The city of Manaus (Brazil) is hosting the 14th Brazilian Communication Forum (MUTICOM), which is taking place from September 25 to 28, bringing together more than 400 participants under the theme: “Communication and Integral Ecology: Transformation and Fair Sustainability.”
The meeting, organized by the Archdiocese of Manaus, has become a space for sharing experiences, reflecting on communication policies and practices, and learning from a synodal methodology based on listening. In the words of Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus and president of the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), MUTICOM aims to be a call to “care for our Common Home” through communication.
Communication from a perspective of integral ecology
Bishop Valdir José de Castro, of Campo Limpo (São Paulo) and president of the CNBB Communication Commission, emphasized that this meeting seeks to strengthen the Church’s commitment to protecting our Common Home through communication. For his part, Monsignor Edilson Soares Nobre, bishop of Oeiras (Piauí) and member of the same commission, insisted on the importance of “thinking about communication from an integral ecology perspective, because it is about our survival, our present, and our future.”
Indigenous peoples at the center of the defense
Cardinal Steiner denounced the fact that indigenous peoples continue to be persecuted by economic interests, in a context of advancing agribusiness and mining. In response to this, he pointed out the urgency of opening our eyes and courageously communicating that the root of environmental destruction lies in an economic system that has imposed itself as dominant.
“Integral ecology is not on the horizon of the market, but on the horizon of fraternity, where everything is interconnected,” said the Archbishop of Manaus. He added that MUTICOM should be “a crucial moment to raise awareness, take responsibility, and dismantle a system that prioritizes profit over life.”
Fraternity and the Kingdom of God
From a theological perspective, Steiner recalled that the Church’s horizon is not the market, but fraternity and the harmonious relationships characteristic of the Kingdom of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ crucified and risen. Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, he recalled that all creation is sisterhood, because every creature has a place and value in our Common Home: “All creatures need a chance, because everything is connected.”
The cardinal concluded by calling on MUTICOM to be a space not only for environmental reflection, but also for reconciliation in human relationships, “which are so fractured today.”
Participation of CEAMA
Representing the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), Fernando Rueda, head of communications, participates in MUTICOM, sharing this journey of listening, dialogue, and commitment to integral ecology from an Amazonian perspective.
With this meeting, MUTICOM confirms that ecclesial communication is not only a technique or strategy, but a path of fraternity, critical awareness, and care for life, in the service of a more just and sustainable world.
