President Dallin H. Oaks Dedicates the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple

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Prophet and President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple on Sunday, August 16, 2026. This is the Church’s 12th dedicated temple in Brazil and 220th operating temple worldwide.

“Our service in the temples is centered on Jesus Christ,” President Oaks said in remarks delivered prior to his dedicatory prayer. “All that is learned and is done here relates to Him. Here in this house, we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, referring to His authority and His work. All who come here participate in His saving work and receive His blessings.”

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This was the prophet’s first trip outside the United States as President of the Church. In interviews the previous day with Church Newsroom staff and Brazilian journalist Leandro Magalhães, President Oaks reflected on why he selected Brazil for his first temple dedication outside the U.S.

“I was anxious to come to Brazil, into any city, because I esteem the nation so highly,” President Oaks told Magalhães. “As soon as I saw there was a temple in Brazil, I chose that one because I wanted to come to this nation and feel the spirit of the people.”

The prophet’s visit comes nearly one year into his service as President of the Church. He said the time has been “sweet and blessed.”

“I have prayed to the Lord for guidance, and I have felt the effect of the prayers of Latter-day Saints all over the world that I would hear and heed the counsel and direction of the Spirit of the Lord,” President Oaks said. “I’ve also been privileged with intense association with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and with other organizations and faithful men and women at Church headquarters. It’s been a time of blessings sought and received.”

During the dedication, President Oaks also reflected on the growth of the Church in Brazil. The country, home to more than 1.5 million members, also has 12 additional temples in various stages of planning and construction.

“We rejoice in this growth and maturity of the restored Church in this great nation,” President Oaks said.

The Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple dedication comes as Latter-day Saints prepare for the Salt Lake Temple Celebration that will take place from April 5 through October 1, 2027. Each temple open house and dedication is an opportunity to strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and deepen appreciation for temple worship.

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In the Saturday interview, the prophet added that “temples are necessary as the culmination of the gospel of Jesus Christ for all of our members. When we have growth in one area of the Church, we start planning where we would situate a temple to serve the needs of those members.”

His talk and prayer were broadcast to Latter-day Saints throughout the temple district. Other speakers during the dedicatory session were his wife, Kristen, along with Elders Steven R. Bangerter and Ronald M. Barcellos of the Seventy, and Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple President Victor Pereira de Salles and Temple Matron Marcia de Salles.

Temples are not the same as meetinghouses. Latter-day Saints gather in meetinghouses for Sunday worship. Temples are the most sacred places of worship, where Church members make promises with God and participate in ordinances or ceremonies that draw them closer to Jesus Christ and their families. In temples, members also perform sacred ordinances on behalf of deceased ancestors, offering them the opportunity to accept those ordinances in the next life.

In the Saturday interview with Magalhães, Sister Oaks described the temple as a “connection between heaven and earth.”

“We come here to unite families who have passed and families who are living now,” she said. “It’s a very, very special place for us.”

President Oaks’ dedicatory remarks emphasized the temple’s core role in building faith in Jesus Christ.

“The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple,” he said, quoting his predecessor, President Russell M. Nelson. “Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ.”

He reminded Latter-day Saints that they are “called first to teach, testify, and convert all to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.” Second to that is an invitation to convert to Christ’s restored Church.

“In a world where fewer and fewer people believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is important for us to follow that order, for out of knowledge of and conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ, conversion to the additional truths of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will come naturally,” President Oaks explained.

The prophet shared the hope, spoken by President Nelson in 2024, that “those in a new temple district would arrange their lives to attend as regularly as possible.”

For many members, that will be easier with a temple closer to home. Julio Prado and his son Gabriel are excited that their drive to the temple has been reduced from nine hours to one hour.

“Before the dedication, [Gabriel] came up to me and he said, ‘Can we come to the temple next Saturday?’ I was like, ‘Sure, we’re going to be here every Saturday from now on,” Prado said.

Prado said temple worship has consistently strengthened his faith in Jesus Christ.

“Attending the temple, it doesn’t matter how hard it was, it always drew me closer to the Savior,” Prado said. “I was not born a member of the Church, and then I got baptized when I was 15. The gospel of Jesus Christ has really turned my life around. I remember that I didn’t have any perspective in life, and that’s what the gospel gave me.”

Alessandra Myrrha, who attended the dedication, also reflected on what the temple means to her.

“The way God loves us is manifested in His temple,” she said. “This is my place. This is the house where I want to be.”

Myrrha also expressed her gratitude for President Oaks’ traveling to Belo Horizonte to dedicate the temple.

“I’m so grateful for a prophet that can be among the members of the Church all over,” she said.

In his dedicatory prayer, President Oaks expressed gratitude for many aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including the Savior’s gift of immortality to everyone and His Atonement for repented sins. He also prayed for blessings upon all Latter-day Saints and missionaries in the country.

“Please bless the citizens of Brazil and its neighboring nations that they may enjoy freedom and be prospered in their spiritual and temporal activities,” he prayed. “Also bless the leaders of this great nation. Inspire their minds and motives as they attempt to lead in righteousness and effectiveness.”