Overview

• Archbishop Dom Orlando Brandes asked elected officials to pass laws favoring the poor and called for a reduction in poverty and inequality during the main Mass at the Santuário Nacional.
• Vice President and acting president Geraldo Alckmin was present at the solemn celebration, while Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes did not attend, with Gilberto Kassab representing the state government.
• Attendance reports differed, with G1 and O Globo citing about 35,000 people per service at the shrine’s central altar area, while Valor Econômico reported 150,000 at the Mass and 40,000 pilgrims arriving on foot, attributing the figures to the cardinal.
• The shrine scheduled multiple services throughout the day under the theme “Com Maria, Mãe da Esperança, conhecer Jesus e cuidar da vida,” which the church says aligns with the 2025 Jubilee focus on hope and care for life.
• Local devotions unfolded across São Paulo state, including a river procession in Laranjal Paulista with about 150 participants reenacting the ‘Pesca Milagrosa’ and a 15 km pilgrimage near São José do Rio Preto expected to draw roughly 1,000 faithful.