In an atmosphere of communion and fraternal openness, a delegation from the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) met on Wednesday, October 29, with the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.
The meeting was presided over by Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery, accompanied by Monsignor Vittorio Francesco Viola, Secretary, and Monsignor Aurelio García Macías, Undersecretary.
A Church walking in synodal communion
During the meeting, Monsignor Zenildo Lima (Vice President of CEAMA) shared the steps that CEAMA has taken since its founding in 2020, in continuity with the process initiated by the Synod for the Amazon (2019).
He explained that the work of these years has consisted of listening to and accompanying the local Churches, bishops, priests, religious men and women, laity, young people, and indigenous peoples, with the purpose of discerning together the paths of a Church with an Amazonian face.
“We are presenting a synodal apostolic horizon to walk together,” said Monsignor Zenildo.
“CEAMA does not come to impose, but to accompany with humility and listening the pastoral processes that are already alive in the communities.”
For his part, Monsignor Eugenio Coter emphasized that CEAMA’s journey has helped to “strengthen pastoral reflection and ecclesial awareness of what it means to inculturate the Gospel and the liturgy in the Amazon, respecting its peoples, symbols, and spiritualities.”
The Amazonian Rite: inculturation and fidelity
One of the central themes was the presentation of the general framework of the so-called “Amazonian Rite,” which CEAMA has been studying in continuity with number 117 of the Final Document of the Synod for the Amazon, where it was proposed to “develop an Amazonian rite that expresses the liturgical, theological, disciplinary, and spiritual richness of the Amazon.”
Cardinal Arthur Roche and the leaders of the Dicastery positively assessed CEAMA’s efforts, emphasizing that inculturation is a legitimate and necessary path, in accordance with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and the teaching of Pope Francis.
We want to support inculturation because it is part of what the Council asks of us. But we must also ensure that the Roman rite, as it was renewed, is respected and continues to move forward. Our desire is to help and accompany.
The Cardinal further explained that the term “Amazonian Rite” must be understood within its historical process.
Rather than a new autonomous rite (sui iuris), it is today an inculturation of the Roman rite in the Amazonian territory, which incorporates the cultural, symbolic, and celebratory expressions of the peoples of the region.
An inculturation that comes from the people
During the dialogue, examples were shared of how Amazonian communities have integrated signs and gestures specific to their worldview into their celebrations, without altering the essential content of the faith.
Cases were mentioned such as the use of sacred plants for blessings, community gestures of reconciliation, or the way in which peoples celebrate light, water, and life as gifts from God.
“It is not a question of creating something artificial,” said Bishop Coter, “but of recognizing the seeds of the Word already present in Amazonian culture and allowing them to flourish in the liturgy. As the Synod said, we do not invent new paths: we recognize those that already exist and walk them together.”
The Dicastery also shared similar experiences in other territories, such as the rite of Zaire or the liturgical adaptations approved in Mexico for the Mayan communities of San Cristóbal de las Casas, where the ministry of women who incense during Mass or bodily movements as an expression of thanksgiving has been officially recognized.
A process that matures in dialogue and discernment
Both parties agreed that the Amazonian process seeks an organic maturation that, with time and the discernment of the people of God, can lead to more inculturated forms of celebration.
Cardinal Roche recalled that all the rites of the Church were born as “profound variations of the preceding rite,” and that the passage of time and the fidelity of the people were what consolidated their liturgical identity.
“We are walking,” said Cardinal Barreto, “in communion with Rome, with an attitude of dialogue, listening, and discernment. CEAMA continues to learn its own way of serving: accompanying the processes that are already alive, helping to clarify them, and always doing so in a spirit of communion with the Holy Father and with the local Churches.”
The horizon of CEAMA
The meeting confirmed the ecclesial harmony between CEAMA and the Dicastery, as well as the shared desire to continue advancing in a process of liturgical and pastoral inculturation in the Amazon.
The proposed path is not only theological, but also spiritual and communal: an exercise in missionary synodality, where faith is celebrated from the peoples and with the peoples.
CEAMA thus continues its service to the Church in the Amazon region, faithful to Pope Francis’ mandate for “a Church with an Amazonian face, poor and servant, prophetic and Samaritan,” which celebrates the faith with the symbols, languages, and hopes of its people.
A gift from the Amazon
As a sign of communion and gratitude, CEAMA offered the Dicastery two deeply symbolic gifts: a special edition of the book on the popular devotion of the Círio de Nazaré de Belém do Pará (Brazil), a living expression of the faith of the Amazonian people; and a disc woven in yaré by the Cubeo indigenous community (Colombian Amazon), representing the intertwining of cultures, spiritualities, and hopes that shape life in the territory. Both gifts are a testimony to the desire to continue walking together, weaving fraternity and hope from the Amazon for the whole Church.