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Brazil’s Catholic youth want more doctrine, a reverent liturgy, and less politics, survey finds

July 22, 2026 · 1 min read

Young Catholics in Brazil are thirsting for more formation about the Church and say there is an excessive emphasis on sociopolitical issues, according to the National Survey on Youth Evangelization, which interviewed over 11,000 people across Brazil in 2025.

The data were recently presented at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB, by its Portuguese acronym).

The report presented partial results from the survey, conducted in 2025 by the Episcopal Commission for Youth of the CNBB in partnership with the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul Youth Observatory, the UNESCO Chair on Youth, Education, and Society, and the Department of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.

Adolescents and young adults, aged 12 to 29 and from all regions of Brazil, participated in the study. A non-probabilistic, voluntary (opt-in) methodology was employed, utilizing a predominantly quantitative, self-administered digital questionnaire distributed through the Connected Youth communication channels.

Holiness and faith The study showed that holiness and Christian faith were the most frequently mentioned…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (11) 🌐 Show original

Jovan Savić

It is good to hear that young people in Brazil are looking for more science of religion and serious liturgy, and less politics. Here in Montenegro, people also often complain that at meetings there is more talk about ecology and social issues than about the Holy Mysteries and catechism. I hope the bishops will take it seriously.

Илья Морозов

It’s good that young people say directly: more teaching about faith and reverent liturgy, less politics. I also notice in our Sunday school classes that children come to life faster when we talk about the Sacraments, and not about “current social issues.” I hope the Brazilian bishops will actually listen to these 11 thousand voices.

Алексей Семёнов

I agree, Ilya. In our parish in Nizhny, after classes about the Eucharist, the kids themselves ask questions, but they quickly get bored with topics about ecology or migration. I wonder how many children you usually have in Sunday school?

Nikola Živković

I agree, Jovan. Here in Banja Luka, at parish gatherings of young people, we often end up talking about the climate or migration, and little is said about prayer and the Holy Sacraments. I wonder if it would help to involve more ordinary priests who lead catechesis, and not just bishops' committees. What do you think, has it changed in Montenegro in recent years?

Елена Зайцева

In our Novosibirsk parish, too, after faith classes, children most often ask about the Sacraments, but immediately yawn about politics or ecology. We usually have 12–15 kids in Sunday school, no more. How old are yours, Alexey?

Полина Беляева

In Yaroslavl, after faith classes, they also often ask about Communion and saints, but children quickly lose interest about politics or ecology. In Sunday school I usually have 8–10 children, ages from 9 to 14. How often do you conduct classes on the Eucharist in Nizhny?

Светлана Новикова

Here in Yekaterinburg, after faith classes, people most often ask about the Sacraments, especially about Communion. And in Sunday school I usually have 10–12 children, ages from 8 to 15 years. How often do you have such classes on the Eucharist in Nizhny?

Елена Соловьёва

In Nizhny, after catechesis, people also most often ask about Communion, especially why they shouldn’t do it often and how to prepare correctly. Do your children in Sunday school start talking about the Sacraments themselves, or do you prompt them?

Елена Орлова

In our Samara Sunday school, children themselves begin to ask about Communion after they go to church a couple of times with their parents. They are especially interested in why one cannot eat before the service and whether it is possible to receive communion more often. And in Nizhny, how often do you have catechesis, once a week or less?

Тимофей Виноградов

In our parish in Yekaterinburg we have catechesis for teenagers once a week on Saturdays after services, but children most often ask questions about Communion precisely after their parents take them to church a couple of times, as you wrote. My daughter is still small, but she is already reaching for the prosphora and asking why “she can’t eat.” At Samara school, do you explain it to them right away or wait until they ask?

Людмила Новикова

In Munich, after Sunday liturgy, children also often come up with questions about Communion, especially if their parents have just started taking them. We try to answer immediately, but briefly and age-appropriately, without long lectures. And in your Samara school, how exactly do they structure these conversations - do they wait for the child to take the initiative or do they still give basic explanations in advance?