Although slavery as an institution no longer exists, forms of forced labor persist in the country.

With the miners came violence and diseases like malaria, to which the relatively isolated Indians had no resistance. In one village, no one survived. In others, as many as one-third of the villagers succumbed, some to disease and others to malnutrition.

Maribel’s plight highlights the despair and desperation of many migrants, who flee violence, poverty and, increasingly, drought and the early effects of climate change in Central America.

Allies of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro want to strip Paulo Freire of his patronage of Brazilian education in favor of a Jesuit saint. But he did not count on one thing: the opposition of Brazilian Jesuits.

While the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Amazon aims to highlight the damage wrought by climate change and exploitation, the possibility of ordaining married men to minister in remote areas of the rain forest continues to garner more attention.

While this proposal may draw most media attention, it should not be allowed to eclipse other significant aspects in the document, including the church’s strong commitment to work for justice for indigenous people and the protection of the environment.