João de Deus and the Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola

Record summary

João Teixeira de Faria, known internationally as João de Deus or John of God, operated the Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola, a Brazilian center combining Spiritist language, alleged mediumistic incorporation, prayer, and purported spiritual surgery. In 2018, numerous women accused him of sexual abuse, leading to investigation, arrest, conviction, and the collapse of his public healing enterprise. The case matters for comparing mediumship, charismatic authority, tourism, gendered vulnerability, and institutional accountability. The healing claims and supernatural interpretations remain matters of belief, while the criminal record and testimony require documentary verification.