This Monday, April 28, the Meeting of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) was held virtually, with the Bishops of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
The Bishops of the Apostolic Vicariates of Napo, Puyo, San Miguel de Sucumbios, Aguarico, Méndez participated in the meeting; Marcelo Lemos, (Executive Secretary of CEAMA), Cecilia Barja and Mons. Eugenio Coter (Meeting Commission of Bishops of the Amazon), and Martin Maier, SJ (Director General of Adveniat).
During the meeting, it was highlighted that the Amazon and its Church continue to be peripheries in the priorities of the national Episcopal Conferences. The participants pointed out the urgency of get out of that marginal place, walk in a synodal manner and provide joint responses to the social, ecological and pastoral challenges of the region.
One of the central themes was the need to carry out actions such as training in seminaries, the development of the Amazonian Rite and the inculturation of faith in the native peoples. It was also proposed to carry out two virtual annual meetings of Amazonian bishops to strengthen fraternity and share pastoral experiences.
The participants reaffirmed that synodality and the “four dreams” of Querida Amazonía They must be the method and content that inspires the common journey of the Church in the region.
Finally, it was agreed to move forward with the clarification of the roles between CEAMA and REPAM, prepare training material on the Synods and have the support of organizations such as Let him come for future activities. “We are the periphery, but it is from the periphery where we can make our voices heard,” they noted.