In an atmosphere of ecclesial fraternity and deep communion, a delegation from the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) met with Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, and Father Giacomo Costa, SJ, to discuss the progress, challenges, and hopes of the synodal journey in the Amazon region.
During the meeting, CEAMA representatives—including Cardinal Pedro Barreto, Mauricio López, Monsignor Zenildo Lima, Sister Laura Vicuña, and Patricia Gualinga—expressed the richness and vitality of the synodal process being experienced in the local Churches of the Amazon. They emphasized that the Synod for the Amazon has not only left a deep mark on the communities, but continues to inspire new ways of being Church through listening, participation, and joint discernment.
Cardinal Barreto stressed that “our greatest challenge today is to strengthen the relationship between REPAM and CEAMA, as complementary expressions of the same mission.”
For his part, Mauricio López recalled that “we have walked alongside the Synod; now we are living in a time of transition that invites us to trust and continue walking together.”Sister Laura Vicuña shared that “in the territories, a living Church is perceived, where pastoral councils, the laity, consecrated life, and indigenous peoples are promoting true synodal processes.”
Patricia Gualinga recalled that “the Amazon is a concrete territory, a different world that Pope Francis has known how to listen to and value.”
The participants agreed on the importance of caring for CEAMA as an ecclesiological and spiritual novelty, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, which expresses an unprecedented form of articulation between bishops, consecrated life, laity, and indigenous peoples. The General Secretariat of the Synod reaffirmed its closeness and commitment to this process, recognizing that the Amazonian experience can enlighten the whole Church on its journey towards authentic synodality.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the representatives of CEAMA presented a symbol of communion and hope: a canoe carved from bloodwood, made by the Inga community of Putumayo, in the Sibundoy Valley.