A Pastor Who Made His Church a Shelter

In the Diocese of Caruaru in Pernambuco, Brazil, Father João Paulo Araujo Gomes has quietly turned his parish into a place of refuge — not just for people, but for dozens of abandoned dogs who once roamed the streets with nowhere to go.

For years, the priest has been rescuing stray dogs, bathing them, feeding them, getting them medical care, and making space for them in his rectory. Many of them sleep under the same roof as him.

“They are my children,” he shared in a previous interview, describing the animals as part of his spiritual life.

Turning Sunday Mass Into Adoption Day

Every Sunday, Father João Paulo brin...