The Meeting of Bishops of the Amazon opened at the headquarters of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) in Bogotá, with the participation of bishops, cardinals, religious men and women, lay people, and representatives of indigenous peoples. The opening was a mosaic of calls for synodality and care for peoples and the common home.
The event began with the presentation of the members of the presidency of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon. Indigenous leader Patricia Gualinga, from the town of Sarayaku, and layman Mauricio López, also vice president, expressed their hopes: “The people are not a people without a shepherd, nor is the shepherd a shepherd without a people,” and invited those present to keep in mind the communities they accompany.
For her part, Sister Laura Vicuña, Franciscan catechist and vice president of CEAMA, pointed out: “The new paths of the Church in the Amazon pass through the inculturation of the Good News,” and evoked the indigenous peoples as “peoples of ancient perfumes that continue to perfume the continent against all despair.”
Strengthening friendship in Jesus
The president of CEAMA, Cardinal Pedro Barreto, welcomed everyone on behalf of the presidency: “We are called to turn the signs of the times into signs of hope. We are pilgrims of hope in the Amazon.” He recalled the journey begun with the Amazon Synod and thanked the institutions that supported the meeting, including CELAM, REPAM, and the Archdiocese of Bogotá.
The vice president of CEAMA, Monsignor Zenildo Lima, encouraged the bishops to live this meeting as a fraternity in Christ: “We have been called to an experience of encounter among ourselves to strengthen our friendship in Jesus.”
Then, Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus, said that although he did not participate in the Amazon Synod, he felt part of the process: “A Church that listens to communities, to the laity, and to religious life is what we dream of.”
The challenge is to be truly and constitutively episcopal and synodal
The prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Michael Czerny, said that the gestation of CEAMA “has been a true miracle.”
He recalled that its ecclesial character means that not only bishops participate, but also “lay people, religious, indigenous peoples, and experts.” He added that the challenge is to be “truly and constitutively episcopal and synodal.”
Next, the secretary general of CELAM, Monsignor Lizardo Estrada, welcomed his brother bishops on behalf of the continental organization. He expressed his desire to “live these days as an experience of conversion, collegiality, and synodality.”
Greetings from allied organizations
Sister María Inés Castellano, secretary general of CLAR, expressed the commitment of consecrated life: “We wish to continue listening to the whispers of the Spirit in our beloved Amazon.”
The president of Caritas Latin America, Monsignor Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, recalled: “The Pope had the courage to make the message of the Amazon resound throughout the Church.”
From REPAM, Monsignor Rafael Cob encouraged us to continue dreaming together: “Dreaming together makes it easier to make dreams come true.”
The president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, Monsignor Francisco Javier Múnera, expressed his country’s commitment: “The issue of the Amazon is not only for the bishops of the region, but for the whole Church,” he said.
The president of the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador, Cardinal Luis Cabrera, compared the Amazonian journey to the fruit of small seeds: “We are reaping what was sown,” and recalled the example of the Salesian Maria Troncatti, who is soon to be canonized.
Church with an Amazonian face
The Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia, Monsignor Paolo Rudelli, shared the message of the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Parolin, in which he expressed the gratitude of Pope Leo XIV and invited the bishops to integrate three inseparable dimensions into their mission: “The proclamation of the Gospel, the just treatment of peoples, and the care of our common home.”
The meeting was inaugurated in an atmosphere of synodality. As Cardinal Barreto remarked: “Let us continue with renewed vigor our journey together as a Church with an Amazonian face.”