A group of 40 children and adolescents in the adoption queue visited today (27), the Cristo Redentor Sanctuary in the third edition of the Braços Abertos para Adoção campaign, an initiative of the Court of Justice of Rio with the support of the Archdiocesan Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer and the Train of Corcovado. The purpose of the meeting was to encourage and give visibility to the issue of adoption, highlighting the importance of welcoming these young people. 
At the event, the children received snacks, gifts, visited the facilities of Cristo Redentor, mostly for the first time, received information about the history of the monument’s construction and showed emotion during the tour.
“It’s really cool, I’m loving it,” said Samanta happily, who has lived in a shelter for three years. Bernardo highlighted what he liked the most: “I loved watching the Maracanã”. Brothers Juan, 12, and Renan, 13, have been waiting for adoption for about a year and have never been to Christ. The two already have plans for the future: joining the military career.
The president of the Court of Justice of Rio, judge Henrique Carlos de Andrade Figueira, said that the initiative is a source of pride for the Judiciary.
“We always have to work with those who do good, with those who are always close to people, looking out for the needy. The Church, represented here, is a very strong arm in this beautiful, important work that we help to carry out in our city, in our state. This Open Arms for Adoption program is an initiative that makes all Brazilian Justice very proud, especially the Justice of Rio de Janeiro”, he said.
Judge Sérgio Luiz Ribeiro de Souza, from the Judicial Coordination of Articulation of the Courts of Childhood, Youth and Elderly, stressed the importance of not idealizing standards for adoption.
“Our idea is to bring these children and adolescents to the community, introduce them to a wonderful tourist spot and remind people of the real adoption, with whom it really exists, is up for adoption and only this sign of love is awaited”, he said.
The rector of the Cristo Redentor Sanctuary, Father Omar Raposo, made a brief celebration at the place, with prayer and words of love and hope.
“Christ has been with open arms for 91 years, looking out over the city, being really a great symbol of our country, which communicates hope, welcome, truth and love. An event that is already in its third edition and that undoubtedly brings an advance in our awareness around a topic that is so sensitive. Welcome everyone to Christ the Redeemer, it’s such a beautiful day to celebrate, God gave us a special morning, may our children here be marked by joy and faith. May the whole of society look more generously at this topic that is so important to all of us,” he said.
adoptions
Maria Beatriz, 10, and Thales, 9, attended the event, but already with a great achievement: the two were adopted about a week ago. She now lives in Tijuca with her parents and a 21-year-old sister; he has a new residence in Andaraí with the affection of his father and mother. Both were about a year and a half waiting for adoption.
Currently, in the state of Rio, there are 254 children available for adoption, according to the National System of Adoption and Reception (SNA) of the National Council of Justice (CNJ). Of this total, 83.1% are brown or black, most are male (59.7%) and more than half are over 8 years old. 40 children and adolescents from 5 to 17 years old participated in the visit.
