João Madeira
Neto:
“Doctors must
look at
patients
as a whole”
One of the
founders of the
Medical
Spiritist
Association
of Cascavel, in
southern Brazil,
talks about the
aims of the
organisation and
its plans
 |
João Madeira
Neto (photo),
a medical doctor
and researcher
of the Spiritist
Teachings, lives
in the southern
Brazilian city
of Cascavel, in
the state of
Paraná. He is
the coordinator
of two Spiritist
Groups in the
area – Caminhos
da Evolução and
Jesus Modelo e
Guia. He is a
Spirist speaker
and one o the
founders of the Medical Spiritist
|
|
Association of
Cascavel, known
as AME
Cascavel. |
How do you see
the link between
Medicine and
Spiritism?
It is Medicine
with Jesus.
Doctors cannot
make of Medicine
a profitable
trade and they
make take a
wholesome
approach to it.
It is not
possible to
treat the parts.
We need to treat
the whole human
being. As
Emmanuel
described,
health is “the
perfect harmony
of the soul”.
Knowledge of
Spiritism can
play a big part,
especially in
cases for which
earthly Medicine
has no answer.
That is the case
of many mental
problems.
As we know,
there is not
such a thing as
illnesses. What
we have are ill
people. With
scientific
research and
Spiritism we
will be able to
put the soul
into Medicine,
as Dr Marlene
Nobre used to
say.
When was AME
Cascavel founded
and what was it
like in its
early days?
I had been
working with AME
São Paulo. When
I returned to
Paraná em
September 2008 I
felt great
internal peace.
I was like
floating. Then
one day I told
my wife: we must
found AME
Cascavel! That
is when I began,
along with
fellow doctors,
working on the
project. We were
not sure if the
Spiritist
Movement would
take us in and
what issues we
would be
focusing on. We
talked to Dr
Laércio Furlan,
president of AME
Paraná, and with
the late Dr
Marlene Nobre,
who was at the
time president
of AME Brazil.
The year after
we already
organising AME
Cascavel’s 1st
Seminar of
Medicine and
Spirituality.
What can you say
about the work
of the
organisation in
the city?
We are often
invited to
advise and
express our
views on issues
like abortion,
spirituality and
mental problems.
Our mission,
assigned to us
by Christ, is to
console the
souls, enlighten
the consciences
and encourage
renovation in
ourselves and
our brothers and
sisters who
accompany us in
this journey.
AME Cascavel is
part of the
Spiritist
Movement, taking
a scientific
approach of
Spiritism to
other people
through study
groups and
seminars. We
also carry out
charity work by
helping people
overcome
substance abuse
and addiction.
We provide
religious
support to
patients
admitted to the
hospitals of the
city. And we
have an academic
department,
which introduces
the medical-Spiritist
approach to
medical students
with weekly
classes and
research.
How relevant was
the experience
and influence of
Dr Marlene Nobre
for the whole
AME movement in
Brazil?
Dr Marlene Nobre,
who return to
the Spirit World
on January 5th
2015, is
undoubtedly our
“spiritual
mother,” in the
words of the
current
president of AME
Brasil, Dr
Gilson Luis
Roberto. She was
a symbol of hard
work, dedication
and love to the
cause of Jesus.
She was faithful
to the very
end.
What are AME
Cascavel’s
projects and
plans for the
next few years?
We have two
projects, which
are going ahead
very well. One
of them is, as I
explained
before, the
Spiritist
Chaplaincy,
which operates
in two hospitals
of the city. We
are aiming to
extend it to a
third hospital,
where we intend
to work
specifically at
the chemical
dependency and
addiction wing.
The second
project, known
as Fraternal
Assistance,
deals with
people who
suffer from
chemical
dependency and
addiction. We
help them
overcome this
problem through
Spiritism.
Our long term
plan is to set
up a team to
attend prisoners
at the local
penitentiary.
