With serene gratitude and active hope, we recognize in the pontificate of Pope Francis a profound and transformative legacy for the Amazon. Since the beginning of his ministry, Francis has shown a unique sensitivity towards this region, listening with respect to the cry of the Earth and the clamor of its people. His pastoral and prophetic vision has inspired a synodal path that promotes new ways of being Church, embodied in the territory, in communion with the most forgotten and in defense of full life for all.
1. A path that is born from the cry of the Amazon
The Amazon has not only been an object of attention, but also an ecclesiastical subject. Francis has understood that there, where life is threatened and creation groans under the weight of injustice, God speaks strongly. From that attentive listening, the Pope has encouraged the entire Church to look towards the Amazon not with condescension, but with reverence. The cry of the Amazon has thus been a seed of ecclesial transformation.
2. Integral ecology as a spiritual and pastoral foundation
With Laudato Si’, Pope Francis has left us a vision in which everything is connected. Its proposal of integral ecology unites the defense of the environment with social justice, cultural care and deep spirituality. In the Amazon, this view has meant an ecclesial conversion: it is no longer just about protecting the rivers and forests, but about embracing the struggles and hopes of the peoples who inhabit them, especially the indigenous peoples, bearers of ancestral wisdom and living theologies.
3. The Synod for the Amazon: an experience of the Church that walks together
The 2019 Pan-Amazon Synod was a founding moment. Convened by Francis, this process was a true synodal act: listening, discernment and shared mission. For the first time, the voice of the Amazon communities was welcomed as the word of God in the heart of the Church. Their cries, dreams and memories were recognized as an essential part of ecclesial discernment.
From there came the four dreams of Querida Amazonía (2020): social, cultural, ecological and ecclesial. These dreams are not abstract ideas, but concrete calls to a Church that defends the poor, that dialogues with cultures, that passionately cares for creation and that lives an incarnate, communal and prophetic faith.
4. New ecclesial organizations from synodality
One of the most visible and lasting fruits of this path has been the creation of new forms of ecclesial organization, in particular the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), established in 2020. CEAMA is a sign of a Church that is renewed from the territory, that does not impose from above, but walks with the people, weaving networks, strengthening community life and building synodality in everyday life.
As a synodal, apostolic and deeply ecclesial space, CEAMA articulates local Churches, base communities, women religious, lay people and pastors in a living body that wants to respond with creativity and fidelity to the Amazonian challenges. It is a space of active hope, formation, dialogue and comprehensive pastoral action.
5. A legacy that continues to fertilize the path
The legacy of Pope Francis is not reduced to documents or symbolic gestures. It is a living dynamic that challenges the entire Church: to rethink its way of inhabiting the territories, of announcing the Gospel and of sharing life with the poor. In the midst of so many threats—deforestation, violence, extractivism, social exclusion—its message is a call to be a Church that does not accommodate itself, but rather allows itself to be made uncomfortable and mobilized.
At CEAMA, we welcome this legacy as a grace and a responsibility. We continue walking with humility, fidelity and joy, building a Church with an Amazonian face, that listens, accompanies and transforms. We trust that, as Pope Francis said, “hope is bold,” and that another Amazon—and another Church—are already being born, from below, from the margins, from life.