Not everything should be remembered: relationship between Archbishop Dom Avelar Brandão Vilela, memory and politics from the experience of accessing the private archive “Paulo VI” of the Archdiocese of Teresina-PI

Abstract

This article reflects on the relationship between the Catholic Church and Memory, in the production of cohesive institutional discourses on the figure of Dom Avelar Brandão Vilela, and the attempt to frame his image and Memory from the Private Archive “Paulo VI” of the Archdiocese of Teresina-PI. Therefore, we take as object of analysis and research the aforementioned ecclesiastical archive and its relationship with the production of political meanings. Starting from the notions of “underground memory”, “places of memory” and “cultural equipment”, presented by Pierre Nora, Pollak and Chaves respectively, we traced a reading of hemerographic sources, tombo books and circular letters collected in the in loco research process.