Netflix subscribers may have already seen the buzz about a brand new series titled Children of the Church Steps, which premiered on the streamer on Oct. 30. The show, which quickly opened to high critical praise, centers on a small group of homeless youths in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who come to face unthinkable cruelty at the hands of local police. While the shocking series has already turned many heads, few have come to realize that the real story the series is based on is arguably even harder to stomach. Children of the Church Steps serves as a dramatic retelling of an event known as the Candelária Massacre, which occurred back in 1993. In reality, eight individuals between the ages of 11 and 19 were brutally killed by a group of men, many of whom were police officers, on the steps of a Roman Catholic church.
Since the series is stirring up so much interest, now seems like as good a time as any to get educated on the harrowing events of the Candelária Massacre, and the ripple effect that the tragedy has had on Brazil at large. As you may have guessed, we’ll be discussing the ins and outs of the real life tragedy ahead, and comparing and contrasting them to a few key moments within the show. Therefore, fans of Children of the Church Steps who have not yet watched the series through to the end should consider bookmarking this page and returning later to avoid spoilers. With no further preamble, let’s dive directly into the story of the real life tragedy, and unpack the events of the Candelária Massacre.
What Happens in ‘Children of the Church Steps’?
Though Children of the Church Steps presents the true story of the massacre, the series offers a few key deviations from the actual events, and blends in elements of fantasy to round out the gritty plot. The series, which offers a total of four hour-long episodes, centers on a group of four young children in the three days leading up to the impending attack. The kids – Douglas, Sete, Pipoca and Jesus, face numerous struggles in their day-to-day lives, including homelessness, poverty, hunger and more. Children of the Church Steps is structured in such a way that each character is given their own distinct backstory, fleshing out the lives and personalities of the doomed juveniles before ultimately concluding with their predestined demise.
As series creator Luis Lomenha explained in a recent interview with Deadline, he structured the series this way on purpose to humanize the victims of the Candelária Massacre. Lomenha specifically articulated “I hope audiences see these children not as symbols of tragedy, but as real, joyful human beings with dreams, hopes and childhoods that were unjustly cut short. This is more than a story about social injustice – it’s a call to see the humanity of children who are often ‘de-childed’ in the narrative around violence and race.” The rising star filmmaker is a native to Rio de Janeiro himself, meaning he spent his formative years living in the aftermath of the horrific attack, making the issue near and dear to his heart.
The True Story of the Candelária Massacre
Though the series takes great care to highlight the victims of the massacre, each of the core four characters in Children of the Church Steps are fictional figures created for the show. Still, the kids are representative of real youths who were attacked during the July 1993 incident. In the years leading up to the Candelária Massacre, poverty and homelessness caused droves of Brazilian men, women and children to seek shelter, many of whom found themselves living on and around the steps of a historic Roman Catholic church. As a result, church personnel began providing what little food, shelter and education they could to the homeless children, though many of the youths still turned to petty street crimes in order to survive. Over time, the area surrounding the Candelária Church became a hotbed of police activity due to the sharp uptick in reported crimes.
Allegedly, a group of children were given stern warnings by police just a day before the massacre took place, after they were caught throwing rocks and other street debris at passing patrol cars. Then, on July 23, a group of armed men pulled up to the church in unmarked vehicles with obfuscated license plate numbers, and opened fire onto the steps where many children were sleeping. There were roughly 70 youths asleep on the steps at the time, many of whom were barely able to escape with their lives. Many survivors suffered debilitating gunshot wounds, and eight people between the ages of 11 and 19 were senselessly killed.
Investigation and Prosecution
Though the standards of policing in the region were obviously quite lax, a full-scale investigation was launched in order to locate and prosecute the killers involved in the attack. The international community condemned Rio officials for allowing this violent incident to take place, and citizens across the city demanded more from their elected officials and local authorities. A single teen who suffered four bullet wounds on the Candelária steps agreed to help investigators identify suspects, and offered to testify in court regarding his experience. Once the teen’s identity was made public, he suffered a retaliatory attack from those who wanted the Candelária killers to go free, prompting prosecutors to put him in the witness protection program. Despite the numerous roadblocks presented in the investigation, the killers were ultimately identified, and seven men were indicted.
Once the shooters were identified, prosecuting them became even more difficult, as it was revealed that several of the men were high-ranking police and military officers. Three of the seven individuals were convicted and sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison, only to almost immediately receive pardons and parole offers which set them free. Three of the shooters were acquitted in the case, receiving no punishment whatsoever. Only one of the men saw any lengthy prison time for the incident, though he was never tried for the actual murders. The man, identified as Arlindo Afonso Lisboa Júnior, served two years for possession of a weapon used in the attack.
Aftermath and Cultural Impact
Though it is extremely disheartening to see how little the investigation did to bring the perpetrators of the Candelária Massacre to true justice, the incident raised a great deal of awareness for the poverty suffered by Rio citizens. Even after the events of the attack, some Rio citizens have maintained their hateful feelings toward Black and underprivileged youths within the city. According to humanitarian aid organizations, more than half of the survivors of the massacre have since died or gone missing, with many of them facing multiple acts of cruelty and violence in their lifetimes. Today, a mural commemorating the victims stands atop the steps of the church, though the mural has been subject to vandalism, forcing city officials to replace it on more than one occasion.
Though the series Children of the Church Steps doesn’t focus heavily on the massacre itself, the show has also done a lot to bring international attention to the area now, over 30 years after the incident took place. In his previously mentioned Deadline interview, series creator Luis Lomenha spoke on the importance of meeting with real survivors to color the show. Lomenha explained “Working with survivors was essential to authentically representing this story. We collaborated closely with some of them to understand the nuances of their experiences and, importantly, to ensure that their voices were genuinely heard. Their insights guided us not only in the narrative but in every choice that we made, from dialogue to the portrayal of emotions. This collaboration was crucial in ensuring that the series honors their resilience and the stories of countless others.”
