On September 5, Brazil celebrates Amazon Day, a day that invites us to contemplate the grandeur of one of the most important territories for life on the planet, but also to listen carefully to the suffering endured by those who inhabit and safeguard this immense biome.
The Amazon is not merely an expanse of forest or a reserve of natural resources. It is a land of life, memory, cultures, spiritualities, and peoples. It is home to Indigenous, riverine, peasant, Afro-descendant, and urban communities that, for generations, have learned to live in harmony with the rhythms of the rivers, the forest, and the land.
That is why celebrating Amazon Day also means recognizing that the life of the forest and the lives of its peoples are inseparable.
The Suffering of a Wounded Amazon
Today, the peoples of the Brazilian Amazon continue to face profound threats. The destruction and degradation of ecosystems, pressure on territories, land invasions, violence, and land conflicts continue to affect the daily lives of numerous communities.
A recent report by the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) on violence against indigenous peoples in Brazil warns of an increase in territorial conflicts and documents murders, threats, and land invasions that keep many communities in a vulnerable situation.
Behind every conflict are people, families, and communities whose territories, rivers, and ways of life are under threat. Indigenous leaders from different regions of the country have also denounced land invasions, environmental degradation, threats, and the pressure of economic activities on traditional territories.
The pain of the Amazon is, therefore, the pain of the land and of its peoples. It is the cry of those defending their right to exist on their territories, of communities struggling to keep their languages and cultures alive, of the women who sustain community life, and of the younger generations who wonder what future awaits them.
But this pain does not have the final say.
The Amazonian Peoples: Seeds of Hope
Amid these threats, the Brazilian Amazon remains a land of resistance and hope. Indigenous peoples and traditional communities are not mere spectators in the defense of the forest; they are key actors in its care.
In their territories, they continue to develop strategies for monitoring, community organization, legal defense, the transmission of ancestral knowledge, and collaboration with other peoples and organizations. These experiences show that Amazonian hope has deep roots: it springs from communities that, even in the midst of difficulties, refuse to abandon the defense of life.
Another sign of hope is the strengthening of networks and spaces for encounter among peoples, communities, and social and religious organizations. On this Amazon Day, various initiatives continue to promote dialogue among different spiritualities, forms of knowledge, and cultures as paths toward caring for our Common Home.
Hope lies in the peoples who continue to teach that it is not possible to defend the Amazon without defending those who inhabit it.
A Church that walks with the peoples
In this context, the Church has a fundamental role. It cannot remain distant in the face of the suffering of the peoples or the devastation of our Common Home. Its mission in the Amazon is called to be a close, Samaritan, and prophetic presence.
The Synod on the Amazon opened new paths to understanding this mission: a Church that hears the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor; a Church with the face of Indigenous peoples, peasants, Afro-descendants, and riverine communities; a Church that recognizes the richness of cultures and walks alongside the peoples.
The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), the fruit of this synodal journey, continues to promote a pastoral approach grounded in the reality of the Amazonian peoples and territories, fostering integral ecology and a Church that does not merely speak about the Amazon but learns to walk from within it.
In his message to the Sixth Assembly of CEAMA, Pope Leo XIV recalled that the Amazon continues to face social, environmental, cultural, and ecclesial challenges amid situations of abuse and exploitation. At the same time, he highlighted the Church’s prophetic mission: to accompany those who suffer, to care for creation, and to defend respect for life in all its forms.
A Hope Built Together
This Amazon Day cannot be merely a day to admire the beauty of the rainforest. It is an opportunity to renew our sense of responsibility.
The Amazon needs concrete hope: a hope that translates into the defense of territories, respect for cultures, protection of peoples, care for rivers, and a commitment to future generations.
For the Church, being in the Amazon means listening before speaking, learning before teaching, and walking alongside the peoples. It means recognizing their wisdom, standing with them in their struggles, and proclaiming that life, dignity, and creation are gifts that must be protected.
On September 5, the Brazilian Amazon once again calls out to us.
In the murmur of its rivers, in the resilience of its peoples, in the pain of its wounded lands, and in the hope of those who continue to care for life, the same call echoes: do not abandon the Amazon.
Because defending the Amazon means defending its peoples.
Because caring for our Common Home means caring for life.
And because, as the Church, we are called to walk together so that hope may continue to flourish in the heart of the jungle.