Belém, BRAZIL — From May 4 to 8, 2026, the city of Belém, in the state of Pará, hosted the Annual Assembly of the Superiors of the Circumscriptions belonging to the Capuchin Conference of Brazil (CCB). The proceedings were led by Br. Roberildo Sousa Araújo, President of the CCB and Provincial Minister of the Province of Ceará and Piauí.
The CCB Conference, founded 61 years ago, is currently composed of the superiors of the 12 circumscriptions, namely 10 provinces and 2 provincial custodies. Enriching these days of sharing were the presence of Br. Silvio do Socorro de Almeida Pereira, Vicar General and General Councilor for Brazil; Br. Cristian Mauricio Monge Rivera, representing the Capuchin Conference of Hispanic America (CCH); and Br. Eduardo Janderson da Cunha Meneses, executive secretary of the CCB.
The Assembly provided the superiors with an opportunity to share the experiences of the various communities scattered throughout Brazil, while also evaluating the work of the eleven working commissions currently operating within the conference, each led by a superior and supported by other brothers. Reflections focused on several crucial aspects of Capuchin life and service to the Church, addressing topics such as formation, mission, communications, evangelization, justice, peace, and integrity of creation (JPIC), and the protection of minors, as well as organizing some common elements of the journey toward the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Capuchin Reform.
As a tangible result of this commitment and the long process of work done by the commissions, the assembly approved two important guiding documents: the text of the Ratio Formationis Localis, which will now be reviewed by the General Curia and the conference’s Statute on Mission and Evangelization. The meeting proved to be a testament to fraternal life and a willingness to walk together, with the certainty that the reflections that have matured and the decisions that have been made will bear abundant fruit for the Capuchin charism in Brazil and beyond its borders.