Within the framework of the ecclesial processes in the Amazon, Sister Laura Vicuña, a native of this region and current vice president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), shared her experience on the program Faces and Voices of the CELAM Communications Center, offering an in-depth look at the challenges, progress, and hopes of a Church that seeks to walk together with the Amazonian peoples.
“Thank you for bringing these voices and the face of the Amazon from a beautiful territory, but one that is also so threatened by devastation,” said Sister Laura, recalling the fragility of a biome that, although rich in diversity and culture, suffers the consequences of mining, deforestation, and large-scale extractive projects.
From the pastoral ministry of visitation to the pastoral ministry of presence
Sister Vicuña recalled that the evangelization process in the Amazon has more than a century of history and has moved from a pastoral ministry of visitation to a pastoral ministry of presence.
“In the 1970s, the Church in many places had very vibrant base ecclesial communities that united faith and life while denouncing the structures of death,” she said.
Today, that legacy is kept alive and strengthened thanks to the impetus of Pope Francis and the spirit of the Second Vatican Council: a Church that is the People of God, synodal and prophetic.
Encounters with Pope Francis: inspiration and commitment
Sister Laura recalled with emotion her personal encounters with Pope Francis.
The first took place during the Synod of the Amazon, when the Pontiff encouraged them to be bold:
“I don’t see any genuine proposals… we need to overflow,” the Pope told them, inviting them to think of “new wine in new wineskins.”
The second meeting took place in 2023, during a private audience on the female ministry and the diaconate, where the Pope encouraged them to persevere:
“Keep going. Do not be afraid, because no one will stop this process. There is no turning back.”
These words, Sister Laura points out, continue to be a source of hope and commitment for those who accompany the ecclesial journey in the Amazon.
Five years of CEAMA: a Church walking together
Five years after its creation, CEAMA has traveled a path of learning and maturity, facing significant challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily halted missionary activities. However, since resuming, the Conference has held three in-person assemblies, strengthening the bonds of communion between the different ecclesial territories.
“One of the greatest fruits we have is the growing awareness that we are a Church walking together, building new paths for the Amazon,” said Sister Laura.
This journey does not break with tradition, but rather honors the memory of the martyrs and promotes an integral ecology that cares for both the biome and the lives of its peoples.
The Amazon ahead of COP30: outcry and commitment
Looking ahead to COP30, to be held in Belém do Pará, Brazil, Sister Laura highlighted CEAMA’s commitment to this global process and called on the international community to “look with humanity at indigenous peoples and our Mother Earth.”
She denounced the devastation caused by agribusiness, mining, organized crime, and the plundering of natural resources, warning of the risks of superficial solutions and the commodification of land and peoples.
“Our voice is one of denunciation against all these projects of death,” she said firmly.
A Church that defends life
Sister Laura concluded with a call full of hope:
“I invite everyone, everyone, everyone to commit themselves to defending the Amazon.”
Her testimony reflects the living identity of CEAMA as a synodal and missionary Church that continues to build paths of communion, care, and hope, convinced that caring for the Amazon is caring for the life of all humanity.