The Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE), the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), and the Amazon University Program (PUAM) renewed the inter-institutional cooperation framework agreement that has supported their joint work for three years, consolidating a strategic alliance at the service of the Amazon and its peoples.
The renewal of this agreement reaffirms the shared commitment to continue strengthening a university proposal at the service of the Amazon, in coordination with the mission of the Church and in permanent dialogue with the Amazonian territories. The signed addendum extends the agreement for three more years, until February 2029, and projects new challenges for academic, educational, research, and pastoral collaboration.
A university proposal born of the synodal process
During the renewal ceremony, Mauricio López, founding rector of PUAM and Vice President of CEAMA, emphasized the profound ecclesial and territorial significance of this shared journey, recalling that the program is the fruit of the Amazonian synodal process: “The mandate that emerges from the synodal process impels us to build a university proposal for the Amazon, embodied in the territories and at the service of life,” he said, also highlighting the role of PUCE and Fundación Campus as the institutional home of PUAM.
For his part, Father Carlos Ignacio Man-Ging, SJ, rector of PUCE, pointed out that this renewal is part of the university’s historical mission and Jesuit identity: “We reaffirm our commitment to a comprehensive education that responds to the ethical, social, and environmental challenges of our time, in line with Laudato Si’ and Querida Amazonía.”
Father Daniel de Ycaza, SJ, Provincial of the Society of Jesus in Ecuador and president of Fundación Campus, highlighted the shared nature of this mission: “These agreements call us to continue collaborating as friends in the Lord, putting our abilities at the service of those most in need and of God’s mission.”
Walking together in this historic time
Father Rafael Garrido, SJ, president of the Conference of Jesuit Provincials of Latin America and the Caribbean (CPAL) and honorary witness to the agreement, underscored the relevance of institutional articulations at the present time: “Today we cannot walk alone; our mission requires us to forge real and lasting relationships that make it possible to serve the Amazon and the Church together,” noting that this agreement goes beyond the formal and expresses a living process of collaboration and co-responsibility.
In turn, the director general of PUAM, Diana Massa, affirmed that the renewal of the agreement “strengthens a path of articulation between the Church, academia, and territories, and consolidates PUAM as a university presence at the service of the dignity and rights of the Amazonian peoples.”
Cardinal Pedro Barreto, SJ, president of CEAMA, valued the continuity of this networking as a sign of hope for the region: “This agreement expresses a joint journey in the service of the Amazon and the Church, with the certainty that the processes built in communion will endure beyond individuals.”
A day of encounter, reflection, and celebration
The renewal of the agreement took place on a significant day shared with the PUCE university community, marked by fraternal encounter, reflection, opportunities for dialogue with authorities, teachers, and students, and the celebration of the Eucharist.
As a symbolic gesture laden with memory and hope, Cardinal Pedro Barreto placed an offering from PUAM in the PUCE Time Capsule, a sign of commitment to the Amazon and of a history that is being built with an eye to the future.
Discussion and Eucharist: faith that translates into commitment
As part of the visit, a discussion was held on “Living and working with sobriety: the call of Laudato Si’”, a space for reflection co-organized by PUCE and PUAM, with the participation of Cardinal Pedro Barreto, Father Rafael Garrido, and Father Carlos Ignacio Man-Ging.
The dialogue focused on caring for our common home, sobriety as a way of life, and the ethical and social commitment that challenges academia and the Church.
The day concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist, experienced as thanksgiving for the journey traveled and as a renewed sending forth to continue serving the Amazon from a place of communion, hope, and shared responsibility.
The renewal of this agreement ratifies a shared commitment to coordinated work, the strengthening of long-term processes, and the integral care of life in the Amazon, a concrete sign of a Church that learns, accompanies, and walks alongside its peoples.
