According to Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV received a carved wooden statue of Our Lady of the Amazon on September 7, 2026, during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace with Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno and Jesuit priest Adelson Araújo dos Santos. The gift highlights the ongoing efforts of the Catholic Church to incorporate indigenous cultural elements into regional worship spaces across the Pan-Amazon region.
The Vatican Audience and the Amazonian Delegation
Pope Leo XIV welcomed Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno SJ, former president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), to his private chambers in the Vatican, as reported by Vatican News. Accompanying the cardinal was Father Adelson Araújo dos Santos, a Jesuit priest from Manaus and professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. The delegation presented the pontiff with a unique wooden sculpture sent directly by Catholics from the Our Lady of the Amazon Missionary Area within the Archdiocese of Manaus in Amazonas.
This demographic region spans roughly three million inhabitants distributed across approximately 390 distinct ethnic groups throughout the Pan-Amazon region, which encompasses eight countries and a single overseas territory, according to Vatican News. The artwork itself was crafted by Amazonian artist Lara Denys. It depicts the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus with dark skin tones, rejecting the lighter European features typically found in traditional missionary imagery. The figure wears a mantle inspired by the art of the Waimiri-Atroari peoples and rests upon a giant water lily native to Amazonian rivers and lakes known as the victoria regia.
Precedent and Architectural Evolution in Manaus
The presentation of the wooden statue builds on a prior exchange involving Pope Francis. According to Vatican News, during the Synod on Synodality, Father Adelson and Cardinal Leonardo Steiner—archbishop of Manaus and current president of CEAMA—presented Pope Francis with a painted canvas depicting Our Lady of the Amazon. The new wooden sculpture delivered to Leo XIV directly reproduces that original painting.
Did you know? The Pan-Amazon region spans eight countries and one overseas territory, housing an estimated three million people across roughly 390 indigenous ethnic groups.
Upon receiving the gift, Pope Leo XIV expressed joy upon learning about the construction of a new Marian sanctuary in Manaus dedicated to Our Lady of the Amazon, as noted by Vatican News. The architectural plans for the sanctuary incorporate local fauna, flora, and indigenous traditions. Church leaders state this design philosophy supports the broader institutional goal of giving the Catholic Church an explicitly Amazonian identity in an ecologically and culturally vital part of the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who presented the statue of Our Lady of the Amazon to Pope Leo XIV?
According to Vatican News, Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno SJ and Father Adelson Araújo dos Santos presented the gift during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace.
Who created the wooden sculpture given to the Pope?
The artwork was created by Amazonian artist Lara Denys, who designed the piece to reflect the culture and reality of indigenous populations.
Where is a new sanctuary being built in honor of the image?
According to Vatican News, a new Marian sanctuary is currently under construction in Manaus, incorporating local flora, fauna, and traditional indigenous elements into its architecture.
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