Pope Leo XIV received, on the morning of this Monday (January 26th), the presidency of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), composed of the president, Cardinal Jaime Spengler, OFM, Archbishop of Porto Alegre; by Dom João Justino de Medeiros Silva, Archbishop of Goiânia and first vice-president; by Dom Paulo Jáckson Nóbrega de Sousa, Archbishop of Olinda and Recife and second vice-president; and by Fr. Ricardo Hoepers, Auxiliary Bishop of Brasília and secretary-general.
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It has the world largest Catholic population of 182 million - or 13% of the world's Catholics; of the Brazilian population (2025), of over 213 million people.
The Official language of Brazil is Portuguese. The bishops' conference known as - Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil - CNBB, is composed of over 460 primary and auxiliary bishops and archbishops. The (2021 stats) are 12,277 parishes, 6,107 mission stations (300 with resident priest, 5,807 without resident priest), 33,092 other centres Clergy: 461 bishops (266 diocesan, 195 titular), 22,763 priests (15,774 diocesan, 6,989 religious), 5,606 permanent deacons (5,568 diocesan, 38 religious) Non-Clergy: 26,602 religious (2,264 brothers, 24,338 sisters).
The Official language of Brazil is Portuguese. The bishops' conference known as - Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil - CNBB, is composed of over 460 primary and auxiliary bishops and archbishops. The (2021 stats) are 12,277 parishes, 6,107 mission stations (300 with resident priest, 5,807 without resident priest), 33,092 other centres Clergy: 461 bishops (266 diocesan, 195 titular), 22,763 priests (15,774 diocesan, 6,989 religious), 5,606 permanent deacons (5,568 diocesan, 38 religious) Non-Clergy: 26,602 religious (2,264 brothers, 24,338 sisters).
The audience is part of the annual visit, Ad limina, that the CNBB (National Conference of Bishops of Brazil) makes to the Vatican, during which meetings are held with the various dicasteries that make up the Holy See. According to Bishop Jaime, the meeting with the Successor of Peter was "a special moment to deepen the spirit of communion and collaboration between the Episcopal Conference of Brazil and the Holy Father."
On that occasion, Cardinal Spengler stated, it was possible to share with the Pope the experiences recently lived by the Church in Brazil, as well as the repercussions of important ecclesial events held in the country, such as COP30. A report on the activities developed by the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops) over the past year was also presented.
In a fraternal and relaxed manner, it was also recalled that the last General Assembly of the Conference had to be suspended, since the preacher invited to open the meeting was called to assume the ministry as Successor of Peter. The president of the CNBB highlighted that it was a respectful and fruitful meeting, in which the Church in Brazil reaffirmed its willingness to collaborate with the Pontiff, who, in turn, expressed his pastoral closeness to the Brazilian people.
The visit of the CNBB presidency to Rome takes place in a significant context, marked by the celebration of 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the Holy See, held last week, and also by the 15th anniversary of the Brazil-Holy See Agreement. Added to this is the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the missions in southern Brazil, which played a decisive role in the historical and territorial formation of the country, both in the Amazon region and in the South.
During this week, the Conference presidency is also upholding the tradition of visiting the various bodies of the Roman Curia, promoting a fraternal dialogue on the life and mission of the Church. On Monday, the agenda also included a visit to the Dicastery for Communication and a meeting with Prefect Paolo Ruffini to discuss the challenges of communication and the evangelizing mission of the Church in contemporary times.
On that occasion, Cardinal Spengler stated, it was possible to share with the Pope the experiences recently lived by the Church in Brazil, as well as the repercussions of important ecclesial events held in the country, such as COP30. A report on the activities developed by the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops) over the past year was also presented.
In a fraternal and relaxed manner, it was also recalled that the last General Assembly of the Conference had to be suspended, since the preacher invited to open the meeting was called to assume the ministry as Successor of Peter. The president of the CNBB highlighted that it was a respectful and fruitful meeting, in which the Church in Brazil reaffirmed its willingness to collaborate with the Pontiff, who, in turn, expressed his pastoral closeness to the Brazilian people.
The visit of the CNBB presidency to Rome takes place in a significant context, marked by the celebration of 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the Holy See, held last week, and also by the 15th anniversary of the Brazil-Holy See Agreement. Added to this is the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the missions in southern Brazil, which played a decisive role in the historical and territorial formation of the country, both in the Amazon region and in the South.
During this week, the Conference presidency is also upholding the tradition of visiting the various bodies of the Roman Curia, promoting a fraternal dialogue on the life and mission of the Church. On Monday, the agenda also included a visit to the Dicastery for Communication and a meeting with Prefect Paolo Ruffini to discuss the challenges of communication and the evangelizing mission of the Church in contemporary times.
https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/mundo/numero-de-catolicos-cresce-no-mundo-brasil-segue-sendo-o-pais-com-mais-fieis/
https://www.vaticannews.va/pt/papa/news/2026-01/papa-leao-recebe-presidencia-da-cnbb-em-audiencia-no-vaticano.html
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