Lula Meets Latter-day Saint Leaders, Receives Offer of Aid for Minas Storm Victims

Overview

• At the Palácio do Planalto on February 26, the church outlined its work in Brazil and formally offered help for relief efforts in Minas Gerais' Zona da Mata, where storms have left 59 dead.
• Apostle Ulisses Soares led the delegation alongside U.S. figures Michael O. Leavitt and Gordon Smith, with other Brazilian church representatives also in attendance.
• Church leaders cited their 2024 support for families affected by Rio Grande do Sul floods as a model for the proposed assistance in Minas Gerais.
• They thanked President Lula for protections of religious freedom in Brazil, referencing the 2003 law enacted during his first term.
• Lula asked the church to engage in the National Pact Brazil Against Femicide, and the government’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, joined the meeting.