Newly appointed Brazilian bishops meet in Brasília to discuss Amazon mission

The Centro Cultural Missionário (CCM) in Brasília hosted a welcome and formation gathering for recently appointed Brazilian bishops. The event began with an Easter celebration and a communal breakfast, followed by a briefing on the centre’s work and the Centre of Faith and Politics Dom Helder Câmara (CEFEP). Sister Maria Irene Lopes dos Santos, adviser to the CNBB’s Special Episcopal Commission for the Amazon and executive secretary of REPAM‑Brasil, presented the commission’s goals, emphasizing the need for a pastoral, social, and environmental focus on the Amazon region, its peoples, and territories.

Attendees were urged to adopt a listening stance, deepen engagement with Amazon communities, and align with Pope Francis’ call for a more united, missionary Church attentive to the “common home.” The meeting concluded with gratitude and encouragement for the bishops to pursue hopeful, courageous pastoral work in the Amazon.

The gathering reflects ongoing efforts by the Brazilian Catholic hierarchy to strengthen its presence and advocacy in the ecologically and socially critical Amazon basin.