The Most Famous

RELIGIOUS FIGURES from Brazil

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This page contains a list of the greatest Brazilian Religious Figures. The pantheon dataset contains 3,187 Religious Figures, 17 of which were born in Brazil. This makes Brazil the birth place of the 31st most number of Religious Figures behind Netherlands, and Hungary.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Brazilian Religious Figures of all time. This list of famous Brazilian Religious Figures is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Brazilian Religious Figures.

Photo of Hélder Câmara

1. Hélder Câmara (1909 - 1999)

With an HPI of 61.06, Hélder Câmara is the most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages on wikipedia.

Hélder Pessoa Câmara (7 February 1909 – 27 August 1999) was a Brazilian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Olinda and Recife from 1964 to 1985 during the military dictatorship in Brazil. He was declared a Servant of God in 2015. A self-identified socialist, Câmara was an advocate of liberation theology. He did social and political work for the poor and for human rights and democracy during the military regime. Câmara preached for a church closer to the disfavoured people. He is quoted as having said, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist."

Photo of Leonardo Boff

2. Leonardo Boff (b. 1938)

With an HPI of 60.10, Leonardo Boff is the 2nd most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Leonardo Boff (Portuguese: [leoˈnaʁdu ˈbɔf]; born Genézio Darci Boff; pronounced [ʒeˈnɛzju daʁˈsi ˈbɔf]; 14 December 1938) is a Brazilian theologian, philosopher writer, and former Catholic priest known for his active support for Latin American liberation theology. He is professor emeritus of ethics, philosophy of religion, and ecology at the Rio de Janeiro State University. In 2001, he received the Right Livelihood Award for "his inspiring insights and practical work to help people realise the links between human spirituality, social justice and environmental stewardship."

Photo of Cláudio Hummes

3. Cláudio Hummes (1934 - 2022)

With an HPI of 58.01, Cláudio Hummes is the 3rd most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Cláudio Hummes, OFM (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklawdʒu ˈʁum(i)s]; born Auri Alfonso Hummes; 8 August 1934 – 4 July 2022) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 2006 to 2010, having served as Archbishop of Fortaleza from 1996 to 1998 and Archbishop of São Paulo from 1998 to 2006. A member of the Order of Friars Minor and an outspoken proponent of social justice, he was made a cardinal in 2001.

Photo of Geraldo Majella Agnelo

4. Geraldo Majella Agnelo (1933 - 2023)

With an HPI of 55.10, Geraldo Majella Agnelo is the 4th most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Geraldo Majella Agnelo (19 October 1933 – 26 August 2023) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who was archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia from 1999 to 2011. He became a bishop in 1978 and served as bishop of Toledo from 1978 to 1982 and archbishop of Londrina from 1982 to 1991. He served in the Roman Curia as secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1991 to 1999. Agnelo was raised to the rank of cardinal in 2001.

Photo of João Braz de Aviz

5. João Braz de Aviz (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 52.49, João Braz de Aviz is the 5th most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

João Braz de Aviz (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʒuˈɐ̃w ˈbɾaz dʒi aˈvis]; born 24 April 1947) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011. He began his career working for twenty years as a parish priest and seminary teacher. He became a bishop in 1994 and was bishop of Ponta Grossa from 1998 to 2002, archbishop of Maringá from 2002 to 2004, and archbishop of Brasília from 2004 to 2011.

Photo of Paulo Evaristo Arns

6. Paulo Evaristo Arns (1921 - 2016)

With an HPI of 51.64, Paulo Evaristo Arns is the 6th most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Paulo Evaristo Arns OFM (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈpawlu evaˈɾistu ˈaʁns]; 14 September 1921 – 14 December 2016) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church, who was made a cardinal and the Archbishop of São Paulo by Pope Paul VI, and later became cardinal protopriest. His ministry began with a twenty-year academic career, but when charged with responsibility for the Sao Paulo Archdiocese he proved a relentless opponent of Brazil's military dictatorship and its use of torture as well as an advocate for the poor and a vocal defender of liberation theology. In his later years he openly criticized the way Pope John Paul II governed the Catholic Church through the Roman Curia and questioned his teaching on priestly celibacy and other issues.

