Soccer star Paulinho becomes torchbearer in Brazil for his sometimes-persecuted Afro-Brazilian faith
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Paulinho of Brazils Atletico Mineiro gives thanks after scoring during the Brasileirao championship soccer match against Botafogo at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. Paulinho has become a powerful voice for the often-marginalized practitioners of the Candomble religion. (AP Photos/Thomas Santos)Paulinho of Brazils Atletico Mineiro poses for a photo showing his new tattoo that reads "se," or energy in the Yoruba language, which is key to the Candombl religion, at his home in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. Paulinho showed his pride in Candombl during a game after scoring a goal when he took off his shirt, displaying the tattoo for the first time. (AP Photos/Thomas Santos)Brazilian soccer star Paulinho and his mother Ana Christina Sampaio pose for a photo with a small statue of the sea goddess Yemanja, at their home in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Paulinho said he suffered prejudice because of his Candomble faith, like his mother and grandmother before him. (AP Photos/Thomas Santos)FILE - Bayer Leverkusen's Paulinho celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt in Leverkusen, Germany, Monday, May 2, 2022. Paulinho said some of the prejudice he endured, prompted him to leave Brazil for European soccer. In 2018, he moved to German club Bayer Leverkusen in a transfer worth $21 million. He said his faith was never an issue there. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)A fan of Paulinho holds a sign that reads in Portuguese "Paulinho, give me your jersey" during the Brasileirao championship soccer game at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. Paulinho hopes to represent Brazil again at next years Olympics in Paris. (AP Photos/Thomas Santos)Paulinho of Brazils Atletico Mineiro poses for a photo showing his new tattoo that reads "se," or energy in the Yoruba language, which is key to the Candombl religion, at his home in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. Paulinho showed his pride in Candombl during a game after scoring a goal when he took off his shirt, displaying the tattoo for the first time. (AP Photos/Thomas Santos)
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Paulinho of Brazils Atletico Mineiro gives thanks after scoring during the Brasileirao championship soccer match against Botafogo at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. Paulinho has become a powerful voice for the often-marginalized practitioners of the Candomble religion. (AP Photos/Thomas Santos)