Juazeiro do Norte |
Padre Cícero |
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Padre Cícero is the local holy figure. In fact, this priest was considered a "renegade" by the Catholic Church for almost a century. However, the local population considers Padre Cícero as a saint. Besides, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims crammed at the back of lorries or pickups swarm every year to Juazeiro do Norte from the most remote places in the whole Northeast of Brazil. Juazeiro then becomes the regional capital of faith. Of course, for many pilgrims, this is also a unique opportunity to go to town for shopping. No need to say travel conditions are even worse on the way back home when vehicles are overloaded with all the stuff bought in town. |