Pope Leo’s message for the “Fraternity Campaign” of Bishops of Brazil
Vatican, 11 February 2026, liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)
Matthew 25:35-40
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 The righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?
38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?
39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’
Pope Leo’s message
’Dear brothers and sisters from Brazil!
“The solemn season of Lent has arrived, reminding us to humble our souls and chastise our bodies through prayer and fasting more earnestly and intensely than at other times of the year”.
St. Augustine wrote these words in one of his sermons on the liturgical season of Lent.
During this time, we receive a special call from God to authentic conversion.
We redirect our whole life to Him as we follow in the footsteps of Our Lord’s through fasting and penance.
He withdrew into the desert for forty days.
During this time of intense prayer, we are also invited to practice the virtue of charity toward the poor and needy with renewed commitment, because Christ identifies with them.
May the Holy Spirit, the author of our sanctification, guide us on this journey.
For more than sixty years, the Church in Brazil has held the Fraternity Campaign to support the faithful during Lent..
During this time, the Church directs its pastoral and charitable actions toward the poor – the true recipients of our preferential love.
As I wrote in the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te, “There is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor” (no. 36), and “we need to be increasingly committed to resolving the structural causes of poverty” (no. 94).
Inspired by the motto “He came to dwell among us” (John 1:14), this year’s proposal is to support our brothers and sisters suffering from a lack of decent housing, as was proposed in 1993.
My holy predecessor, St. John Paul II, (in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 17) invited us to turn our attention to
“the millions of people lacking adequate housing or with no housing at all. in order to awaken everyone’s conscience and to find solutions to this serious problem which has negative consequences for individuals, families and society”.
He added “the lack of housing, an extremely serious problem in itself, should be seen as a sign and summing-up of a whole series of shortcomings – economic, social, cultural or simply human in nature”
In this sense, I hope that reflection on the harsh reality of inadequate housing, which affects so many of our brothers and sisters, inspire more than isolated emergency aid.
I also hope it raises awareness that sharing the gifts generously granted to us by the Lord cannot be restricted to a period of the year, a campaign, or a few specific actions.
Rather, it must be an ongoing commitment to encountering Christ in those who have nowhere to live.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I hope that the Fraternity Campaign initiatives will inspire government authorities to promote public policies that will improve the housing conditions of those those in greatest need.
I entrust these wishes to Our Lady’s care.
She found no place to give birth to the Redeemer in Bethlehem,
“Yet she reigns as Queen and Patroness of Brazil in the National Shrine of Aparecida.
As a pledge of abundant graces, I gladly impart my apostolic blessing to the sons and daughters of the beloved Brazilian nation, especially to those striving to ensure decent housing for all.
