The Amazon & Prayers for Indigenous Peoples

Paulo Paulino Guajajara, an Indigenous land protector in Brazil,  
was killed after being ambushed by illegal loggers in the Amazon.  
(Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

As the Amazon Synod wrapped up in Rome near the end of October Pope Francis called for vigilance on behalf of the ecosystems of the vast South American region and of its Indigenous peoples. Francis realizes that the two are intertwined and that both are threatened by encroachment and depredation which is often supported by governments. Only a few days after the pontiff's closing remarks a leading Brazilian environmental activist and forest guardian was ambushed and killed by loggers, yet another reminder that defenders of the Amazon are in grave threat. 



Jeanine Añez

Since the election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil attacks on Indigenous people have escalated and land-clearing has intensified. Now Bolivia's Indigenous president, Evo Morales, has fled the country and new leader Jeanine Anez, supported by Canada, is a conservative Catholic Christian who has expressed anti-Indigenous sentiments.Another conservative leader spoke publicly with his evangelical pastor at his side declaring that the Pachamama (the Andean Mother Earth goddess) will “never return to Bolivia. Bolivia belongs to God.”

It's important to heed Pope Francis' concerns and to pray for the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon region. We can stay informed and encourage our Canadian government to be vigilant about human rights in a number of South American countries.