Brasilia (Fides Service) - Fr Daniel Lagni, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Brazil, sent Fides Service a report on Brazilian missionaries working in other countries, issued by the National Missionary Council. The survey took into consideration only missionaries engaged in pastoral work or human promotion, not those connected with NGOs or project of non-religious organisations. The report gives the following information: Brazil has 1,556 missionaries working outside the country, 80% or 1,248 are women and 308 are men. Of these, 98.5% belongs to a religious institutes, 1% are diocesan clergy and 0.5% are lay missionaries. Fifteen percent of the 308 male missionaries are priests. Five, of the ten religious institutes of women who send the most missionaries abroad, were founded in Brazil. The information collected shows that 74% is involved in religious activity; 25% is involved in social, educational, cultural activity. Brazil's missionaries are present in 89 countries: 40% in America, 35% in Africa, 19% in Europe, 5% in Asia and 1% in Oceania.
The Missionary Institutes concerned say that only 6% of their members are actually engaged in first proclamation of the Gospel, and mainly in Asia 13% and in Africa 7% continents with the largest non-Christian populations. In the United States Brazilian missionaries work among Latin American immigrant communities. In Africa 32% of the missionaries is involved exclusively to education and assistance. The overall picture of the activity of Brazil's missionaries shows that only 1.2% is involved in cultural activities such as teaching at universities, media, publishing. See complete report at www.fides.org (Fides Service 20/1/2003)