Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Pucallpa, in the Amazon region of Peru, represents an event filled with profound hope for the indigenous peoples and the Church in the region. Ana María Palomino, vice president of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), emphasizes that this visit offers an opportunity to strengthen a Church that reaches out, to listen to the voices of the communities, and to renew the commitment to defending life and our Common Home.
The Amazon is preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV for a gathering that goes beyond a pastoral visit and takes on profound significance for the indigenous peoples and ecclesial communities living in this region. His arrival in Pucallpa represents an opportunity to renew hope, strengthen faith, and reaffirm the commitment of a Church that walks alongside the peoples, listens to their realities, and stands with them in their struggles.
In an interview with Noticias Caracol en Vivo, Sister Ana María Palomino, vice president of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), expressed the joy and anticipation felt by the Peruvian Church at the Pontiff’s presence. She emphasized that Leo XIV is a deeply missionary Pope, committed to reaching out to the people and standing with them in the face of the suffering, violence, inequality, and despair plaguing our societies.
“Faith is not just about praying, but about taking action, committing ourselves, stepping outside of ourselves, reaching out to others, and forging bonds of unity,” Palomino stated, emphasizing that the Pope’s message invites us to live a spirituality that translates into concrete actions of fraternity, solidarity, and commitment to life.
A Visit That Embraces the Entire Amazon Region
The Pope’s arrival in Pucallpa holds special significance for the Amazonian peoples. Although the visit takes place on Peruvian soil, his message reaches the entire Pan-Amazon region—an area that continues to face profound environmental, social, and cultural threats.
Palomino noted that indigenous organizations have welcomed the news with joy and are mobilizing from different regions to participate in the meetings with the Holy Father. The eight apostolic vicariates of the Peruvian Amazon are eagerly awaiting this event, which represents an opportunity to share their experiences, present their concerns, and make their voices heard.
One of the most significant aspects will be, precisely, listening. Indigenous peoples are not only preparing to receive the Pope’s message but also to share their own words, statements, and demands.
“They, too, will bring their messages, their statements, their words, and the Pope will listen to them,” emphasized the vice president of REPAM.
This gathering underscores the importance of building a synodal Church, capable of recognizing the Amazonian peoples as protagonists of their own history and of their ecclesial journey.
Defending Our Common Home: A Priority for the Church
Pope Leo XIV’s visit takes place against a backdrop of profound concerns for the Amazon.
The expansion of extractive activities, the climate crisis, the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, and constant threats to their territories put the lives of communities and those who defend nature at risk.
During the interview, Ana María Palomino recalled that around 40 defenders of our Common Home have been murdered in the Peruvian Amazon. This reality highlights the urgency of strengthening the protection of indigenous peoples, their territories, and their rights.
The Pontiff’s presence in Pucallpa represents, in this sense, an opportunity to bring these situations to light and renew the Church’s commitment to those who defend life and care for creation.
The Eucharistic celebration in Amazonian territory also takes on a deeply symbolic dimension: bringing the heart of ecclesial life to the places where these peoples live, where their traditions and spiritualities are preserved, but also where they experience their sorrows, struggles, and hopes.
Continuing the Journey of the Amazon Synod and the Four Dreams of *Querida Amazonía*
For Palomino, one of the great challenges of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate is to continue the path opened by Pope Francis through the Amazon Synod and the apostolic exhortation *Querida Amazonía*.
In particular, he highlighted the importance of strengthening the four dreams that guide this path: the social dream, which seeks a society marked by justice and equity; the cultural dream, which promotes respect for and appreciation of the cultures, languages, and spiritualities of Indigenous peoples; the ecological dream, grounded in integral ecology; and the ecclesial dream, which calls for building a Church that is close to the people, missionary, and with an Amazonian character.
“I believe that Pope Leo XIV comes to strengthen these dreams,” she stated.
This continuity represents an opportunity to continue consolidating a Church that recognizes the cultural diversity of the Amazon, promotes the active role of its peoples, and embraces the defense of life as an essential dimension of its evangelizing mission.
A Church that goes forth, close to those who suffer most
The Pope’s visit also invites the entire Church to renew its missionary commitment. For the vice president of REPAM, evangelization is not the exclusive responsibility of priests and religious, but a mission shared by all the baptized.
In a Latin American context marked by profound social, cultural, and religious transformations, Palomino emphasized the need to accompany new human realities, heal wounds, and strengthen a culture of encounter and reconciliation.
“We all carry out the mission—not only priests and religious sisters, but every baptized man and woman. We are sent on a mission that is nothing other than proclaiming the Good News,” she said.
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Amazon is an opportunity to listen to the cry of the peoples, strengthen ecclesial processes, and renew the hope of those working for an Amazon region filled with life, justice, and dignity—a Church that not only comes to these territories to proclaim the Gospel but also learns from its peoples, walks alongside them, and is committed to defending our Common Home.