The traditional Patron Saint Festival, held by the National Sanctuary, attracted more than 494 thousand devotees to the city of Aparecida, in the interior of São Paulo (SP) this year. The party took place between the 3rd and 12th of October.
According to a report released this Monday (13) by the sanctuary, Sunday (12) was the busiest day at the site, bringing together more than 152 thousand faithful who were in the city to pay homage to Our Lady of Aparecida, patron saint of Brazil.
According to the archbishop of Aparecida, Dom Orlando Brandes, around 40 thousand people who were in Aparecida to celebrate this date were pilgrims, people who travel there, usually on foot, to fulfill a promise, give thanks or ask for a favor.
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Appeal to politicians
During the homily held yesterday (12), the archbishop of Aparecida (SP), Dom Orlando Brandes, asked that politicians who were elected by the people vote for laws that are pro-poor.
The speech was made during the 8 am mass and was attended in person by the acting President of the Republic Geraldo Alckmin.
“For many, the poor are invisible, they cannot be seen, there is no sensitivity. For others they are criticized, called vagabonds. Others do not care about the poor. May Mother Aparecida help us and may those who were elected by the people vote for laws favorable to the people of God, favorable to the poor”, said the archbishop, to considerable applause from the public.
In his sermon, Brandes also asked Our Lady of Aparecida to intercede to reduce the country’s inequalities.
“Let’s ask for two hopes for the Brazilian people. First, the reduction of poverty. When poverty decreases, we will experience what peace is, what coexistence is and what life is. The second hope is that social inequalities will reduce, which are many, but it is possible to reduce them.”
Pope
This morning, hunger and poverty were topics of a meeting between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Pope Leo XIV, in the Vatican.
“I congratulated the holy father on the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te and his message that we cannot separate faith from love for the poorest. I told him that we need to create a broad movement of indignation against inequality and I consider the document a reference, which needs to be read and practiced by everyone”, Lula posted on his social networks.
Janja and I had an excellent meeting with His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, at the Vatican. We talked about religion, faith, Brazil and the immense challenges we have to face in the world.
I congratulated the Holy Father on the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te and his message that no… pic.twitter.com/FAmhFdXLN7
— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 13, 2025
