Father Juan Carlos Morante Buchhammer, S.J. was ordained a bishop and took canonical possession of the Apostolic Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier in Jaén (Peru). During the celebration, Cardinal Pedro Barreto highlighted the Amazonian character of the Vicariate, the richness of the Awajún and Wampis peoples, and the Church’s call to walk with humility, a willingness to listen, and a missionary spirit.
In a celebration marked by joy, gratitude, and hope, Father Juan Carlos Morante Buchhammer, S.J., was ordained bishop and took canonical possession of the Apostolic Vicariate of Saint Francis Xavier of Jaén on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
The moving ceremony took place at the Fe y Alegría 22 “San Luis Gonzaga” School in Jaén and brought together members of the People of God from the provinces of Condorcanqui in Amazonas and San Ignacio and Jaén in Cajamarca, along with priests, religious men and women, and laypeople.
The celebration was presided over by Cardinal Pedro Barreto, former president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), who returned to Jaén with deep emotion, recalling that it was in that very place that he began his episcopal ministry on January 6, 2002.
“Today we have not come merely to remember. We have come to look ahead. Because the Church continues on her journey. And today the Lord gives us our new shepherd: Juan Carlos Morante, S.J.,” the cardinal said during his homily.
A Church with a History and Missionary Legacy
Cardinal Barreto recalled the fruitful history of the Apostolic Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier in Jaén, a Church marked from its very origins by the presence and missionary service of the Society of Jesus, religious sisters, diocesan priests, and the lay faithful.
The history of this particular Church dates back to the Apostolic Prefecture entrusted to the Jesuits in 1946 and to the creation of the Apostolic Vicariate in 1971.
During his homily, the cardinal thanked the bishops, priests, religious sisters, religious brothers, Jesuits, and laypeople who have kept the evangelizing mission alive in these territories.
He made special mention of the service of the bishops who have accompanied this Church, including Monsignor Antonio Hornedo, Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora, Monsignor José María Izuzquiza, Monsignor Santiago García de la Rasilla, and Monsignor Alfredo Vizcarra—the predecessor of Monsignor Juan Carlos Morante and current archbishop of Trujillo.
“The Church continues on its path,” Cardinal Barreto affirmed, recalling that the mission does not belong to the shepherds, but to Jesus Christ.
“Jesus alone is the indispensable owner of the evangelizing mission. We merely receive, for a time, the grace to serve as shepherds.”
The Episcopate as Service and Humility
One of the central themes of the homily was a reflection on the meaning of the episcopal ministry.
Drawing on the first reading, Cardinal Pedro Barreto invited the new bishop to live out his ministry with humility, reminding him that the episcopate is neither a privilege nor a title of honor, but rather a service in the manner of Jesus.
“It is not about being above others. It is about standing alongside them. It is not about seeking recognition. It is about seeking the good of the people. It is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing how to listen,” he said.
Addressing Monsignor Juan Carlos Morante directly, he reminded him of the importance of walking with humility, of listening and learning, of recognizing one’s own limits, and of allowing oneself to be surprised by God.
He also emphasized that the Holy Spirit can speak through the simplest of people.
This call resonates deeply with the path of a synodal Church, called to listen, discern, and walk alongside the People of God.
A Church That Listens to the Amazon
During his reflection, Cardinal Barreto highlighted the territorial, cultural, and human diversity that characterizes the Apostolic Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier of Jaén.
The Amazonian region of the Vicariate is located in the province of Condorcanqui, the ancestral home of the Awajún and Wampis indigenous peoples.
The former president of CEAMA recalled that these peoples possess a rich history, identity, culture, and spirituality, and have safeguarded the land, rivers, forest, and their territories for generations.
“These are peoples who have known how to safeguard life, the land, the rivers, the forest, and their territories—not merely as resources, but as part of a profound relationship with creation and with community life,” he noted.
For this reason, he emphasized that the Church is called not only to evangelize but also to listen to and learn from these peoples.
The cardinal recalled the journey undertaken by the Church in the Amazon in recent years—driven especially by Pope Francis—with the creation of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM) in 2014, the celebration of the Synod for the Amazon in 2019, and the creation of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) in 2020.
This process has opened new paths for a Church with an Amazonian face—one that is close to the people, attentive to their cultures, and committed to caring for our Common Home.
Grateful Remembrance and Hope for the Future
In addition to the Amazonian context, the Vicariate has a significant presence of rural communities in the provinces of Jaén and San Ignacio.
Families who came to these territories, put down roots, worked the land, and built communities that today form an essential part of the history of this particular Church.
Drawing on the words of St. Paul—“Forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal”—Cardinal Barreto invited the new bishop to receive the history of the Vicariate with gratitude, but also to look to the future with hope.
“Receive the history of this Vicariate with gratitude, but look forward with hope. You must discern, together with the Church, what the Holy Spirit wants to do now,” he said.
Pastoral succession, he reminded the assembly, does not mean starting from scratch, but rather continuing a mission that has been sown by many generations.
“Always be an open door to Jesus”
The Gospel proclaimed during the celebration presented Jesus as the door and as the one who has come so that all may have life.
Drawing on this image, Cardinal Pedro Barreto offered a profound exhortation to the new bishop.
“Juan Carlos, you are called to help people enter through that door. That is why I would like to ask you: always be an open door to Jesus. May no one who approaches you find a closed door. And may that door lead not to you, but to Christ.”
For the cardinal, the bishop is called to be a pastor who is approachable, open, and available—one who leads the People of God toward Christ, the one and only Good Shepherd.
The phrase “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly” became the expression that illuminated the entire celebration and will mark the episcopal ministry of Bishop Juan Carlos Morante.
“Jesus brings us life”
Life, understood in its fullest sense, was presented as the center of the Church’s mission.
It is not merely a matter of survival, but of promoting a life of dignity, full of hope, capable of loving and forgiving, of caring for the most vulnerable, and of protecting our Common Home.
“Jesus speaks of a life lived to the fullest. A life of dignity, of hope. A life that knows how to love and forgive. A life that cares for the weakest and protects our Common Home,” stated Cardinal Barreto.
For this reason, together with the new shepherd, the Church of the Apostolic Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier in Jaén is called to proclaim:
JESUS BRINGS US LIFE!
A shepherd who walks with his people
At the conclusion of his homily, Cardinal Pedro Barreto entrusted the episcopal ministry of Monsignor Juan Carlos Morante to the protection of Mary, a woman of listening, humility, and service.
He also asked for the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, patron of the Vicariate, so that the new bishop’s missionary zeal may remain alive.
Referring to the symbols received during the episcopal ordination, he recalled that the crosier is not a sign of power, but the symbol of the shepherd who walks with his people.
The ring, he added, expresses fidelity to the Church in communion with the Pope and with the People of God; while the miter should always remind us of the humility of Jesus Christ.
“We shepherds come and go. The mission continues. The People of God keep moving forward,” said the cardinal.
From the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), we join in the joy of the Church of the Apostolic Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier in Jaén and offer our prayers for the ministry of Monsignor Juan Carlos Morante Buchhammer, S.J.
May his pastoral service be a journey of listening, closeness, humility, and communion with the peoples, especially with the Amazonian communities and the Awajún and Wampis indigenous peoples.
May this Church, together with its new shepherd, continue to walk with hope and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, who comes to meet us so that all may have life and have it in abundance.
JESUS BRINGS US LIFE!