On the occasion of the Meeting of Bishops of the Amazon, which brought together more than 90 pastors from 76 ecclesiastical jurisdictions of the nine Amazonian countries in Bogotá, a press conference was held at the headquarters of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM).
Participants included Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus; Mauricio López, Vice President of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA); Monsignor Omar Mejía, Bishop of Florencia (Colombia); Monsignor Lizardo Estrada, Secretary General of CELAM; and Monsignor Eugenio Coter, Vicar Apostolic of Pando (Bolivia).
Synodal Church in the Amazon
Cardinal Leonardo Steiner pointed out that this meeting gives continuity to the path opened by the Special Synod for the Amazon. “We want to continue the Synod for the Amazon. The Synod convened by Pope Francis has continuity. The greatest continuity came with the creation of the Ecclesial Council of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Conference. CEAMA is the fruit of the Synod. A synodal Church, a Church that helps itself, a Church that knows how to listen, a Church deeply incarnate, a Church deeply inculturated.“
The cardinal emphasized that CEAMA ”involves not only bishops, but also religious life, priests, deacons, laypeople, and indigenous peoples,” in a spirit of authentic synodality.
Four priorities and a starting point
Mauricio López recalled the journey from the Amazon Synod to the creation of CEAMA in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic: “Four major priorities were clearly identified: continuity of the REPAM process, the episcopal ecclesial body; the creation of a university program for the Amazon; and interculturality through the Amazonian rite and ministries.
(…) This meeting is defined as a point that is not a point of arrival, but rather a point of departure.“
López emphasized that this space aims to mark ”the synodal plan that the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon is building so that it truly reflects the concerns that arise here.”
Colombia as host
Monsignor Omar Mejía expressed the joy of the Colombian Church in hosting this meeting: “It is a great opportunity to promote and revitalize. As the Colombian Church, let us truly give life to Pope Francis’ four dreams: the social dream, the ecclesial dream, the cultural dream, and the ecological dream.”
He also highlighted the commitment of the country’s 14 ecclesiastical provinces to sponsor the most needy Amazonian jurisdictions.
The role of CELAM
For his part, Monsignor Lisardo Estrada explained CELAM’s mission in this process: “CELAM is the international ecclesial body that accompanies and serves all the episcopal conferences. Our mission is to accompany, strengthen formation, integral ecology, defend our common home, defend the poor, and listen to the cry of the earth.”
He recalled that this journey is in line with the implementation phase of the final document of the Synod for the Amazon.
Methodology and spirituality
Monsignor Eugenio Coter explained that the meeting began with a symbolic gesture: “The presentation of a pectoral cross by the laity to the participating bishops. A cross made by an indigenous priest with trees felled by the fires in the Amazon. Remembering that we are called as bishops to bear the suffering of the peoples and of nature, but at the same time, the cross is a sign of redemption and hope.”
He explained that the methodology focused on listening, discernment, and sharing dreams, and then gathering the challenges and celebrating with the local Church in Bogotá.
Questions from the media
In the dialogue with journalists, the challenges facing CELAM and the co-founders of CEAMA were addressed: Monsignor Estrada insisted that “the Church is always in conversion, always in discernment,” recalling Pope Francis’ four dreams.
Regarding the problems in the Amazon, Monsignor Coter affirmed that “the Church is there to respond to the suffering Christ: ‘Our mission is prophecy, it is to denounce, it is to accompany.’”
Artificial Intelligence: The bishops agreed that it cannot be ignored. Monsignor Estrada pointed out that “artificial intelligence is neither good nor bad; it depends on how it is used.” Monsignor Coter added that “it is also a challenge to evangelize through these instruments.” And Cardinal Steiner warned that “a machine is not a human being. The question is ethical; it is moral.”
Mauricio López joined the debate, recalling that artificial intelligence must be at the service of life and linking this issue to the Amazon Synod’s mandate to create a university program: “In number 114, it calls for the creation of a university program for the Amazon. He warned of the risks: “In indigenous communities, when internet access is enabled, the change in cultural identity is so strong that it is wreaking havoc, even with levels of child suicide. There, the Church is one of the few presences that manages to provide an ethical vision.”
COP30 in Brazil: Cardinal Steiner indicated that, although the main negotiations are already underway, “there are very high expectations,” especially for the active participation of indigenous peoples, NGOs, and the Church in the defense of the environment.
Church with hope
The press conference concluded with a call to keep hope alive amid the challenges: “We, as bishops, as the Catholic Church in the Amazon, have that care, that prophetic gesture. But the Church must also always be a sign of hope,” encouraged Cardinal Steiner.