Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, has visited Brazil at least four times.
On one of those occasions, in 2004, he visited the Santo Agostinho School in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. He also went to Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, in 2008.
In 2012, he traveled through Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Paraná, visiting Augustinian communities.
According to Friar Jeferson Felipe Cruz, of the Augustinian Province of Our Lady of Consolation in Brazil, Prevost showed himself to be reserved and courteous.
“On that occasion [2012, in Minas Gerais], I made my solemn profession and had the grace of taking my vows in his hands. Very courteous, very serene, polite, and gentle in dealing with people.”
In July 2013, the American visited São Paulo, where he stopped at the Agostiniano Mendel School and took part in the official program of the Pre-World Youth Day.
“He visited our communities,” says Friar Maurício Rocha, prior of the Augustinian Province of Brazil. “What left a mark on us was his serenity. A shy man, yet smiling. Deeply spiritual and with a missionary heart.”
