Pope Leo: Church in Amazonia must be sign of unity in diversity

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV sent a video message on Tuesday to the 6th Assembly of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazonia (CEAMA), taking place in Bogota, Colombia.

He thanked the Bishops, clergy, consecrated religious, and lay faithful for attending this “privileged time of listening to the Holy Spirit in order to discern the path of the communities rooted in that region.”

Recalling people’s material and spiritual struggles in the Amazonia, the Pope expressed his closeness to all those whom the Church accompanies.

He encouraged the ecclesial assembly in its mission to formulate Synodal Pastoral Horizons to guide local Churches forward.

Pope Leo drew on the image of the shihuahuaco tree (Dipteryx micrantha), which grows very slowly but stands dozens of meters tall, can live over a thousand years, and creates an ecosystem for animal life.

“This can help us understand,” he said, “what the Church desires to be: a sign of unity in diversity and a safe refuge that generates and protects life.”

The Pope invited the Church in the Amazonia to keep its faith rooted in Christ and in His love, which the faithful should frequently contemplate in prayer.

“The present context requires an adequate response to the many social, environmental, cultural, and ecclesial challenges that persist in the Amazon, threatened by situations of abuse and exploitation,” he said.

In the midst of challenges, the Church must proclaim the kerygma and the new life in Christ, as she accompanies those who suffer and seeks to safeguard creation and respect life in all its forms, especially human life.

Pope Leo upheld the importance of inculturating the Gospel in local cultures, so as to manifest and celebrate the mystery of Christ more fully.

“Inculturation is a difficult but necessary path,” he said. “‘We need to accept courageously the newness of the Spirit, who is always capable of creating something new from the inexhaustible treasure of Jesus Christ’,” he added, quoting Querida Amazonia.

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics in the Amazon Region to strengthen their identity as missionary disciples of Christ.

“Keep sowing in the furrow that has been watered even with the blood of so many men and women who have gone before you, and who, united to the passion of Christ, have become the root of a ‘giant tree’ growing in the Amazonia.”