Brazil Catholics undeterred by downsized services

Catholic worshippers in Brazil have been flocking to one of the most important celebrations of the year to honour the nation's patron saint, despite church efforts to scale down the events due to the pandemic.

The sanctuary complex in Aparecida, some 110 miles (175 kilometers) north of Sao Paulo, hummed with activity, even if it was far less busy than in past years.

People filed into a snaking line to catch a glimpse of the image of Our Lady of Aparecida; they wore masks, but distancing was negligible.

Jhony Gomes, 31, carried a cross over his shoulder on the highway as he drew near to Aparecida.

He said he was surprised to find so many fellow pilgrims on the road during the pandemic, but said it reflected the sanctuary's importance.

"Even if the church had closed, I would've brought the cross and left it at the door. It's a moment of faith, a time when the world needs more prayer, with all this madness," Gomes said.

For the main Mass itself, the church limited each pew to just two worshippers sitting on either end.

Church authorities instead asked Brazilians to make their own altar and tune in from home on television or radio, write a letter and share photos on social media of oneself watching services.

Nevertheless, huddled just outside was Zenaide Maria de Jesus, one of several listening to the muffled service through thick, closed wooden doors.

She had driven 2½ hours because she needed thank God for, among other things, sparing her son from the virus.

"We have to be grateful, when my son got (COVID-19) it was in the beginning (of the pandemic), everybody was in panic, in my head it was like you catch it you die," she said.

After the pandemic hit the country in mid-March, Brazil's National Conference of Bishops suspended in-person Masses and indoor celebrations.

But people have grown weary of hunkering down, particularly as the numbers of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths have declined somewhat from an elevated, months-long plateau.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, who is Catholic, throughout the pandemic has encouraged religious leaders to challenge quarantine measures — siding with a sizable number of evangelical pastors who encouraged people to show up for in-person services.

Governors and mayors started relaxing restrictions in June, but it remains rare to find Catholic churches packed in major cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

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