Fraternity Day is celebrated annually on May 13 in Brazil. Also known as Brazilian Fraternity Day, this date celebrates one of the most important values to maintain unity and peace in a society: fraternity.
The idea of fraternity is based on the concept that all human beings are equal and, in this sense, should be treated equally with dignity and respect.
Thus, fraternity makes all human beings equal to the status of brothers, having equal rights, regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion or economic class. And in this context, Fraternity Day seeks to alert people to the inequalities that still exist in the world.
The Brazilian Fraternity Day was created from the Fraternity Campaign, created in 1961 by three priests responsible for Cáritas Brasileira, a humanitarian organization of the Catholic Church.
For those who profess the Christian faith, a prayer for commitment between the faithful was also established on that date, a kind of pact of fraternity. Together we ask:
"Lord, gathered now in prayer, we want to proclaim our faith, reaffirm our hope and renew our commitment to work together to build a fraternal society. We believe that the world was made for everyone, that all men are your children. and that everyone deserves a place in the sun. We also believe that you have given man the task of perfecting your work and that you have made work the greatness of man. We also know that the world is not being organized according to your plan, because a large part of humanity has no voice and no time.
There is no justice, there is no work and there is no bread for everyone. That's why we ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for our sins and the sins of all mankind. In this moment of community prayer, we reaffirm our hope in better days and in a fraternal world, in which there is work, bread and justice for all. It enlightens our intelligence, strengthens our fighting spirit, supports our weakness and allows us to live and work for fraternity.
Amen".