2026 of charges involving sexual violation by fraud and psychological violence. The case centered on allegations by former assistant and lawyer Jessica Nascimento, who said Silva e Souza abused spiritual, professional, and gendered power, while other women described similar alleged misconduct over decades. The judge found evidence of a voluntary romantic relationship, no proven coercion or fraud, and insufficient expert evidence for psychological violence; testimony from other alleged victims was deemed irrelevant to Nascimento’s specific case. Prosecutors have appealed and publicly called Silva e Souza a sexual predator, while he denied wrongdoing. The controversy has prompted wider debate about Santo Daime’s leadership structures, cultures of silence, accountability, and safeguards against sexual abuse in ayahuasca communities.