Brazil's Catholic Church Launches 2026 Fraternity Campaign Focused on Housing

Overview

• The CNBB opened the campaign on Feb. 18 in Brasília under the theme Fraternidade e Moradia, framing a home as foundational to human dignity.
• Pope Leão XIV’s message, released the same day by the Vatican, calls for initiatives arising from the campaign to inspire public housing policies.
• Local rollouts are underway nationwide, with openings reported in Manaus, São Luís, Rio Branco, Teresina, Fortaleza and Santarém.
• The program features the installation of Timothy Schmalz’s Cristo Sem Teto in Aparecida on Feb. 21 followed by an inaugural Mass on Feb. 22.
• The effort highlights deficit data and policy tools, citing 6.2 million families without adequate housing, about 328,000 people on the streets, a 2022–2023 deficit dip to 5.97 million, and Minha Casa Minha Vida’s 1.9 million contracts toward a 3 million target by end-2026, alongside a Palm Sunday solidarity collection that splits funds 60% locally and 40% nationally.