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Quito (Fides News Agency) – A milestone with far-reaching implications for the Amazonian Church in Ecuador: the First Ecclesial Assembly of the Ecuadorian Amazon brought together, for the first time, the country's six Apostolic Vicariates in the region, marking a significant milestone in their shared journey.
Held from June 29 to July 1, 2026, at the Intipungo Pastoral Formation Center in the Apostolic Vicariate of Puyo, the Assembly gathered delegations from Aguarico, Méndez, Napo, Puyo, San Miguel de Sucumbíos and Zamora, together with representatives from Esmeraldas. According to the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), the Assembly was conceived as a time of communal reflection and discernment, following the method of "conversation in the Spirit" and fostering synodal-style community discernment.
The Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) was created in 2020 as “an effective instrument” for implementing the proposals that emerged from the 2019 Synod on the Amazon and Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia (2020), which called for new forms of pastoral coordination throughout the region.
In Querida Amazonia, the Pope urged the Church to "courageously welcome the novelty of the Spirit, who is always able to create something new with the inexhaustible riches of Jesus Christ" (no. 69), also through new forms of ecclesial organization.
The “First Ecclesial Assembly of the Ecuadorian Amazon” therefore represents the first national gathering of Ecuador's Amazonian Vicariates, while CEAMA has previously convened Pan-Amazon General Assemblies. Reflecting its ecclesial character, the Assembly brought together not only bishops, but also priests, men and women religious, lay faithful and Indigenous representatives in a shared process of listening and discernment.
During the meeting, the Apostolic Vicariates reaffirmed their membership in CEAMA and their commitment to implementing the pastoral guidelines adopted during the body's Sixth General Assembly, with the aim of integrating them into their respective pastoral plans.
According to CEAMA's official website, the Assembly opened with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Bishop Rafael Cob García, Apostolic Vicar of Puyo, who called on the Church to remain close to the peoples of the Amazon while defending life and caring for our Common Home.
Particular attention was devoted to reflecting on the Church's journey in the Amazon, tracing its development from the experience of REPAM to the Synod for the Amazon and culminating in the creation of CEAMA, presented during the meeting as an instrument designed to provide concrete support to the region's local Churches.
"The Assembly also dedicated specific attention to strengthening a culture of care, through reflection on the prevention of abuse and the promotion of safe environments within the evangelizing mission," the CEAMA press release stated.
As outlined in CEAMA's Pastoral Horizons 2026–2030, participants identified several shared priorities, including "the need to strengthen evangelization with an Amazonian identity, promote broader community participation, consolidate educational initiatives, enhance the role of Indigenous peoples, and continue to coordinate efforts across different territories." Among the Assembly's concrete results, each Vicariate appointed a representative to a national CEAMA coordination team, which will oversee the implementation of pastoral priorities and strengthen networking. In its concluding statement, the Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to fostering "a synodal, intercultural and missionary Church, deeply rooted in the reality of the Amazonian peoples."
A few months after his election, Pope Leo XIV sent a lengthy and detailed telegram to the bishops participating in the meeting of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon held in Bogotá from August 17 to 20, 2025 (see Fides, 18/8/2025). "It is necessary," the telegram, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, stated, "that Jesus Christ, in whom all things are recapitulated, be announced with clarity and immense charity among the inhabitants of the Amazon."
The Pope thanked the bishops for "your efforts to promote the greater good of the Church in favour of the faithful of the beloved Amazonian territory," and exhorts them to "seek, on the basis of the unity and collegiality proper to an “episcopal body,” ways to help diocesan Bishops and Apostolic Vicars concretely and effectively carry out their mission." (MLK) (Fides News Agency, 7/7/2026)
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