National Campaign Seminar in Brasília Prepares Church for 2027 Focus on Child Care

The National Campaign Seminar was held in Brasília from Thursday, September 24, to Sunday, September 27, 2026. The event gathered representatives from regional bodies, dioceses, pastoral groups, movements, and partner institutions. The primary goal was to train individuals to spread the proposal of the 2027 Fraternity Campaign to communities across the country. The upcoming campaign will focus on the theme of fraternity and the care of children, using the motto that receiving a child in the name of Jesus is receiving Jesus himself.

The campaign proposes a path of Christian conversion for shared responsibility in caring for children within families, the Church, and society. It aims to promote children's rights and ensure that any case of abuse is addressed from the perspective of the victims. The general secretary of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, Dom Ricardo Hoepers, presented the basic guidelines and showed a video from the Vatican regarding the protection of minors.

Participants analyzed topics such as health, education, the right to play, sexual violence, adultization, mental health, and the impact of technology. A priest presented the reality of children in light of Scripture, while a professor discussed the ethics of care, describing it as what gives human beings their humanity. On Saturday, four children from catechism classes spoke with the participants in a circle, requesting a language that everyone can understand, more welcome for the poor, and more Catholic content on the internet. They also suggested a pastoral of sport and sent a message to Pope Leo XIV noting the existence of many luxury churches.

Dom Ricardo presented seven verbs to guide action: to welcome, listen, form, protect, educate, articulate, and influence. In a synodal circle, Dom Severino Clasen suggested that the national conference promote a study with a document and a year of reflection on childhoods. There was also hope expressed that all dioceses would have organized guardianship committees by the end of the campaign.

The seminar also covered the National Solidarity Fund, which approved 137 out of 174 evaluated projects, releasing more than 5 million Brazilian reais. A new call for projects will open after Easter. A practical guide for fund projects and a free course for the 2027 campaign, consisting of 7 modules and 40 video lessons, were also released. The network training program reported that more than 20,000 people have completed some form of training since 2024. The event concluded on Sunday with a sending mass presided over by Dom Severino Clasen, archbishop of Maringá.