On March 24, 2025, at the headquarters of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), in the city of Bogotá, Colombia, a strategic meeting of the Church Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) was held, headed by Cardinal Pedro Barreto and with the participation of the majority of the members of the Executive Secretariat. This face-to-face meeting was developed with a strong spirit of discernment, guided by fundamental texts for the ecclesial mission in the Amazon.
Throughout the day, the reflection was supported by the Aparecida Document, a key text that reaffirms the Church’s commitment to the Amazonian peoples; Pope Francis’ speech in 2013 to the Bishops of Brazil, in which he highlighted the Amazon as an essential territory for the mission of the Church; and finally, the text “Francis, a man of hope because he looks far”, by Cardinal Pedro Barreto himself, which inspired the participants to project the future with audacity and hope.
Key decisions for CEAMA
Among the topics addressed, the annual calendar of activities, financial monitoring and support for the Amazonian Intercultural Bilingual Education Network (REIBA) were approved.
A central point of the meeting was the creation of the CEAMA Sustainability Commission, which will have the task of structuring an endowment fund and promoting endowment, solidarity, cooperation and synodality initiatives, guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of the institution.
Resolutions were also approved that will be published in the coming days, and strategic decisions were made regarding the 2025 Assembly process and the preparation of the CEAMA Synodal Apostolic Plan, reaffirming the commitment to comprehensive pastoral action that responds to the challenges of the Amazon region.
A moment of evaluation and projection
At the end of the day, the team made a positive evaluation of the meeting, highlighting the level of depth in the discussions and the clarity in the decisions made. The importance of continuing with this synodal path to strengthen the mission of CEAMA was recognized.
The next in-person meeting will be in Bogotá, from June 16 to 18, 2025, within the framework of the CEAMA presidency meeting. On that occasion, in addition to the main sessions, there will be moments of joint work with the Executive Secretariat team, consolidating progress and outlining the next steps of the institution.