The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture stated in Coimbra that the "Holy Spirit 'Império' is the true Welfare State," stressing it encompasses all citizens, believers and non-believers."

Avelino Meneses spoke Wednesday at the presentation of the International Congress of the Holy Spirit, noting that the centuries-old devotion to the Holy Spirit "reconciles the sacred and the profane, as is the case of a religion that belongs more to the people than any church." The ceremony featured newly appointed Coadjutor Bishop for the Diocese of Angra, João Lavrador, as main speaker.

"The Azores are the only region of the country, or perhaps in the world, where there is the so-called the Holy Spirit time, which extends from Easter to Pentecost and Trinity." In this regard, the government official recalled a tradition on the island of Santa Maria. According to it, the "foliões" (traditional Holy Spirit singers) used to come out to the street on Holy Saturday after the announcement of Christ's resurrection, which marked the official beginning of the Holy Spirit time."

"In our religious calendar, if Easter is the main festivity of Christians, despite the recent relevance of Christmas driven by the materialistic purposes of the consumer society, the Holy Spirit is the most celebrated festival by the Azorean people," said the government official.
As he added, the cult of the Holy Spirit, introduced in Portugal by King Dinis due to the influence of a more "radical current" of spiritual Franciscans, avowed many supporters of Joachim of Fiore's millenarian ideology. It is a historical "hallmark" of Portuguese popular culture.

In the Azores, the introduction of the cult of the Holy Spirit dates back to the settlement period. The earliest brotherhoods were formed still in the 15th century. In addition to owning hospitals, they also organised "bodos" (distribution of food to the poor) and "coronations."
 
The action of the Franciscans had the protection of the Order of Christ, which was responsible for the ecclesiastical administration of the archipelago until 1514. For Avelino Meneses, "the distance from Mainland Portugal has influenced the introduction and expansion of the cult of the Holy Spirit in the Azores, undermining the supervisory role of the church hierarchy; the latter insisted on limiting the participation of the people in the organisation of the festivities, under the pretext of purging profane manifestations, including those of pagan origin."

In this context, the Azorean worship of the Holy Spirit "takes on the character of a people's religion," which has also contributed to its "dissemination and perpetuity." This is a process in which "the hostility of the environment and the anguish of isolation created a feeling of great insecurity, promoting "the practice of cooperation," which was essential for those who lived "between a harsh land and a dangerous sea."

"From this experience springs from a deep religious feelings, which raises the devotion to the Holy Spirit to a cult of solidarity that is in line with historical beliefs and needs of the Azorean population," the government official said, noting that the Holy Spirit is currently the "main" festivity in the Azores. It has the specificity of being celebrated in different ways, but it is evenly disseminated on each island."

 "The cult of the Holy Spirit is the best mirror of the Azores insofar as it reconciles the diversity we are with the unity we want to be," noted Avelino Meneses. In this context, the government official added that "despite the relevance of the cult of the Holy Spirit in the Azores, the successive socio-economic transformations and the evolution of mentalities have lessened the impact of these festivities. Nevertheless, their perseverance demands the adaptation to new times."

"There are several factor that contributed to the weakening of this religious manifestation, such as the progress of literacy, which involves the regression of all traditions; the reduction of the primary sector reduces the attachment to the land, which is source of the main festivity ingredients like bread, wine and meat; and the predominance of individualism that transfers the society's duty of assistance to the State," emphasised the government official. According to him, "this is also a time great changes. After centuries of trying to understand the need to repress the more heterodox manifestations of this religious cult, the Church and the State have now recognised the importance of devotion."

"In a religious context, the current Bishop of Angra has put the Diocese under the protection of the Holy Spirit in his first episcopal speech in 1996. More than that, he considered the cult of the Holy Spirit as the stronghold against secularism that is sometimes more effective than some official proposals of pastoral action," the Regional Secretary recalled, adding that "the celebration of the Autonomous Region on the most important day of the Holy Spirit festival, i.e., on Pentecost Monday is the result of an effort to identify it with the autonomy of the Azores."

For Avelino Meneses, "the cult of the Holy Spirit has the dimension of the history and geography of the Azores, because Autonomy is a smaller phenomenon since it is rooted in the beginning of the contemporary period. In fact, the Western and Atlantic revolutions have contributed to the dissemination of liberal and democratic ideas in the transition from the 18th to the 19th century." The government official stressed that Autonomy "was an achievement of the elite and of the most influential islands, so still it is up to our generation to turn it into the project for all islands and for all Azoreans, without any exception."

The International Congress of the Holy Spirit will take place in Coimbra, Lisbon and Alenquer in the second half of 2016. This is an initiative of Alenquer City Hall in Partnership with a consortium of Portuguese universities, namely the Centre for Overseas History of the University of the Azores and the Diocese of the Azores.