“The synodal journey also means taking seriously what Pope Francis began with Laudato Si’.” With these words, Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, OFM, president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), placed integral ecology at the heart of the Church’s synodal journey during the press conference presenting the IV Synodal Meeting “Fratelli Tutti: North-South Socio-Environmental Dialogue”, which took place in Rome.
In his remarks, Cardinal Steiner recalled that synodality cannot be understood apart from the socio-environmental reality or the peoples who inhabit the territories of the Amazon. For CEAMA, listening to these voices and recognizing their knowledge, cultures, and ways of relating to nature constitutes a fundamental dimension of the Church’s commitment to life and to our Common Home.
Steiner linked this path to the horizon opened up by Pope Francis through Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, two encyclicals that, in his view, offer fundamental insights to illuminate the life of the Church, society, and its evangelizing mission.
“Integral ecology, through Laudato Si’ and then Fratelli Tutti, has opened up a horizon that we cannot forget; rather, we must take it seriously.”
Listening to the Peoples of the Amazon
One of the central themes of the CEAMA president’s remarks was the need to take the peoples living in the rainforests seriously.
When speaking of integral ecology, Steiner referred to indigenous peoples and quilombola communities, recalling that the defense of our Common Home is inseparably linked to the dignity, rights, and ways of life of those who have historically cared for these territories.
“We cannot, in the context of integral ecology, fail to take seriously the peoples living in the rainforests,” he affirmed.
This perspective is particularly significant for CEAMA, whose mission seeks to strengthen an ecclesial presence in the Amazon that walks alongside the peoples and communities of the region, recognizing their realities, their struggles, and their hopes.
For Steiner, these peoples’ relationship with nature expresses a way of understanding life that the Church is called to listen to and value. It is not merely a matter of protecting certain natural spaces, but of recognizing a profound interrelationship between territory, culture, community, and life.
From Production to Care
At another point in his remarks, Cardinal Steiner returned to two words he considered fundamental to understanding humanity’s relationship with nature: “care” and “cultivation”.
These expressions, he explained, allow us to move beyond a view of nature reduced exclusively to the production or exploitation of resources.
“It is not just about production; it is about caring for the common good.”
From the perspective of integral ecology, care means recognizing that nature is not simply a resource available to human beings, but a reality of which we are a part and whose protection is directly linked to the building of the common good.
This perspective connects deeply with the Amazonian experience, where peoples maintain a close relationship with their territories and where environmental threats have direct consequences for their communities, cultures, and ways of life.
Human Dignity and the Dignity of Nature
Cardinal Steiner also incorporated into his reflection one of the great contemporary challenges: artificial intelligence and human dignity.
In response to the current concerns raised by Pope Leo, he noted that technological advances demand an ethical reflection on the place of the human person and on how technology must be at the service of humanity.
But Steiner went further and proposed establishing a connection between human dignity and the dignity of nature.
“The dignity of the person could also be linked to the dignity of nature.”
This connection broadens the perspective of the socio-environmental debate: defending human dignity also implies challenging those dynamics that destroy ecosystems, affect territories, and jeopardize the conditions that make life possible.
“Fratelli e sorelle”: A Fraternity That Embraces Creation
To explore this vision further, the president of CEAMA drew on the figure of St. Francis of Assisi, who recognized creation as part of a great fraternity.
“We are all brothers and sisters because everything came from the same womb,” said Steiner, evoking a spiritual perspective in which humanity is not separate from nature but deeply connected to it.
From this perspective, the title Fratelli Tutti takes on a dimension that transcends relationships between individuals and peoples: it also invites us to rethink humanity’s relationship with creation.
From this perspective, fraternity becomes a call to recognize our interdependence and to assume a shared responsibility for life.
An Amazonian Voice in the North-South Dialogue
Cardinal Leonardo Steiner’s address brought a fundamental perspective to the Vatican’s socio-environmental dialogue: the ecological crisis cannot be addressed without listening to those who live in and care for these territories.
From the Amazon, CEAMA thus reaffirms that integral ecology demands dialogue, listening, and participation, but also the recognition of peoples as protagonists in the paths of transformation.
Within the framework of the Fourth Synodal Meeting Fratelli Tutti, Cardinal Steiner’s message reminds us that caring for our Common Home means caring for life, defending the dignity of peoples, and recognizing that we are all part of the same community of life.
This call connects the synodal journey with one of the great challenges of our time: building a humanity capable of living not through domination, but through care, fraternity, and respect for all of creation.