Photo of Frei Galvão

7. Frei Galvão (1739 - 1822)

With an HPI of 51.12, Frei Galvão is the 7th most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Anthony of St. Ann Galvão, O.F.M. (Antônio de Sant'Anna Galvão; 13 May 1739 – 23 December 1822 ), commonly known in Brazil as Frei Galvão, was a Brazilian friar of the Franciscan Order. One of the best-known religious figures in colonial Brazil, renowned for his healing powers, Galvão was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 May 2007, becoming the first Brazilian-born saint. He was the second Brazilian to be proclaimed a saint by the Catholic Church.

Photo of José Freire Falcão

8. José Freire Falcão (1925 - 2021)

With an HPI of 50.82, José Freire Falcão is the 8th most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

José Freire Falcão (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʒoˈzɛ ˈfɾejɾi fawˈkɐ̃w]; 23 October 1925 – 26 September 2021) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who was archbishop of Brasília from 1984 to 2004. He was created a cardinal in 1988.

Photo of Irmã Dulce

9. Irmã Dulce (1914 - 1992)

With an HPI of 50.34, Irmã Dulce is the 9th most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Dulce de Souza Lopes Pontes, S.M.I.C., widely known as Irmã Dulce (English: "Sister Dulce") and also as Saint Dulce of the Poor (born Maria Rita de Souza Pontes; 26 May 1914 – 13 March 1992), was a Brazilian Catholic member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, who belong to the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. She is known worldwide as an advocate for the poor of her country and was the founder of the Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce ("Charitable Works Foundation of Sister Dulce"). In 1949, Pontes started caring for the poorest of the poor in her convent's chicken yard in Salvador, Bahia. Today, more than 3,000 people arrive every day at this same site (where the Santo Antônio Hospital now stands) to receive free medical treatment. She also established CESA, a school for the poor in Simões Filho, one of the most impoverished cities in the state of Bahia. At the time of her death in 1992, Pontes had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, she had received two personal audiences with Pope John Paul II, and she had, almost single-handedly, created one of the largest and most respected philanthropic organizations in Brazil. She was named the most admired woman in the history of Brazil by O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper and the most influential religious person in Brazil during the 20th century, by ISTOÉ magazine. In 2011, Pontes was beatified with papal approval by Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo, the penultimate step toward sainthood. In May 2019, Pope Francis, during an audience given to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Prefect Giovanni Angelo Becciu, recognized a second miracle, which was needed to declare her a saint. She was canonized by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019, making her the first Brazilian female saint.

Photo of Aloísio Lorscheider

10. Aloísio Lorscheider (1924 - 2007)

With an HPI of 49.32, Aloísio Lorscheider is the 10th most famous Brazilian Religious Figure.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Aloísio Leo Arlindo Lorscheider, O.F.M. (8 October 1924 – 23 December 2007) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic cardinal during the 1970s and 1980s. He was known as an advocate of liberation theology in the 1970s and was seen by some observers as a serious candidate for the papacy in the two conclaves of 1978.

People

Pantheon has 18 people classified as Brazilian religious figures born between 1739 and 1967. Of these 18, 7 (38.89%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Brazilian religious figures include Leonardo Boff, João Braz de Aviz, and Odilo Scherer. The most famous deceased Brazilian religious figures include Hélder Câmara, Cláudio Hummes, and Geraldo Majella Agnelo. As of April 2024, 1 new Brazilian religious figures have been added to Pantheon including Paulo Cezar Costa.

Living Brazilian Religious Figures

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Deceased Brazilian Religious Figures

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Newly Added Brazilian Religious Figures (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Religious Figures were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 11 most globally memorable Religious Figures since 1700.