Between June 9 and 11, Marcelo Lemos, Executive Secretary of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), made a significant institutional visit to various bodies of the Roman Curia, culminating with his participation in the General Audience with the Holy Father Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square. This was the Secretary’s first official visit to the services of the Holy See since his appointment, marking an important step in the consolidation of CEAMA as a concrete expression of synodality in the universal Church.
The agenda began with an audience at the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (PCAL), where the Secretary was received by Professor Emilce Cuda, Secretary of the Commission. Key topics covered included the path to COP30, preparations for the Meeting of Bishops of the Amazon, new alliances for continental advocacy on socio-environmental and synodal issues, and the coordination of CEAMA toward its General Assembly in 2026. The Secretary confirmed its continued support for CEAMA and expressed the Commission’s fraternal availability to more closely accompany this process and its coordination with other Vatican organizations.
Another highlight was the visit to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Synodality, where the Secretary was welcomed by Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, the organization’s Undersecretary. In a fraternal dialogue, the innovative nature of CEAMA as a synodal organization with a territorial and intercultural foundation was reaffirmed. Bishop Marín emphasized that CEAMA is a “key experience in making visible the realization of new ecclesial structures and services that promote synodality.” He also encouraged CEAMA to continue to be a symbol and reference for new synodal processes in other regions of the world.
The visit also included a meeting with members of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Although Cardinal Michael Czerny was unable to attend in person, he sent fraternal greetings and instructed his team to welcome the Secretary with kindness. Alessandra Smerilli, Cecilia Barja (virtually from Bolivia, where she closely follows the CEAMA processes), and other members of the Dicastery participated in the meeting. The meeting reaffirmed the joint effort to expand listening as a synodal practice and to deepen an ecclesiology of communion and participation among all ecclesial subjects.
The Secretary also had the opportunity to visit the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he discussed future training partnerships focusing on integral ecology, interculturality, and pastoral practices in the Amazon.
The highlight of the mission was participating in the General Audience with Pope Leo XIV on the morning of the 11th in St. Peter’s Square. “It was a profound experience of communion with the universal Church. I felt that our mission in CEAMA is welcomed, and that even at a geographical distance, we are united in the same faith, the same mission, and the same Spirit. Being before the Holy Father was a source of immense joy and a renewal of our ecclesial and Amazonian commitment,” said Marcelo Lemos.
The visit to Rome represents a milestone in institutional rapprochement, highlighting that CEAMA, despite being a young organization, has grown in recognition and collaboration within the Church’s global network of ecclesial services. It is also a testament to a synodality lived with the Amazonian people, whose voices, spiritualities, and struggles already resonate in the halls of the Curia.