In the heart of the Amazon, where rivers are arteries of life and peoples resist with dignity, the Amazon Water Summit came to a close under the slogan “We are water, we are life, we are hope.”
For three days, nearly 400 participants—indigenous peoples, peasant communities, quilombos, social organizations, religious leaders, bishops, and laypeople—from 10 Amazonian countries and 14 regions of Peru gathered in Iquitos to discern together the paths of defense, care, and spirituality surrounding water, the sacred source of all life.
The meeting, convened by the Vicarage of Water of the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos, was accompanied by CELAM, CEAMA, REPAM, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Churches and Mining Network, CAAAP, PUCP, the Laudato Si’ Movement, Aguas Amazónicas, Adveniat, Misereor, Porticus, WCS, among other institutions committed to socio-environmental justice.
Inspired by the Encyclical Laudato Si’, the Ecological Dream of Querida Amazonía, and the recent Exhortation Laudate Deum, the delegations shared the pain of the territories wounded by pollution, oil spills, and extractive expansion, but also the living hope of the peoples who defend their rivers as subjects of rights and as an expression of the Spirit that gives life.
WE DENOUNCE
With one voice, the Amazonian peoples and the Church denounced the environmental and social crisis that threatens life and territorial balance.
“Our rivers are being wounded by mining, oil, drug trafficking, and deforestation. The peoples who guard them are persecuted, murdered, and forgotten,” the text of the declaration states.
The delegates warned that these realities are not isolated incidents, but rather consequences of a predatory development model that prioritizes economic gain over the right to life.
“We are outraged by the silence of governments and the indifference of society in the face of water pollution, the murder of defenders, and the dispossession of entire communities,” the participants said.
The Summit also denounced the lack of access to drinking water in regions where water is abundant, the criminalization of indigenous leaders, and the collusion between political and economic powers that perpetuate a system of death.
“Water is not a commodity, it is a gift from God, it is a human right, it is a sacrament of life,” they proclaimed in unity.
FILLED WITH HOPE
Despite the pain, the Summit became a sign of communion and hope.
Cardinal Pedro Barreto, president of CEAMA, recalled that “the Catholic Church is called to be a prophetic sign in defense of creation and the peoples who inhabit it,” highlighting the commitment that has been woven into a network for more than a decade through REPAM and CEAMA.
The Bishop of Iquitos, Miguel Ángel Cadenas, the main promoter of the meeting, expressed with emotion:
“Many people have come who want to preserve this biome that is so important for the planet, giving their hope, their lives, and their energies to the service of the Amazon. The Church wants to listen. We need to listen to each other in order to propose a dignified life for all.”
The words of Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, also resonated, as he recalled that
“Water is not only a useful resource, but a common good and a fundamental human right. Where water is polluted or hoarded, the dignity of peoples is wounded and the harmony of creation is broken.”
Faith and hope were intertwined with the spirituality of the peoples. Indigenous women, young people, and community leaders shared their testimonies of struggle, showing that the defense of water is also a defense of culture, spirituality, and the right to exist.
“We are filled with hope by the faithfulness of those who defend the rivers, because their resistance is a seed of life and prophecy for new generations,” reads the final declaration.
WE URGE
The participants made an urgent appeal to governments, churches, organizations, and civil society:
- To recognize water as a subject of rights and a common good of humanity.
- To implement fair and sustainable public policies that guarantee universal access to drinking water and the preservation of ecosystems.
- To halt the expansion of extractive frontiers that threaten Amazonian rivers and forests.
- To listen to the voice of indigenous peoples who, for centuries, have safeguarded life on the planet.
“We urge States to stop viewing water as a commodity or source of power, and to recognize it as a right that cannot be denied or privatized.”
The Summit also called on the international community and the churches of the world to join in the defense of the Amazon, understanding that without water there is no life, without justice there is no peace, without fraternity there is no future.
WE COMMIT OURSELVES
The document concludes with a strong call for ethical, spiritual, and community commitment:
“We commit ourselves to defend life, to care for our Common Home, and to promote a culture of water based on respect, equity, and spirituality.”
The peoples gathered in Iquitos committed themselves to continue building networks for advocacy, ecological education, and community action to transform reality from the territories.
“We commit ourselves to continue walking together, strengthening the alliance between peoples, faith communities, and social organizations, until every river can flow freely and every people can live with dignity.”
As a sign of continuity and hope, the Vicariate of Puerto Maldonado was chosen as the venue for the Second Amazon Water Summit, reaffirming that this journey is just beginning.
“We will continue to defend our water, our forest, and our lives,” said the delegates, “because we are capable of giving our lives for the lives of future generations.”
A Church that listens, accompanies, and acts
The Amazon Water Summit leaves a clear message: the defense of water is a requirement of faith and an act of love.
In the Amazon—the great heart of the planet—the Church, the peoples, and society recognize themselves as a single living stream, crying out for justice, celebrating life, and committing themselves to caring tenderly for our Common Home.