Ayala Ferreira, a member of the Landless Workers Movement (MST), gave Pope Leo XIV an image of Ossanha made with candomblé beads.
Ossanha is the orixá – a deity of African origin venerated by Afro-Brazilian religions such as Umbanda and Candomblé – associated with leaves and healing.
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Ferreira was among the nearly 130 delegates that Pope Leo XIV received on October 23 in the Paul VI Hall, within the framework of the V International Meeting of Popular Movements and its jubilee pilgrimage.
From Brazil, in addition to the MST, representatives of the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST), the National Movement of Recyclable Materials Collectors (MNCR) and the National Center of Africanity and Afro-Brazilian Resistance (CENARAB) participated.
Popular movements are participating in the Jubilee of Popular Movements this weekend, which will conclude with a mass in St. Peter’s Square.
In his speech, the Pope recalled that the meetings in the Vatican with social movements and organizations linked to the fight for causes such as land and work were initiated by Pope Francis.
“Echoing the calls of Francis,” said Leo XIV, “today I say: land, home and work are sacred rights, worth fighting for, and I want you to hear me say: Here I am! I am with you!”
“The Church must be with you: a poor Church for the poor, a Church on the way out, a Church that takes risks, a courageous, prophetic and joyful Church,” he continued.
“What I consider most important is that your service is inspired by love,” he said. “Indeed, when cooperatives and work groups are formed to feed the hungry, house the homeless, rescue the shipwrecked, care for children, create jobs, access land and build homes, we must remember that we are not promoting ideologies, but truly living the Gospel.”
“At the heart of the Gospel is the commandment of love, and Jesus told us that his own face is hidden in the faces and wounds of the poor,” he continued.
“It is beautiful to see that popular movements, even in the face of demands for justice, are driven by the desire for love, against all individualism and prejudice.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in ACI Digital
Nathália Queiroz
I have been writing for ACI Digital for eight years and since 2023 I have been a correspondent in Brazil for the news program EWTN Noticias. I am certified in Spanish by the Cervantes Institute. I have experience writing religious content for Catholic media in Portuguese and Spanish and translating religious websites. I am married, have three children and have been a catechist for more than 15 years. I write from Petrópolis, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).