Brazil

Capital: Brasilia

Major Language: Portuguese

Area: 8.5 million km2

Population: 214 million

HDI Rank: 84 of 189

Major Religion:

Catholic: 138 million (64.6%)

Other Religions:

Protestant: 56 million (26%)

Other: 21 million (9.8%)

General Information:

Brazil is a former colony of Portugal, and got its independence in 1822. The nation has a highly diverse population, including Europeans, mixed race (Mestizos and Mulatto), descendants of African slaves and Asians. Brazil is known for its “Christ the Redeemer”, 120-foot-tall statue of Jesus. The country is also known for its world-famous “Carnival”. Samba music from Brazil is popular and “Feijoada” is Brazilian’s national dish. Brazil has a large population, including thousands of street children, living in slums, called “favelas”. Most popular sport is soccer.

Religious Background:

Catholicism was first introduced to Brazil with the arrival of the Portuguese. The nation has the world’s largest population of Catholics, and Catholicism has remained the dominant and influential religion among the people. The Catholic faith is syncretized with indigenous beliefs of natives as well as African practices, such as Candomble and Umbanda. Since the 2000s, there has been a rapid growth in secularism and Evangelicalism. Many Brazilians profess to be atheist or non-religious. The country has one of the largest Jewish communities in the world.

Catholic background:

The first mass in Brazil was held in 1500, and efforts to grow the Catholic Church were largely taken up by the Jesuits and Franciscans. In 1824, Catholicism became the state religion. Between 1970 to 2000, Catholicism grew exponentially, and though it has declined since then, Brazil still has the highest number of Catholics in the world. Catholicism in Brazil is struggling with nominalism and spiritism. The Church is composed of 44 archdioceses, 216 dioceses and 9,222 parishes. Patron saint: Our Lady of Aparecida.

Prayer Points

1. Brazilians to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior

Pray that everyone will get an opportunity to hear the gospel and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

2. Catholics to know Christ

Pray for the salvation of 138 million Catholics in Brazil.
Catholicism is influenced by African and Native Brazilian traditions and practices. Pray for a real hunger among Brazilian Catholics to know Christ.
Ask God to reveal Himself to the millions of Catholics who do not know Him, and that they will see Jesus as their only hope for salvation. Pray that they would open their hearts to Him.
Ask God to enable Catholics to know that salvation is not a result of good works, but only by faith in what God accomplished in Christ on the cross.
Pray for all the Catholics attending the 9,222 parishes to come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Pray for the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, 16,853 priests, 13,282 brothers and 32,827 sisters.
Pray for the thousands of Catholics who have come to Christ to grow spiritually and be His fruitful witnesses.

3. Evangelicals to grow and multiply

Evangelicals grew from 2 million in 1960 to an estimated 55 million by 2020. They have very strong prayer movements and are a missionary sending nation. Pray that the Brazilian church will continue to grow and bear much fruit. Ask God to multiply the numbers of Evangelicals willing to be trained and sent out to reach the lost.

4. Social evils and issues in the country

A huge population in the major cities, especially Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo live in slums where there is violence, prostitution, narcotics and other criminal activities. Pray that they may know Christ the Redeemer personally as their Savior.

5. Other Religions

Pray for the Spiritists, Umbandists, Candomblers, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and minorities of Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and other groups. Pray that God would open their spiritual eyes and they will surrender their hearts to Him alone.