Colombia: Bishops of the Amazon hold first Assembly

Photo by Ivars Utināns on Unsplash

The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) has opened its first Assembly of Bishops in Bogotá, five years after its launch in the wake of the 2019 Synod for the Amazon.

Present at the meeting, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, described the birth of CEAMA as "a true miracle" and highlighted the significance of this moment in Bogotá, Colombia.

CEAMA was established in response to the Amazon Synod's call for a Pan-Amazonian ecclesial network. Pope Francis' Querida Amazonia envisioned such a structure as a way of organising pastoral action in the region, building on the commitments made by the bishops at Aparecida.

Cardinal Czerny said the first Assembly is a moment both to give thanks and to consolidate CEAMA's mission, comparing the stage reached to a child beginning school: still young, but ready to grow in maturity.

Unlike ordinary episcopal conferences, CEAMA includes not only bishops but also priests, consecrated men and women, lay people, catechists, lectors, indigenous representatives, and Church organisations such as Caritas and REPAM. This reflects the vision of Aparecida, which called for the participation of the laity in discernment and decision-making in the Church's mission.

According to Cardinal Czerny, CEAMA's structure puts into practice the Church's synodal character, where all members of the People of God are called to contribute.

The Cardinal also stressed that CEAMA's work cannot remain abstract. The word "Amazon" refers to a vast region, but the Church exists in local dioceses, parishes, and communities. For this reason, CEAMA must remain rooted in concrete territories, responding to the daily realities and challenges of the people who live there.

The Amazon, he noted, is not only a geographical space but also a "theological place," where faith is shaped by the experiences of communities and their encounter with God in history.

Finally, Cardinal Czerny underlined that CEAMA is not primarily about "doing," but about coordinating and supporting. Its role is to help local churches face their main pastoral challenges and to strengthen their mission.

The Cardinal concluded that CEAMA represents "a new sphere of synodalization" within the Latin American Church, one that offers an important contribution to the universal Church as it continues to deepen its understanding of synodality.