A overseas expansion commanded by the Portuguese monarchy was based on the duality: discovering and conquering new territories and peoples and, at the same time, expanding the Catholic faith.
With the mission of expanding the empire and Catholicism, the Portuguese Crown was imbued with the role of guaranteeing and propagating the christianity in the newly conquered lands.
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Therefore, the first mass in Brazil it was a historic milestone, as it represented the entry of Catholicism into a territory inhabited by millions of indigenous people.
It took place on April 26, 1500, on a Sunday in Easter. The Franciscan Friar Henrique de Coimbra was responsible for celebrating the mass.
He was a missionary in India and Africa and was responsible for commanding the group of clergymen who commanded missions in the East.
Henrique de Coimbra was chosen to be responsible for the convents that would be built for the Franciscan Order.
The mass was held on the coast of the state of bahia, in the region of Porto Seguro. It was attended by the Portuguese and the natives of the region.
According to Pero Vaz de Caminha, who made notes about the moment, the sermon marked the first piece of sacred oratory in Brazil.
According to Caminha, many indigenous people accompanied the mass peacefully, imitating the gestures and movements undertaken by the Portuguese.
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