As part of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology and care for creation, the Archdiocese of Manaus celebrated the Jubilee of Earth, Water, and Forests, a deeply spiritual day that brought together the faithful, communities, and church leaders in an act of praise, gratitude, and commitment to our Common Home.
Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus and president of the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), presided over the celebration, emphasizing that this jubilee “brings together all creatures” and reminds us that all creation participates in the mystery of salvation.
“The little ones are those who contemplate creatures without domination,” said Cardinal Steiner. “They are the ones who look at the world without the desire to subjugate it, possess it, or exploit it, but with the desire to care for it, educate it, and love it.”
Walking with the little ones of creation
The celebration began with a symbolic pilgrimage from the Church of Our Lady of Remedies to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Manaus. Along the way, participants reflected on the gifts of earth, water, and forest, recognizing their essential role in the life of the planet and in the spirituality of the Amazonian peoples.
In his homily, Cardinal Steiner recalled that redemption encompasses not only humanity, but all of creation:
“Every work of heaven and earth has been redeemed. God has chosen to include every creature in his love. The Gospel teaches us that the little ones—those who do not impose themselves, those who serve—are the ones who attain fulfillment.”
Drawing inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi, he explained that the saint called his brothers “minors” precisely because they recognized themselves as inferior to all creatures, not to humiliate themselves, but to live in universal brotherhood, a relationship where no one dominates and everyone cares for one another.
“Those who dominate do not understand that water is a sister, that the sun is a brother, that the earth is a mother,” added the cardinal. “That is why we need to become small again in order to attain the gaze that praises and preserves creation.”
The archbishop concluded his reflection by inviting participants to create their own hymn of praise, a prayer embodied in daily life, in the defense of the forest, in solidarity with peoples, and in the protection of water:
“To praise is to have eyes that do not destroy, but preserve. It is to look at creatures with tenderness and allow ourselves to be moved by the small, because Jesus also praised the small.”
Popular Vigil for the Amazon: voices of the people and the earth
The night before, the Congress Square in Manaus was the scene of the Popular Vigil for the Amazon, under the slogan “Voices of the People and the Earth”. Organized by the Archdiocese of Manaus together with ecclesial networks, popular movements, and youth communities, the vigil was a gathering of prayer and commitment in defense of the Living Amazon, the rights of peoples, and climate justice.
This spiritual and political gesture is part of the preparation for COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Belém (Brazil) in November 2025.
During the vigil, Dom Hudson Ribeiro, auxiliary bishop of Manaus and leader of the social ministry, proposed a symbolic gesture that moved everyone present: to extend their arms and hold them up in an attitude of clamor.
“How long can we keep our arms in this position?” he asked. “This is how the Amazon is sustained today, tired but alive.
This is how the people who cry out for justice are sustained, this is how the hope that rises when we support one another is sustained.“
This gesture, the bishop explained, is both a cry and a praise:
”Thousands of people are crying out for help, and the forest is also crying out for our attention. Nature is a subject of rights and asks us for care, a voice, and commitment.”
With their hands clasped together, the participants prayed for the Amazonian peoples, for the defenders of life, and for those who work tirelessly for an integral ecology that unites faith, justice, and love for all creatures.
“May the good God, who created us all, always be with us as we lift up those who have fallen, as we extend our hands to care for our Common Home,” concluded Dom Hudson Ribeiro.
A sign of hope for the Amazonian Church
The Jubilee of the Earth, Water, and Forests and the Popular Vigil for the Amazon are living expressions of the synodal and ecological path promoted by the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) together with REPAM and the local Churches.
These encounters reaffirm that Franciscan spirituality, indigenous wisdom, and the theology of creation converge on the same horizon: universal fraternity and loving care for our Common Home.
“Looking at creatures without domination,” as Cardinal Steiner recalled, is an invitation to live with humility, to recognize our smallness, and to rediscover in every river, tree, and living being the face of God who continues to create and save.
