“Five years of CEAMA are a great gift from God for the Amazon,” Sister Laura Vicuña Pereira, vice president of this young but deeply significant ecclesial organization, asserts with conviction. Her calm and firm voice captures the pulse of a journey that has transformed the Church in the region: a journey woven with commitment, synodality, and a dedicated life.
Five years after the creation of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon, their testimony not only recalls what they have experienced, but also projects dreams for the future. CEAMA was born on June 29, 2020, as a result of the synodal process promoted by Pope Francis and fueled by the cries of the region. Today, their journey continues to pave the way for a closer, more committed, and more rooted Church.
Synodality that becomes flesh in the Amazon
For Sister Laura, these five years are not just a passing moment. They are the concrete expression of a long process in which the Church has learned to listen, to look from below, and to walk with the people. “CEAMA expresses our commitment to the poor, to indigenous peoples, to the cry of the Earth,” she says firmly. It is a new way of being Church, closer to the pains and hopes of the land, which seeks to live synodality not as a theory, but as a transformative practice.
Women, the beating heart of the Amazonian Church
One of the most significant processes of this five-year period has been the Women’s Ministerial Core, a space that seeks to recognize, strengthen, and make visible the fundamental role of women in Amazonian ecclesial life.
“In the Amazon, women are at the forefront: they are leaders, defenders of the land, community leaders, guardians of life. Often, they risk everything to give voice to the struggles of their people,” explains Sister Laura. From the core, a more structured presence is developing, where women’s daily commitment is not only recognized but also becomes an active part of ecclesial decisions and ministries.
Expand the table, listen to more voices
But the challenges are evident. One of the limitations has been the small number of women in the core group and the difficulty of covering the entire Amazonian territory. “For now, we have sisters from Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia participating, but we need to include more women, more countries, and more voices from the communities themselves,” she says. The diversity of the Amazon demands a Church with a broad presence, one that is not limited to symbolic representations but rather reflects the true diversity of the territory.
From discernment to action
The path of discernment has not been passive. CEAMA is working decisively on two crucial issues for ecclesial inculturation: the Amazonian Rite and the female diaconate. For Sister Laura, reflection is not enough: “It is time to act. We want to present to Rome the formal request to restore the women’s diaconate in the territory. It is a necessity that arises from walking with the peoples.” Likewise, the Amazonian Rite seeks to embrace and celebrate the spirituality of the Amazon as a sign of respect and communion with ancestral cultures.
A more territorial, prophetic and feminine CEAMA
Looking to the future, Sister Laura dreams of a more deeply rooted CEAMA. “We want a more territorial, more plural, younger, and more feminine presence. One that hears the cry of the Earth and of its peoples, and that acts with prophetic boldness, as the Gospel asks of us.”
The dream is not small: it is a Church that walks barefoot, that allows itself to be challenged, that opens its structures to the newness of the Spirit. A Church that, from the Amazon, offers light to the entire universal Church.
Five years of seeds, five years of Spirit
In just five years, CEAMA has sown much more than structures: it has sown relationships, processes, and hope. From the first breath of its creation, it has sought to embody the Gospel in a wounded but vibrant region.
Today, on its fifth anniversary, we celebrate not only its birth, but also its ability to weave a future with memory, courage, and tenderness. A CEAMA that continues to grow, like the forest, with deep roots, open branches, and new blood.