The Papacy of Pius XI (1922-1939) was a great encouragement to missions, within a concept of “conquering souls for God.” The new missions were directly entrusted to religious Congregations. During the following 50 years, the Augustinian Recollects would be officially in charge of the territory, with the prelate belonging to the same Order and making him dependent on what the religious Order intended and accepted.
The Church in Brazil grew and expanded, maintaining a close relationship with the State. The 1934 Constitution declared Catholicism the official religion. There were large charitable institutions, schools and hospitals, and social and labor movements. Even so, the Church remained marked by conservatism and an attachment to power.
The World War II brought about a return of population growth to the Prelature due to the second rubber boom. However, it did not bring about improvements, and after 1945 there was another significant decline in the region’s economy, exacerbating social problems.
In 1952, the figure of Hélder Câmara began to stand out for his defense of social justice. Two years later, in 1954, the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops) was created. These were the first steps of a vision that was further developed with the Second Vatican Council, convened in 1963. With it came pastoral renewal, a deeper understanding of the Church’s identity and mission, the autonomy of prelates in organizing the Mission, the arrival of new missionary congregations, and the new role of the laity…
With Paul VI (1963 to 1978), the Council’s principles were openly applied: openness to the world, dialogue, service, liturgical renewal, a new way of understanding mission, and strengthening the Social Doctrine of the Church. In 1964, the first Lenten Campaign of Fraternity was held, a hallmark of the Church in Brazil with the proposal of social conversion.
During the period of the military regime (1964 to 1985), prominent figures of the Church in Brazil emerged as models for the Universal Church: Hélder Câmara, Paulo Evaristo Arns, Pedro Casaldáliga, Aloísio Lorscheider… All were persecuted for defending human rights, social justice, indigenous and riverside communities, rural farmers, the poor and vulnerable. They contributed greatly to the democratization of Brazil.
In 1968, the Latin American Church Conference was held in Medellín, Colombia. Basic ecclesial communities (CEBs) emerged strongly, and in pastoral practice, a more holistic vision of faith (society, economy, culture, politics) arose. The “preferential option for the poor” and the “option for youth” emerged. Subsequent CELAM conferences would add to this same line.
In 1972, the Santarem Meeting (Pará) took place to implement the CELAM agreements. It was very decisive for the Prelature of Labrea, with the participation of Bishop Florentino Zabalza. In that same year, 1972, the Indigenous Missionary Council was created, and in 1975, the Pastoral Land Commission, in the midst of the dictatorship. These have marked the history of the Amazon region from a perspective of faith transforming reality. Within the Prelature, these values were embraced more strongly in the 1980s.
The papacy of John Paul II (1978 to 2005) was long and contradictory for the Church, with a mixture of progress in its mission, the people’s affection for the Pope and the secularization of societies, the rise of neo-Pentecostalism (which now represents more than 31% of Brazilians), questioning of the liberation theology line, and a certain wave of conservatism and clericalism.
Polarization grew within the Churches, but the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops) managed to approve joint pastoral plans with its General Guidelines for Evangelization.
Under Benedict XVI (2005 to 2013), the Church continued to face a profound internal and external crisis, with conflicting positions, misinformation, and polarization within the Church, just as was happening in society.
In 2007, CELAM met in Aparecida (São Paulo) with the theme “Missionary Disciples in the Service of the Kingdom of Life.” The Church thus sought to move away from being inward-looking, focusing on numbers, visibility, prestige, or social power.
Pope Francis (2013-2025), the first Latin American Pope, resumed the main themes of Vatican II: a return to the Gospel, to Jesus, to the Kingdom, to a Church that is the people of God, synodal, outward-looking, with a face of mercy, open to dialogue, concerned with the care of our common home, with justice, and with the poor and vulnerable.
The Church promotes an economy for and by people, an education for fraternity, and social friendship among peoples, cultures, and religions. A Church that fosters hope amidst great difficulties, crises, wars, and technological changes.
The Catholic Church in the world, in Brazil, and in the Prelature today, during the Papacy of the Augustinian Leo XIV, faces the challenge of dealing with technocratic societies, with the power to influence and even diminish the importance of or replace the true religious experience, the sense of Christian community.
The Pastoral Ministry for Initiation into Christian Life seeks committed individuals within a vibrant community, offering proclamation and commitment that transforms the inner life of the person and the society we all build.
