The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), together with the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), the Amazonian University Program (PUAM), the Amazonian Network for Intercultural Bilingual Education (REIBA), the Latin American Confederation of Religious (CLAR), and the Pan-Amazonian Jesuit Service (SJPAM), launched the webinar series “FOSPA from the Perspective of Amazonian Theology: Spirituality, Synodality, and Prophecy”, a formation initiative aimed at strengthening the participation of the Church with an Amazonian face in the 12th Pan-Amazonian Social Forum (FOSPA), to be held in August in Puyo, Ecuador.
The first session brought together pastoral workers, religious sisters and brothers, laypeople, and representatives from various ecclesial organizations to explore the role of Amazonian spirituality, synodality, and prophetic commitment in addressing the region’s social, ecological, and cultural challenges.
A Joint Path Toward FOSPA
During the webinar’s opening, it was emphasized that this formation process stems from the desire to strengthen coordination among Amazonian ecclesial organizations and to promote a more active presence of the Church in one of the main forums for Pan-Amazonian civil society.
REPAM’s executive secretary, Ximena Lombana, stated that this initiative represents a true “synodal commitment to forging a path,” joining forces so that the Church’s participation in FOSPA contributes to building common agendas in defense of the Amazon.
She noted that the upcoming Forum will hold special significance as it takes place in Puyo, a city deeply linked to the founding and growth of REPAM, and called for FOSPA to go beyond the exchange of experiences to become a permanent space for collaboration.
“We want FOSPA to be a space that brings us together around common agendas and paths for joint work to protect our territories and strengthen proposals for socio-environmental justice and good living,” he said.
For his part, Marcelo Lemos, executive secretary of CEAMA, conveyed greetings from the presidency of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon, led by Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, and noted that their shared mission is to sustain processes that nurture an authentic synodal spirituality.
“We are called to walk together, building concrete signs of the Gospel in the lives of the peoples from within the Amazonian territories,” he noted.
Women Weave Amazonian Synodality
The first lecture was delivered by Sister Rose Bertoldo, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a member of the REPAM Women’s Group and the CEAMA Ministry Committee, and an active participant in the Synod for the Amazon process.
Her reflection began with an image deeply rooted in Amazonian cultures: weaving.
She explained that, just as women interweave various threads to create a unique piece, they also build life, community, and the Church through relationships of care, memory, listening, and resistance.
“We women weave life from the diversity of those threads,” she affirmed.
Drawing on this symbolism, she presented four dimensions that illuminate the synodal path:
- Weaving as a means of preserving ancestral knowledge;
- Weaving as a source of autonomy and sustenance for many Amazonian families;
- Weaving as a form of memory and resistance in the face of the destruction of territories;
- And weaving as an expression of authentic synodal listening.
She emphasized that women have played a decisive role both in the Synod for the Amazon and in the process of the Synod on Synodality, making the voice of communities visible in ecclesial discernment processes.
Guardians of the Faith and Defenders of Our Common Home
The religious sister highlighted that one of the most significant fruits of the synodal journey has been the recognition of the historic leading role of Amazonian women.
She recalled that these women sustain the life of numerous communities where ministerial presence is scarce, supporting catechesis, pastoral ministry, the transmission of the faith, and community life.
“Women are the great guardians of the faith, culture, and theological reflection in our communities,” she affirmed.
She also highlighted their leadership in defending our Common Home, noting that they are the ones on the front lines against deforestation, illegal mining, extractivism, and the many threats affecting indigenous peoples and Amazonian biodiversity.
A Spirituality That Protects Life
During her remarks, she also denounced the various forms of violence affecting Amazonian women—including abuse, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and femicide—which are closely linked to the economic exploitation of these territories.
“The intensity with which nature suffers this violence is the same intensity with which women suffer this violence in the Amazon region,” she noted.
Given this situation, she called for strengthening protection networks, accompanying communities, promoting political advocacy, and consolidating a spirituality of care that places life at the center.
Among the pastoral challenges, she proposed strengthening small-scale community initiatives, accompanying impoverished people, supporting young people, responding in solidarity to new waves of migration caused by humanitarian crises, and using digital networks as spaces for evangelization and encounter.
She also called for embracing ecological ministry as a common cause, promoting sustainable economies, and combating hate speech through a culture of care and hope.
Evangelizing from the Perspective of Integral Ecology
The second lecture was delivered by Fr. Agnaldo Junior, SJ, socio-environmental delegate of the Conference of Jesuit Provincials of Latin America and the Caribbean (CPAL), who presented a reflection on the identity of a Church with an Amazonian face from the perspective of integral ecology.
He recalled that FOSPA was founded in 2002 as a regional expression of the World Social Forum and that today it constitutes one of the main platforms for coordination among social organizations, indigenous peoples, and institutions committed to defending the Amazon.
He emphasized that the Forum must be understood as an ongoing process.
“We don’t just want a one-time event; we want a process that strengthens our journey together,” he stated.
Before beginning his presentation, he shared the testimony of an indigenous leader, who recalled that indigenous peoples are not the owners of creation but its custodians.
“We do not own the oil; we do not own the gold. The Father entrusted us with the sacred duty of being guardians of all creation,” he said.
A New Apostolic Subject for the Amazon
The Jesuit explained that evangelizing in the Amazon means recognizing that God is already present among the peoples and in their cultures.
“We are not going to bring a spirituality; we are going to recognize the face of God who already dwells in this land,” he affirmed.
From this perspective, he highlighted the need to form a new apostolic subject, inspired by documents such as *Querida Amazonía*, *Laudato Si’*, and *Fratelli Tutti*.
This new missionary profile entails abandoning colonialist mindsets, embracing a true and integral ecological conversion, and understanding that “everything is connected.”
He also proposed moving toward a Church that is increasingly synodal, de-clericalized, and one in which the laity and women play a greater role.
“We pastoral workers are called to be facilitators, caregivers, and servants—not owners,” he noted.
He also called for strengthening small ecclesial communities, especially in urban peripheries and the most remote areas of the Amazon, by promoting new ministries and a Church with its own Amazonian identity.
An Ongoing Process
The meeting concluded by reaffirming that the path toward the 12th FOSPA is not limited to a single event, but rather constitutes an ongoing process of listening, discernment, and commitment to the lives of the Amazonian peoples.
The series will continue with two new webinars scheduled for July 15 and 30, which will address topics related to climate justice, new economic models, the role of women, and the socio-environmental challenges facing the Amazon.
Through this initiative, the organizations that make up the Church with an Amazonian Face renew their commitment to walk alongside the peoples, strengthening an incarnational spirituality, a synodality that listens to the voices of the region, and prophetic action in the service of life, justice, and the care of our Common Home.