On Thursday, at the Archbishop’s Palace in Bogotá, a press conference was held to close the Meeting of Bishops of the Amazon, which from August 17 to 20 brought together more than 90 bishops from 76 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, along with representatives of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), including indigenous leaders, religious men and women, and lay people who contributed to the reflection.
The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), analyzed in detail the pastoral, social, and environmental challenges of the region, highlighting as central themes synodality, the defense of indigenous peoples, care for the biome, and the Church’s commitment to accompany life in this territory, which is crucial for the planet.
Cardinal Pedro Barreto: a more united Amazonian Church
Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto, president of CEAMA, highlighted that this was the first time in history that all the Amazonian bishops had met. He explained that the territory covers more than 7.5 million km², with 340 indigenous peoples and numerous Afro-descendant, riverine, and peasant communities. He also pointed out that the Catholic Church is present in 105 ecclesiastical jurisdictions in this vast biome.
The Peruvian cardinal thanked the bishops for accepting this invitation and added that the meeting renews the commitment to proclaim the Gospel in dialogue with indigenous cultures, while facing the effects of climate change and deforestation. He highlighted the symbolic gesture of receiving a pectoral made from wood from trees destroyed by forest fires in Bolivia as a sign of unity and commitment to the care of creation.
Patricia Gualinga: listening to the biome and the peoples
Indigenous leader Patricia Gualinga Montalvo, vice president of CEAMA, emphasized that this assembly was an experience of synodality, where the bishops were able to listen to the voice of the Amazonian biome and its peoples. She mentioned that daily threats to ancestral territories—deforestation, criminalization, human rights violations—continue to permanently affect not only communities but all of humanity.
She also warned that the Amazon is currently at a point of no return due to the climate crisis that human beings themselves are causing, noting that this requires urgent responses from the Church and society. For her, the meeting allowed participants to discover common realities and, at the same time, the great diversity of the biome, motivating them to walk together in the defense of life and inculturated evangelization.
Cardinal Michael Czerny: the Amazon, a gift from God
For his part, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, took the floor to congratulate CEAMA on the initiative and success of the meeting. He mentioned that the Church has been articulating a common response to the challenges of the Amazon for more than ten years, beginning with its peoples and extending to the defense of nature.
He also observed that the days of the meeting served as a moment of maturation for CEAMA, which is consolidating itself as an organization at the service of the people of God in the Amazon. He expressed his hope that the fruits will become visible in the life of the communities and that the media will multiply this desire and recognize how the Church continues to accompany this great gift of God that is the Amazon biome.
Monsignor Zenildo Lima: synodality as a sign of hope
For Monsignor Zenildo Lima da Silva, vice president of CEAMA, this meeting was a great sign of hope in the midst of a context marked by violence and exploitation of the territory. He was emphatic in pointing out that the Church has traveled a path of new relationships of care and closeness, where synodality is lived in a concrete way in dioceses, prelatures, and vicariates.
He also highlighted that the bishops brought with them testimonies from their local churches, confirming that the 2019 Synod for the Amazon continues to be a living reality. He pointed out that, despite the great challenges, the experience of the meeting brought the conviction that the Amazonian Church is strong and capable of offering signs of newness, comfort, and joy to its peoples.
The voice of the Church at the Fifth Summit of Presidents of the OTCA
During the press conference, a journalist asked about the coincidence with the Fifth Summit of Presidents of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), also being held in Bogotá on August 22. In response, Monsignor Zenildo Lima said that although it was not the task of the episcopal meeting to issue a formal message, the Church shares the cry of the Amazonian peoples before their leaders.
He noted that the heads of state are aware of the great challenges and responsibilities facing the Amazon, and that courageous political decisions in favor of life and the biome are expected of them. Finally, he recalled that indigenous peoples are the true experts on the dynamics of the Amazon and continue to inspire discernment in all. In his words, “the peoples continue to guide us with their wisdom, so that our political leaders may also choose paths of life.”
The Meeting of Bishops of the Amazon concluded on Thursday with a solemn Eucharist in the Primatial Cathedral of Colombia, presided over by Cardinal Pedro Barreto. Hundreds of faithful joined the participants of the meeting in a celebration of thanksgiving for the days shared and with a special prayer for the defense of life and the care of our Common Home.