Brazil’s Catholic Prison Pastoral Ministry faces ongoing barriers to spiritual aid for inmates, prompting bishops to seek federal intervention amid claims of favoritism toward Evangelical groups
Newsroom (15/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a direct appeal to federal authorities, leaders of Brazil’s Catholic Prison Pastoral Ministry met with Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski in November to highlight persistent restrictions on spiritual assistance for incarcerated individuals, amid reports of bureaucratic hurdles, limited access, and perceived disparities in treatment compared to Evangelical churches.
The initiative came after years of mounting complaints from pastoral agents across the country, who describe a penal system increasingly closed to Catholic ministry efforts. Sister Petra Pfaller, the German-born head of the Prison Pastoral Ministry, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Ricardo Hoepers of Brasília – secretary general of the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference – presented Lewandowski with a detailed report on November 18.
The document revealed stark challenges: 64 percent of pastoral agents have been denied entry to prisons due to religious items they carry, such as liturgical objects and sacramental wine. Between June 2022 and October 2025, at least 18 documented cases violated inmates’ constitutional right to religious assistance.
Father Almir Ramos, vice president of the Prison Pastoral Ministry, described a nationwide pattern of limitations that have intensified in recent years. “The penal system enforces several restrictions,” he told Crux. “In many places, pastoral agents cannot get close to the inmates. We can only talk to them through a small hatch or from an upper level to a lower one.”
Agents frequently cite excuses from prison officials, including ongoing construction, staffing shortages, or security concerns. Father Marcelo Moreira Santiago, a leader in Minas Gerais state, noted that understaffing leads to frequent cancellations. “When we arrive for our visit, they tell us they are short-staffed and that, for safety reasons, we can’t go in. But that happens quite frequently,” he said.
Scheduling conflicts exacerbate the issue, with visits often confined to work hours. In Mariana, for instance, visits occur on Friday afternoons, making participation difficult for volunteers with regular employment.
In Mato Grosso do Sul, pastoral agent Rosilda Ribeiro reported a sharp decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic biweekly visits have been reduced to monthly one-hour sessions. With teams of five or six agents serving facilities housing hundreds or thousands – particularly in men’s penitentiaries – meaningful individual interaction becomes nearly impossible. To compensate, the ministry has begun scheduling weekly Masses.
Some facilities have introduced prison radio systems, requiring the Pastoral Ministry to submit pre-recorded content on flash drives as their sole means of outreach. “In other words, they don’t want the Pastoral to get into the prison,” Ramos explained.
Delays in credential processing compound the difficulties, with documents sometimes arriving expired. Bringing in essential religious materials remains “almost impossible” in certain institutions, Ramos added.
Pastoral agents acknowledge underlying tensions. Beyond spiritual support, the Prison Pastoral Ministry monitors living conditions, denounces human rights abuses, and advocates for reforms – activities that can strain relations with authorities.
“Our pastoral ministry is often punished for reporting mistreatment,” Santiago said. “The system imposes restrictions or bureaucratic hurdles on our visits.”
Ribeiro echoed this view: “The system is partially closed to the Catholic Church because our perspective takes human dignity into account – and that is often not accepted.”
In contrast, several agents report greater openness toward Evangelical denominations, including the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Some prisons feature cell blocks dominated by Evangelical inmates acting as pastors. Ramos cited accounts of prisoners feeling pressured to convert for survival within the system.
Santiago suggested that active outreach by certain Evangelical groups to guards and directors has resulted in institutional privileges.
The landscape shifted during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2022), when partial militarization of the penal system coincided with reduced Catholic access in multiple states and expanded Evangelical presence. Ramos expressed cautious optimism under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s current government, noting early policy changes that could reverse the trend.
Minister Lewandowski reportedly listened attentively to the delegation’s concerns and pledged support. According to Pfaller, he committed to addressing the issues, with a dedicated event planned for next year to tackle the obstacles to religious assistance in Brazil’s prisons.
The bishops’ intervention underscores growing frustration within the Catholic community over what agents describe as systemic impediments to fulfilling inmates’ spiritual needs – a constitutional guarantee increasingly difficult to uphold in practice.
- Raju Hasmukh with files form Crux Now
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