Interviews Digna Pauta (Bolivia), Coordinator of the CEAMA Women’s Ministry Core
From the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) we share the testimony of the Sister Digna Pauta, Ecuadorian Laurita missionary who currently lives in Bolivia and coordinates the CEAMA Women’s Ministerial Nucleus. His reflection puts into words what Pope Francis has meant to his life, his missionary vocation and the ecclesial transformation in the Amazon.
A testimony that inspires vocations of hope
“The life and ministry of Pope Francis meant for me a deep inspiration to follow Christ with joy, hope, fidelity and gratuitousness,” says Sister Digna.. She highlights that the Pope’s closeness, simple but prophetic language and his way of looking at life with tenderness and commitment have made her feel “identified, recognized and valued.”
A Church that listens, dreams and transforms
Asked about the processes that Pope Francis opened in the Amazon, the nun points out as a great novelty “listening to the inhabitants of the different territories”, something that marked a before and after in the ecclesial history of the region. The creation of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon and the opening to new ministries and structures, are part of the dream of “a different Church, more participatory, more rooted in the territory and more faithful to the Gospel.”
Furthermore, it highlights the recognition of the role of women in evangelization, “not as helpers, but as protagonists of the mission,” as well as the revaluation of indigenous peoples, their worldviews and spiritualities.
A prophetic voice with the people
The teaching of Pope Francis has been, for indigenous peoples, a “prophetic voice that has validated, defended and made visible their struggles.” According to Sr. Worthy, his teaching has clearly denounced extractivist systems, cultural colonization and the violence suffered by many communities and leaders.
Continuing the legacy: walking with the people from the territory
To continue Francis’ legacy, Sr. Digna proposes several paths that are already experienced in CEAMA:
- Deepen a synodal church, where the Amazonian peoples are protagonists and not just recipients.
- Bet for lay ministries and pastoral structures specific to the territory, with solid training for community leaders.
- Promote the care of the Common House as a transversal axis of pastoral care.
- Accompany the fights for territories and cultural rights.
- Work for the interculturality and the inculturation of the Gospel, with liturgies and ministries born from the heart of the Amazonian cultures.
- live the spirituality of Laudato Si’ and Querida Amazonía as a path of personal and community conversion.
In his words, the shared desire for a living Church is summarized, which walks from and with the Amazon, sustained by hope and by the commitment to the life and dignity of all peoples.