Message from Pope XIV on evangelization in the Amazon sparks reaction from Indigenous peoples

By Fred Santana – From Cenarium

MANAUS (AM) – During the Meeting of Bishops of the Pan-Amazon region in August, Pope Leo XIV sent a message highlighting the importance of evangelizing the Indigenous peoples of the region. Even while stressing that the Church’s mission must combine evangelization with respect for local traditions and cultural appreciation, his words caused discomfort. The communication was transmitted through a telegram signed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent on August 20 in Bogotá, Colombia, at the convocation of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (Ceama).

The federal government’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, expressed concern on her social media last Monday, September 1. For Guajajara, Indigenous peoples’ knowledge is not idolatry but ancestral wisdom. “Evangelizing cannot mean cultural erasure. The future of humanity depends on recognizing the plurality of knowledge. Honoring the faith and traditions of Indigenous peoples is an essential step toward building a just, supportive future in peace with Mother Earth,” she stated.

Guajajara recalled that during the papacy of Leo XIV’s predecessor, Francis, there was constant dialogue to reconcile faith with the culture of Indigenous peoples. “Pope Francis recognized this spiritual richness and opened space for our knowledge to engage as equals with science, theology, and international politics. It is essential that this respect be continually reaffirmed,” said the minister.

Indigenous lawyer Ivo Makuxi assessed that Pope Leo XIV’s message could generate tension, since evangelization has historically been used as an instrument of cultural assimilation and erasure of Indigenous identities and religions in the Amazon.

“Proclaiming Jesus Christ still stems from a logic of evangelization. Historically, this argument was used as a tool of cultural assimilation and erasure of Indigenous identities, perceptions, and religions in the world, especially in the Amazon,” warned the lawyer.

Ivo stressed that the defense of Indigenous peoples’ rights includes maintaining their cosmologies, spiritualities, and rituals without the imposition of external beliefs. “This could clash, even, with the very defense of Indigenous rights—to preserve their own cosmologies and spiritualities, their rituals—without being forced into external values or colonial beliefs, and that is concerning,” said Ivo Makuxi.

Context of the meeting

Pope Leo XIV was also present at the activities of the Meeting of Bishops of the Pan-Amazon through a telegram. The message, signed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was sent on August 20 in Bogotá, Colombia, convened by the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon. More than 90 bishops from 76 ecclesiastical jurisdictions across the 9 Amazonian countries gathered to discuss the pastoral and missionary challenges of the region.

This is the first major episcopal meeting since the 2019 Synod for the Amazon, its Final Document, and the Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia by Pope Francis, a movement for new paths of evangelization and care for the environment and the poor that gave rise to the very creation of Ceama, approved by the Argentine Pontiff in 2021.

Edited by Jadson Lima
Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves