Amazon region launches Canon Law master’s program and hosts sustainability conference

On 3 August 2026 the Faculty of Canon Law São Paulo Apostolo, under the Archdiocese of São Paulo, opened a three‑year Master’s programme in Canon Law for the Amazon region. The inauguration was led by Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer and attended by Archbishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner and Nuncio Dom Giambattista Diquattro. The course will train clergy and lay experts from six CNBB regions to serve the Church’s pastoral and juridical needs in the Amazon.

Two days later, on 5 August, the Amazon On conference began in Manaus. The event, organized by the Fundação Amazônia Sustentável (FAS), featured a keynote by FAS superintendent‑general Virgílio Viana. He highlighted the role of connectivity and sustainable development in averting ecological collapse, citing his past work that helped cut deforestation in Amazonas by 66 %. The conference gathered scholars, NGOs and business leaders to discuss pathways to prosperity for people and nature in the Amazon.