At the close of an exhausting day, Leo XIV denounced the devastation of the Amazon and called for justice for indigenous peoples

PULLCALPA.- In a whirlwind day that began in the Andes, Pope Leo descended this Sunday into the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, from where he sent a forceful message in defense of indigenous peoples and the environment. Citing texts from his Argentine predecessor several times, he denounced the "arbitrary" exploitation of the Amazon's natural resources, the "wounds of indiscriminate deforestation, the contamination of the waters due to irregular mining extraction and oil spills and drug trafficking." And, in a lush natural setting, with palm trees and very green, but full of great contrasts—dirt streets, low houses, precariousness—he called for changing the dominant technocratic paradigm. "Social peace and ecological balance go hand in hand; therefore, violence against the people is violence against the land, and violence against the land is violence against the people," he warned. After an hour of flight from Cusco, and following an abrupt change in temperature—the thermometer read 34 degrees, but the heat felt much greater due to extremely high humidity—just as the schedule had foreseen, the Pope had a meeting with missionaries and representatives of the Amazonian peoples in a breathtaking setting: the Puerto Callao waterfront, on the banks of the Ucayali River, a tributary of the Amazon. There, thousands of indigenous people awaited him, moved and dressed in their colorful traditional costumes—not only from Pucallpa but also from other areas—along with priests and volunteers, with welcome signs, songs, and traditional dances. After listening to two testimonies from people who told him stories of discrimination and trampled rights, the Pope began his speech by recalling Francis's visit to Puerto Maldonado, also in the Peruvian jungle, in 2018. He lamented that, since then, things had not only not changed in this green lung of the planet and for its native communities, but had worsened. "Unfortunately, the voice that emerges today from these places speaks to us of wounds that have not only not healed, but have even worsened. The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor rise up together, unmasking market and exploitation logics that put the very balance of creation at risk," he deplored. "It is not possible to separate the care of the Amazon rainforest from concern for the peoples who inhabit it; integral ecology, social justice, and spiritual life go hand in hand," he stressed. Pope Leo XIV holds the Bible during the mass at the Ucayali Regional Sports Complex in Pucallpa, PeruMARTIN BERNETTI - AFP Shortly before, Susy Díaz, spokesperson for an indigenous community, denounced before the crowd, while the Pope listened attentively, that since Francis's visit to the Amazon, 37 indigenous leaders had been murdered. "And many others continue to be threatened for guarding their territories," she accused. The Pope referred to this tragedy with vehemence: "the blood of these brothers cries out to God and demands justice from men," he said, drawing applause. Referring to the second testimony, the Pope denounced the lack of access to health care and education in this forgotten corner of the world due to physical distances and "the abandonment by institutions." He also mentioned the vulnerable situation of women, girls, and adolescents, who suffer violence and sexual abuse that cause deep wounds, often amid the silence of complicity and impunity. "In every environment, corruption and arbitrariness undermine the fundamental trust in the goodness of the human being; but this makes the Gospel burst forth as an even stronger call to personal and community conversion, offering a renewed hope of healing, comfort, and reparation," he continued. He then raised the urgent need for a "moral and pedagogical rebirth" of Pucallpa, a word meaning "red earth." The city has some 400,000 inhabitants and is home to numerous companies dedicated to cutting and selling timber, as well as an oil refinery. It has grown enormously since 1945, when it was connected to Lima through a link to the Central Highway. "Faced with the tendency to consider this immense region as a reserve of resources to be exploited, we are called to develop a different paradigm, one that arises from listening to Jesus Christ and his Gospel," he affirmed. "Pope Francis, in the Encyclical Laudato si', denounced the harmful consequences of the dominant technocratic paradigm, which tends to exploit nature and cultures in pursuit of immediate economic benefit for a few," he recalled. "We must counter this model—with tenacity and breadth of vision—with integral ecology, the expression of the civilization of love. An alternative vision, rooted in the Gospel and respectful of the wisdom of peoples, who recognize, in diverse languages, how everything in the world is intimately connected," he emphasized. In this way, he once again made clear the continuity between his pontificate and that of his Argentine predecessor, beyond differences in style. The faithful show portraits of Pope Leo XIV before the mass at the Ucayali Regional Sports Complex in PucallpaTIZIANA FABI - AFP Once again, as he did throughout this trip, Leo recalled that the Social Doctrine of the Church is "an instrument in continuous development." Together with "the ancestral knowledge that you possess," it can help indigenous peoples "protect the rights they have acquired over generations," he assured. And he encouraged them not to give up. "The Church admires the capacity of the Amazonian peoples to resist and to begin again," he said, in a firm tone. "You are witnesses of the face of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who does not come down from the cross, but gives his life for his people. Christ never abandons us! Christ is with you! The Church is with you and you are her members! We are the body of Christ!" he exhorted. Acclaimed by those present, Leo received as a gift a classic indigenous seed necklace, which they placed around his neck and which he kept on, quite comfortable. After a brief stop at the cathedral to plant a tree and take a breather, the Pope traveled to the grounds of the Ucayali Regional Sports Village. There, after touring the area in the popemobile, to the delight of the crowd—families, young people, the elderly, very simple people, most from native communities—he celebrated the second mass in history in the Amazon. The first was celebrated by John Paul II in Manaus in 1980. Pope Leo XIV celebrates mass at the Ucayali Regional Sports Complex in Pucallpa, PeruMARTIN BERNETTI - AFP By then, as dusk began to fall, the heat was more bearable and the atmosphere was tinged with indigenous music of Amazonian rhythms. In his homily, he spoke again about the care of our common home and of people. After reflecting on the parable of the talents, he stressed that "the health of our life and that of the earth we inhabit go hand in hand; therefore, everything that wounds the dignity of life destroys the beauty of the earth." "Human drive and care for creation go hand in hand; therefore, every labor exploitation is a plundering of the environment," he continued. "Dear friends: the word of Christ enters here into the drama of our history. To the voice of my Predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, I add my own to underline the painful link that exists between the environmental devastation of the Amazon and the threats to the human dignity of its populations," he warned. "Very little has been done, and very slowly, while the instruments to exploit and contaminate creation have accelerated. In the face of these evils, let us not bury the Lord's talents in the ground, he who gives us the strength to repair and heal the suffering caused by an insatiable thirst for domination. The Gospel we have heard, in this context, becomes an announcement of rescue and hope for all the people," he explained, drawing applause. By Elisabetta Piqué