Upon concluding his service as president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), Cardinal Pedro Barreto, SJ shares a hopeful yet challenging perspective on the journey thus far and the challenges facing the Church in the Amazon.
Since the Sixth General Assembly held in Bogotá in March 2026, the cardinal reaffirms that, although he is stepping down as president, he is not severing ties with the Amazon, a territory that—as he himself puts it—is part of his vocation, his history, and his heart.
An Assembly that confirms the synodal path
For Cardinal Barreto, the Assembly was a profoundly meaningful experience that consolidates the continuity of the Amazonian synodal process. The participation of delegates from the nine Amazonian countries, together with representatives of the Holy See, demonstrates that CEAMA is strengthening itself as an Ecclesial Conference in full communion with the universal Church and the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.
The process experienced, marked by listening and communal discernment, reaffirms a Church that walks united, recognizing the diversity of peoples, cultures, and realities of the region.
A New Leadership with an Amazonian Face
The change in the presidency opens a new phase for CEAMA, led by Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus, accompanied by a vice-presidency that reflects the intercultural richness of the Amazon.
For the first time, this body strongly incorporates the presence of indigenous leaders, a laywoman, and an Amazonian religious sister, along with a priest of Quechua descent. This plural and diverse face expresses a Church that is more synodal, participatory, and rooted in the territory.
A vocation that endures
With deep emotion, Cardinal Barreto recalls that his bond with the Amazon dates back to his youth, as a response to a vocational call marked by encounters with indigenous peoples.
Today, his commitment continues: to accompany, support, and promote a Church that stands with the poorest, defends life, and drives a conversion toward integral ecology. “I am not leaving the Amazon,” he affirms, “because it is at the foundation of my discernment.”
Challenges: Defending Life Amid Major Threats
Among the main challenges, Barreto highlights the vast expanse of the territory and the need to strengthen coordination through networks such as REPAM, REIBA, and PUAM.
However, the deepest challenge is the defense of life, human rights, and the territory in the face of economic interests that threaten the Amazon. In this context, he uses a powerful image:
“The Amazon is like David facing Goliath.”
A Church that appears fragile, yet sustained by faith, called to confront power structures that endanger life and our Common Home.
A path of growth and discernment
Among the achievements, the cardinal highlights the growth of CEAMA as a space for listening and discernment. The methodology of “conversation in the Spirit,” inherited from the synodal process, has allowed for building unity in diversity and strengthening ecclesial communion.
He also highlights the development of the four pastoral horizons for 2026–2030, the fruit of a broad process of listening to the region, which offer guiding principles for local Churches without imposing single models.
The Amazon: a laboratory for the universal Church
Taking up an insight from Pope Francis, Barreto reaffirms that the Amazon is a true “laboratory” for the universal Church. Its cultural, linguistic, and territorial diversity reflects humanity’s global challenges.
In this sense, the Amazonian experience not only responds to the calls of the Aparecida Document but also concretizes, in practice, the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council: a Church that goes forth, is incarnate, synodal, and committed to life.
Cardinal Pedro Barreto’s voice leaves a clear legacy:
a Church that, though small in the face of great powers, does not renounce its prophetic mission.
A Church that, like David, trusts in God to defend life, the dignity of peoples, and the future of our Common Home.