A few months before the 2026 general elections in Peru, Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno SJ, archbishop emeritus of Huancayo and president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), appeals to the country’s ethical conscience to elect authorities committed to caring for life, social justice, and protecting our Common Home, especially the Peruvian Amazon.
Peru enters this new electoral process in a complex context, marked by institutional weakening, the expansion of illegal economies, citizen insecurity, structural corruption, and the serious threat facing Amazonian forests and peoples. However, it is also a time of discernment and hope, which requires responsible, informed, and ethically sound decisions on the part of those who aspire to govern and all citizens.
From this perspective, and in line with the teachings of Pope Francis, Cardinal Barreto emphasizes that the electoral process cannot be reduced to a political contest, but must be seen as a historic opportunity to choose the common good, the defense of life, and respect for human dignity and nature.
Within this framework, the Interreligious Initiative for Tropical Forests (IRI Peru) proposes five fundamental ethical criteria to guide citizens’ discernment when choosing candidates:
Choose those who promote a healthy and resilient Amazon
More than 60% of Peru’s territory is Amazonian. Protecting the Amazon, its peoples, and its cultures is not only an environmental task, but also a requirement of social justice and planetary responsibility. Without living forests, there is no possible future for the country or the world.
Choose those who respect institutions and confront illegality
Illegal mining, illegal logging, drug trafficking, and other criminal economies destroy entire territories and communities. We need leaders who are capable of strengthening the rule of law, respecting the law, and decisively confronting networks of corruption and violence.
Elect people of integrity and honesty
Ethical integrity must be a minimum requirement for political leadership. It is not acceptable to normalize corruption or questionable backgrounds in those who aspire to lead the country. Democracy requires transparency and moral consistency.
Elect those who promote a sustainable economy with standing forests
Development cannot continue to be based on the destruction of nature. Peru needs to commit to sustainable economies, bio-businesses, and production models that generate well-being without destroying ecosystems or sacrificing future generations.
Elect those who defend indigenous peoples and environmental defenders
A true democracy protects the most vulnerable. Indigenous peoples and environmental defenders care for the forest and life, often at the risk of their own safety. Defending them is an ethical, political, and spiritual obligation.
Under the slogan “Without forests there is no life,” IRI Peru and CEAMA remind us that without water, without food, without biodiversity, and without living cultures, there can be no country. For this reason, 2026 is not just any election year, but a decisive moment in defining the course of Peru.
CEAMA invites all citizens to live this time with maturity, discernment, and courage, choosing leaders who put life, human dignity, and care for our Common Home at the center, especially in the Amazon, the spiritual and ecological heart of the country.