3 days ago
Pope Leo XIV urges Amazonian Bishops to announce Christ with clarity
Pope Leo XIV reaffirms the importance of preaching Jesus Christ clearly and with immense charity among the inhabitants of the Amazonia region, in a message to the Summit of Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon Region happening this week. Aug 19, 2025
Meeting of the Bishops of the Amazon Region
By Deborah Castellano Lubov"It is necessary that Jesus Christ, in whom all things are recapitulated, be proclaimed with clarity and immense charity among the inhabitants of the Amazon, so that we may strive to give them fresh and pure the bread of the Good News and the heavenly food of the Eucharist, the only means to truly be the People of God and the Body of Christ."
Pope Leo XIV emphasized this to the Bishops of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon in a telegram sent on his behalf by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, which was addressed to the Conference's President, Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, S.J.
The Pope sent the message for the meeting of the Bishops of the Amazon, which is taking place from August 17 to 20 in Bogotá, Colombia.
In it, he offered three recommendations, namely to "keep in mind three dimensions that are interconnected in the pastoral work of that region: the mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel to all (cf. Decree ad gentes , 1), the just treatment of the peoples who dwell there, and the care of the common home."
Power of preaching name of Christ
"In this mission, we are moved by the certainty, confirmed by the history of the Church, that wherever the name of Christ is preached," Pope Leo observed, "injustice recedes proportionally, for, as the Apostle Paul asserts," he quoted, "'all exploitation of man by man disappears if we are able to receive one another as brothers and sisters.'"
Within this perennial doctrine, Pope Leo said, no less evident is the right and duty to care for the 'home' that God the Father has entrusted to us as diligent stewards.
The Pope reiterated the importance of this "so that no one irresponsibly destroys the natural goods that speak of the goodness and beauty of the Creator nor, much less, subjects oneself to them as a slave or worshiper of nature, since things have been given to us in order to attain our end of praising God and thus obtaining the salvation of our souls."
For these things, the Holy Father reminded, have been given to us to help us achieve our goal of praising God and thereby obtaining the salvation of our souls.
Greater good of the Church
Pope Leo went on to thank the Bishops for their efforts in promoting the greater good of the Church for the faithful of the beloved Amazonian territory.
Taking into account the lessons learned from the Synod regarding listening and the participation of all vocations in the Church, the Pope encouraged them "to seek—on the basis of unity and collegiality proper to an 'episcopal body'—ways to concretely and effectively assist the Diocesan Bishops and Apostolic Vicars in fulfilling their mission."
Injustice retreats wherever Christ's name is proclaimed
Pope Leo XIV went on to examine how proclaiming Christ heals societies.
"In this mission," Pope Leo reflected, "we are moved by the certainty, confirmed by the history of the Church, that wherever the name of Christ is preached, injustice recedes proportionally, for, as the Apostle Paul asserts, all exploitation of man by man disappears if we are able to receive one another as brothers and sisters."
Finally, the Holy Father concluded by imparting his Apostolic Blessing upon the Bishops and all those entrusted to their pastoral care.--Vatican News
