Helder Camara Lecture: ‘How is the Future of the Amazon, a Future for All?’ with Mauricio Lopez Oropeza

As part of the Helder Camara Lecture Series hosted by Newman College, Mauricio Lopez Oropeza, one of Latin America’s most dynamic Catholic lay leaders, will draw on his experience at the Amazon Synod and at the Vatican in a conversation encompassing ecology, Indigenous rights, migration and living out the vision of synodality today with our new Pope, Leo XIV.

Originally from Mexico and based in Latin America, Mauricio currently serves as Executive Secretary of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), the body responsible for implementing the outcomes of the 2019 Amazon Synod, which called for bold new paths for evangelisation and the care of creation in a region deeply affected by environmental degradation, economic injustice and marginalisation of its Indigenous peoples.

Mauricio is also Director of Networking and Pastoral Programs at CELAM, the Episcopal Council for Latin America and the Caribbean. Appointed by Pope Francis in 2021 to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, he also served as a table facilitator at the continental phase of the Synod on Synodality, bringing insights from Latin America to the global conversation.

This free event will also include a short book launch to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Helder Camara Lecture Series. Authored by Dr Julie Thorpe, the book Reasons for Hope: Helder Camara, Global Catholicism and the Australian Church is published by John Garrett and will be available for purchase on the night.

Places are limited, so book your spot today!