An emergency aid package has been made available by Aid to the Church in Need for parishes in Brazil as the country grapples with the second worst coronavirus outbreak in the world.

The aid package will support 169 priests, 141 Sisters, 31 seminarians and 56 lay missionaries who are continuing to serve their communities during the crisis. 

It will also bring much needed support to parishes helping vulnerable people through the collection of food and other essential supplies. 

ACN said that some parishes have been providing poor families with an evening meal each day throughout the pandemic, but that funds are now running out. 

This is partly because of the cancellation of public Mass, meaning that no collections could be made.  The result has been a negative impact on finances, which in turn has made the provision of practical aid to the community much harder. 

Itapipoca diocesan treasurer Father Francisco Danízio Silva told ACN: "During these times we are going through, the support of every individual is very important. With the little that we have we can still help many people.

"Our Church is poor and in need, but it is rich in the grace of God and in kind and generous people."

Fr Danízio estimates the drop in income from the faithful at around 60 percent.

"What resources we did have are now becoming exhausted," he said. 

"Recently we have made great efforts to raise funds, but it is now getting very difficult, since the people themselves have next to nothing."

He added: "May we never forget that helping our neighbour is one of the most effective ways of imitating our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd."