During the 6th General Assembly of CEAMA, held in Bogotá, Maria Istélia Coelho Folha, a lay delegate from Brazil’s Northern Region 3, shared her experience as a woman committed to the Church and society in the Amazon.
From Palmas, in the state of Tocantins, Maria Istélia actively participates in pastoral coordination and emphasized the importance of this ecclesial space for strengthening the leading role of the laity. “For me, as a woman and as a layperson, it is very important to feel included in this process,” she affirmed, highlighting the journey toward an increasingly synodal and participatory Church.
During her remarks, she emphasized that CEAMA is an expression of a prophetic Church, one that is present in the Amazonian territory and responds to current challenges with hope and commitment. “We are living in a new moment,” she noted, acknowledging the momentum the Church’s mission has gained from Pope Francis’ call for a Church that goes forth.
She also emphasized the need for greater inculturation within Amazonian realities: “We need, more and more, to be incarnated in the lives of the peoples, to be a Church of presence, a Church that goes forth, in defense of the territory, the peoples, and the community.”
Her testimony highlights her commitment to a Church that walks alongside the most vulnerable, especially indigenous and traditional communities. A Church that, as she herself put it, is called to stand “beside the poor, on the peripheries, accompanying their struggles and hopes.”
Finally, Maria Istélia expressed her gratitude for being part of this process: “CEAMA is a great novelty for the Church in Brazil, and especially for the Church in the Amazon,” she concluded.
Her voice reflects the synodal spirit that animates the Sixth Assembly: an incarnate, close, and committed Church that recognizes in the laity—and especially in women—a fundamental pillar for building an Amazon region full of life, dignity, and hope.