Belo Horizonte’s new temple was dedicated Aug. 16 by President Dallin H. Oaks, marking his first international temple dedication since becoming church president in October 2025.
The dedication made the site Brazil’s 12th operating temple and the church’s 220th worldwide; Oaks said temples are central to Jesus Christ, sacred covenants and ordinance work.
About 200 people attended inside the temple, while the 10 a.m. session was broadcast to meetinghouses across the temple district in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.
For many local members, the opening ends years of seven-hour drives or overnight bus trips to São Paulo or Campinas, and leaders said hundreds have already volunteered as temple workers or renewed recommends.
Brazil now has 24 temples across all stages, serving more than 1.57 million members, as the church says 385 temples worldwide are dedicated, under construction or planned.