As part of the institutional visit of the Presidency of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) to the dicasteries of the Holy See, a fraternal and deeply meaningful meeting was held on Thursday, October 23, with the Dicastery for Culture and Education, presided over by its prefect, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça.
The dialogue took place in an atmosphere of listening, collaboration, and shared hope, addressing the current challenges of education, culture, and evangelization in the Amazonian territories.
Educating from the wisdom of the peoples
The meeting began with a presentation by Monsignor Zenildo Lima, who reflected on the role of Catholic schools in the Amazon and the new challenges posed by the expansion of neo-Pentecostal groups and educational models focused on discipline and competitiveness.
“The search for values such as solidarity, justice, and inner life has been weakened,” he said, inviting a return to an education with soul and community spirit.
Upon hearing these realities, the prefect posed a question that resonated throughout the meeting:
“Does the Amazon have thinkers? Does it have philosophers? Does it possess its own knowledge?”
This question opened a profound dialogue on Amazonian wisdom as a source of theological, philosophical, and pedagogical thought, and on the need to promote an inculturated education that springs from the peoples themselves.
PUAM and REIBA: networks that educate from the territory
During the meeting, Mauricio López, representing the Amazon University Program (PUAM), presented the progress of the program, which is the result of the synodal process. He explained that it is not only a matter of educating in the Amazon, but of understanding that “the mission needs higher education,” recognizing the knowledge and experiences of the communities as sources of knowledge.
PUAM, in coordination with networks such as ODUCAL and AUSJAL, integrates universities such as the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Uniminuto, and the Pontifical Javeriana University, among others, and has recently launched a two-year technical program on Integrated Management of the Amazon Territory, with specializations in peacebuilding, project management, and sustainable development.
The experience of Jesuit Worldwide Learning was also shared. This platform already allows communities such as Sarayaku (Ecuador) to access intercultural higher education with local tutors and university certification, and will soon be replicated in Colombia.
The role of REIBA (Amazonian Intercultural Bilingual Education Network) was also highlighted. This network is largely made up of female religious congregations that accompany educational and cultural processes in rural and indigenous communities, bringing not only books and notebooks, but also hope, identity, and encounter.
Education that revitalizes culture and languages
Participants stressed the urgency of preserving Amazonian languages and cultural expressions, many of which are at risk of extinction. The linguistic revitalization work that several communities are carrying out with the support of CEAMA and its networks was highlighted.
The Prefect expressed the Dicastery’s willingness to accompany these processes and generate concrete alliances, noting:
“It is not just a question of the Amazon, it is a challenge for all of humanity. We want to listen, collaborate, and serve.”
He also proposed establishing a cooperation agreement with CEAMA and receiving a report to raise awareness and guide possible joint actions.
The jaguar: symbol of transformation and wisdom
At the end of the meeting, the CEAMA delegation offered the Dicastery a symbolic gift from the Tikuna community of Leticia (Colombia): a figure made of yanchama fiber, representing a man who turns into a jaguar.
The Prefect received this gift with emotion, recognizing in it the mystical strength of the Amazonian peoples, capable of transforming their lives in harmony with nature and the spirit.
“To educate is to build peace, development, and a culture of encounter,” he said, echoing the profound meaning of the symbol.
The myth of the jaguar, those present recalled, expresses the capacity for inner transformation that arises from contact between human beings, the earth, and mystery.
Thus, this gesture became a living metaphor for the shared purpose of CEAMA and the Dicastery: to form an education that integrates faith, culture, and ancestral wisdom.
An alliance to think with an Amazonian mind and heart
The meeting concluded by reaffirming the common commitment to continue building an inculturated, dialogical, and transformative education that recognizes the knowledge of the peoples as a source of life and hope.
“In order to serve, we must first learn to listen. The Amazon teaches us to look with the heart and think with the soul of its peoples.”