The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) celebrates the appointment of Father John Mario Mesa Palacio as the new Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Leticia, appointed by Pope Leo XIV. The priest from Antioquia, belonging to the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos, will take on the pastoral mission in this Amazonian territory, succeeding Monsignor José de Jesús Quintero Díaz, who has accompanied the Vicariate since 2001.
This appointment comes at a significant moment for the Church in the Colombian Amazon, which is advancing in the construction of an increasingly synodal, missionary pastoral ministry rooted in the territory. Father Mesa, with more than thirty years of ministry and recognized service at the national level, brings a solid pastoral background and an explicit commitment to formation, ecclesial communion, and community animation.
A career in the service of communion and mission
Born in Belmira (Antioquia) on June 8, 1966, the new Apostolic Vicar of Leticia studied philosophy and theology at the Santo Tomás de Aquino Diocesan Seminary in Santa Rosa de Osos and obtained a degree in philosophy and religious education from the Fundación Universitaria Católica del Norte. He was ordained a priest on November 23, 1993.
Throughout his pastoral service, he has held multiple responsibilities:
- Rector of the Diocesan Seminary of Santa Rosa de Osos (2020–2022).
- Vicar of Pastoral Care and companion in community evangelization processes.
- Parish priest in Vegachí, Yarumal, and Donmatías, in northern Antioquia.
- National Director of the Community Animation Service (SEDAC, 2010–2015).
In January 2025, he was appointed Director of the Department of Ecclesial Places for the Experience of Communion in the Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC), and later designated by the bishops as Animator of the National Synodal Team, a role from which he promoted the vision of synodality as an authentic “walking together.”
A Vicariate marked by mission
The Apostolic Vicariate of Leticia, located in the heart of the Colombian Amazon, is a missionary jurisdiction in close contact with indigenous peoples, riverine communities, and border territories (Brazil, Peru).
Its history reflects a path of continuity and service:
- 1904: evangelization entrusted to the Capuchin Friars Minor of Catalonia.
- 1951: creation of the Apostolic Prefecture of Leticia.
- 1989: administration entrusted to the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos.
- 2000–2001: canonical establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate and installation of its first Vicar, Monsignor Quintero Díaz.
This diverse and challenging territory requires a pastoral presence that is close, incarnate, and capable of listening to the cries of the Amazonian peoples.
A call to serve in an Amazonian and synodal way
The mission now assumed by Father John Mario Mesa is a sign of continuity with the ecclesial process promoted in the region: a Church with an Amazonian face, committed to the care of our Common Home, the defense of life, and the promotion of the peoples who inhabit this territory.
His experience in community animation and in the articulation of synodal processes at the national level is a valuable contribution to strengthening the evangelizing presence in the triple frontier and to encouraging paths of communion between communities, consecrated life, ecclesial networks, and institutions that accompany the Amazonian biome.
CEAMA joins in prayer for his new mission and renews its commitment to walk in synodality with the local Churches, promoting a missionary pastoral ministry that cares for, listens to, and accompanies the life that springs forth in the Colombian Amazon.