Helder Barbalho and Hana Ghassan join the crowd honoring Maria at Círio 2025
The governor and the lieutenant governor of Pará expressed faith and gratitude to the Virgin of Nazaré, whose Pilgrim Image was carried through various streets of Belém during the 223rd Círio.
The streets of Belém, from the historic center to the central area, were once again filled with faithful, emotion, and hope on the morning of this Sunday (12), during the 233rd Círio de Nazaré. Among the millions of devotees who followed the main pilgrimage in honor of the Queen of the Amazon were Governor Helder Barbalho and Lieutenant Governor Hana Ghassan, who joined the crowd to express, with faith and gratitude, their love for Our Lady of Nazaré.
In the early hours of the morning, the governor accompanied the departure of the Pilgrim Image from the Cathedral of Belém towards the Basilica Sanctuary of Nazaré, as he has done since 1999. "I made this commitment with Maria, with Our Lady of Nazaré, to thank her for everything she has done. And she has been so protective! And I, at this moment, regardless of the position I hold, have to come here to thank as a pilgrim, like each one of those who knows how important she is to all of us," declared Helder Barbalho.
The governor emphasized the number of devotees at this edition of the Círio. "Certainly, this is due to the passion and love that the devotees have for Maria, but also to the number of visitors and tourists, and to the moment we are living, where the world is turning to us," he added, referring to the global conference on climate change, COP30, which Belém will host in November.
Capacity - He also informed that members of the UN (United Nations) who participated in the Fluvial Círio highlighted the event's capacity to accommodate, comparing the experience to the ease they would have at COP30. "Now, this is because they had not yet seen the Trasladação and what they are seeing now (the great procession). So, if anyone thought we needed a test for COP, we test our capacity to welcome every year with the Círio de Nazaré," assured Helder Barbalho.
Lieutenant Governor Hana Ghassan also accompanied the pilgrimage and distributed water to the pilgrims. "This is a way we found to help everyone with the delivery, the free distribution of cold water. And it is a joy for us to participate in another Círio, which represents the union, the gratitude of each of us to our Mother, and also the renewal of our faith," she stated.
"I want to wish all families that it be a moment of much unity, a moment of gratitude, for us to thank and renew our requests. But, above all, to be grateful to Her, who takes care of the life and heart of each one of us," reiterated Hana Ghassan.
Thanks - During the journey, stories of faith mingled with colors, flowers, and the tears of the promise-makers. Among them were siblings Vitor Monteiro, 26, and Renata Monteiro, 21, who made the journey from the Metropolitan Cathedral of Belém to the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré on their knees. With the help of family and friends, they thanked for the recovery of their mother’s health, an oncology patient.
"My mother is in total remission after five years fighting cancer. We received the news a week before the Círio, and it was impossible not to come," said Vitor.
Another devotee who received a healing grace is Karen Silva, 23, a dance teacher. After suffering an injury that almost permanently took her off the stage, she made a promise to Our Lady asking for recovery. "I spent months unable to dance and, for a time, even unable to walk. I promised that if I could dance again, which is my job, my hobby, and my refuge, I would come. This year, even though I still have the injury, the doctor has already cleared me to dance again, to work with it," reported Karen.
For Ruth Rocha, 30, the gratitude was for the achievement of her own home. She brought a miniature house, made of wax, to pay her promise. With teary eyes, she tried to describe what she felt. "It is an experience that no words can describe. It is only for those who come and feel all this energy," said Ruth, who is from Candomblé, but highlighted the universal character of the faith that moves the pilgrims in Belém. "Regardless of religion, God is one," she affirmed.
As the rope - one of the main symbols of the Festivity of Nazaré - slowly advanced through the decorated streets, prayers and Marian songs mingled with the cries and applause of the crowd. On the faces of the faithful, the emotion was the same: the certainty that faith in Our Lady of Nazaré is a bond for the people of Pará.
With the arrival of the Pilgrim Image at the Basilica Sanctuary, shortly before noon, the bells rang and applause echoed, marking another chapter in the history of faith that has moved the people of Pará and all who join in devotion to Maria for over two centuries.
Text: Bianca Leão - Secom
