‘No one disrespects Our Lady’: fears for Brazil’s patron saint grip country ahead of election

Speculation that Flavio Bolsonaro will try to strip Our Lady of Aparecida of position could become deciding factor in run-up to Sunday

A row of Biblical proportions has erupted in the run-up to Brazil's presidential election, with the country's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, emerging as an unlikely kingmaker in the deadlocked race.

Ahead of Sunday's vote, the two frontrunners - the leftwing president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and his far-right challenger, Flavio Bolsonaro - are level in the polls.