In an atmosphere of fraternal dialogue and deep ecclesial communion, a delegation from the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) visited the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in Rome on October 23 and 27, 2025, with the aim of strengthening ties of cooperation and charting joint paths for the promotion of integral human development in the Amazon region.
During the meetings, the progress of the ecclesial process that gave rise to CEAMA, its structure and lines of action were shared, as well as opportunities for collaboration with the Dicastery in areas such as formation, communication, and pastoral coordination with local Churches.
Cardinal Pedro Barreto, president of CEAMA, recounted the historical path that led to its creation: from the founding of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM) in 2013, through the Synod of the Amazon in 2019, to the establishment of CEAMA on June 29, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that this body “was born as the mature fruit of the Synod, at the service of life, evangelization, and care for our Common Home in the Amazon.”
For his part, Monsignor Zenildo Lima, vice president of CEAMA, highlighted the importance of the recent Meeting of Bishops of the Amazon, where the need for coordination among the local Amazonian Churches was reaffirmed. “We do not want to multiply structures, but rather to strengthen our impact and accompany the Churches of the territory in their pastoral and social challenges,” he said.
The vice president of CEAMA, Mauricio López, highlighted the close collaboration between REPAM, CEAMA, REIBA, and PUAM as complementary expressions of the same ecclesial body at the service of the Amazon. “There is no dilemma between structures: they are all part of the same ecclesial mission of listening, service, and transformation of the territory,” he said.
Indigenous leader Patricia Gualinga recalled that for indigenous peoples, “ecclesial structures make sense when they respond to the cries of the territory,” and she thanked Pope Francis for his closeness, whose active listening “has encouraged bishops and communities to live a new way of being Church with an Amazonian face.”
From Religious Life, Sister Laura Vicuña Pereira emphasized that “CEAMA is a presence that gives voice to those who have no voice.” She invited everyone to continue sharing the good practices that generate hope in the territories and to keep alive the attitude of listening. “The territory asks us for reflection, communication, and movement.”
Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery, enthusiastically welcomed the proposals, emphasizing that integral human development involves “removing what prevents growth and flourishing.” He proposed consolidating cooperation between the two institutions, both in terms of formation and in the search for economic sustainability.
During the working sessions, financial and institutional planning aspects of CEAMA were addressed, including its Strategic Plan and the creation of a sustainable endowment fund to ensure the continuity of its projects. The Dicastery offered its technical and pastoral support to strengthen fundraising and the presentation of auditable and well-documented projects, ensuring transparency and long-term viability.
The meeting concluded with a joint commitment to continue working for a Church with an Amazonian, missionary, and supportive face, which promotes integral human development through active listening to the peoples and communion with the local Churches.
“CEAMA and the Dicastery walk together, encouraged by the Spirit, so that the Amazon may continue to be a source of life, hope, and conversion for the whole Church.”