On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, OFM, president of the Conference, delivered a video message of gratitude and hope, highlighting the progress made by the Amazonian Church in building an incarnational, synodal, and intercultural evangelization.
On the sixth anniversary of CEAMA’s founding, Cardinal Leonardo Steiner invited the communities, organizations, and institutions that are part of this ecclesial process to renew their commitment to a Church that listens to, accompanies, and walks alongside the peoples of the Amazon.
“We joyfully celebrate the sixth anniversary of CEAMA, a Church with an Amazonian face,” said the president of the Ecclesial Conference, recalling that during these years the Holy Spirit has continued to enliven the lives of the Amazonian peoples and to strengthen processes of listening, participation, education, defense of territories, and care for our Common Home.
A Synodal Church at the Service of Life
In his message, Cardinal Steiner emphasized that CEAMA is the fruit of the path opened by the Synod for the Amazon and of the search for new forms of ecclesial presence in the Amazon region.
“We are one Church—the Catholic Church. We are many Churches—our particular Churches—walking the synodal path,” he affirmed, emphasizing that the Amazonian experience has become a sign of hope not only for the region but also for the entire universal Church.
Over the past six years, CEAMA has promoted spaces for pastoral coordination, formation, ministry, intercultural education, the defense of indigenous peoples’ rights, and the integral care of creation, thereby strengthening an ecclesial presence that is increasingly attuned to the realities and challenges of the Amazon.
Gratitude for a Shared Journey
The president of CEAMA thanked the individuals, communities, organizations, and institutions that have accompanied this process from its inception, making possible an evangelization deeply rooted in Amazonian cultures.
“We give thanks to God for all the people, communities, organizations, and institutions that have made possible this journey of evangelization incarnated in the cultures, committed to justice, interculturality, and respect for the wisdom of indigenous peoples,” he said.
His words reflect one of the fundamental pillars of CEAMA’s mission: to promote a Church that values cultural diversity, listens to historically marginalized voices, and contributes to the building of more just and fraternal societies.
Renewing the Commitment to a Church of Hope
On the occasion of this anniversary, Cardinal Leonardo Steiner called for continued efforts to strengthen the synodal journey and the Church’s presence in the Amazonian territories.
“May this anniversary renew our commitment to continue building a living Church, a synodal Church, a Church that values the languages, cultures, and dreams of our peoples,” he said.
Finally, he entrusted CEAMA’s journey to the protection of Our Lady of the Amazon, asking that she continue to accompany the Church in its mission to proclaim the Gospel through closeness, listening, and hope.
“May we always be a Church that walks, but one that walks with hope,” he concluded.
Six years after its creation, the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon reaffirms its commitment to continue promoting a Church with an Amazonian, intercultural, and synodal character—one committed to defending life, peoples, and territories—responding to the challenges of the present with the power of the Gospel and the hope that springs from the Amazon.