In November thousands of people will again gather to tackle the growing crisis of climate change. This yearly meeting of the United Nations, known as the Committee of the Parties, or COP, will gather for its 30th meeting in Belém, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon River. In an ever more unpredictable world, there is more urgency than ever for these talks—and for real action for change. The voice of the global majority—those most affected by climate change: heat, drought, fire, or floods—will be present. In the strongest way possible the Indigenous, rural and Afro-descendant peoples of Abya Yala (also known as Latin America) will make their voices heard.
The global Oscar Romero Network (SICSAL-OAR in its Spanish acronym) will be there. SICSAL was founded in 1980, the year a right-wing mercenary assassinated Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. SICSAL has been organizing for climate justice for years. We are committed to raising up the voice of our communities and the spirit of our saints and martyrs and bringing them to the table.
I am the Co-President of SICSAL, along with Raul Vera, retired Catholic Bishop of Coahuila in northern Mexico. SICSAL has member groups in most countries in Abya Yala. We have members in Belém, including Luiza Virginia, who works with the Sister Dorothy Stang Committee, named after the North American nun who was murdered while defending the people among whom she lived in the Amazon. We are also acquainted with Marinez Santos Basso, Primate of the Anglican Church of Mexico—whose headquarters is in Belém! Primate Marinez was the first to invite me to the meeting of COP30. An invitation I accepted.
So, SICSAL is sending me to the gathering. But not by plane! Instead, this will be a pilgrimage by bike, bus, train, burro, and boat—lots of boats. The route will take me from Vancouver on Coast Salish Territories and unfold down Turtle Island, to Abya Yala. My journey will begin August 17 in order to arrive in Belém in early November (the COP conference is November 10–21).
The SICSAL network has connections all along the route. Members and friends will join the pilgrimage, even just for a day or two, and will host pilgrims and create events and activities in their own communities.
A Poetic Journey. The other element of the ÉPICO (Spanish for “epic”) pilgrimage is to gather and share the voices of community leaders, & activists. 1. Our Facebook page is ÉPICO: Pilgrimage to Belém. 2. Write to us at madlovefortheworld@gmail.com. 3. The COP30 website is found at cop30.br/en The official website for the COP30 meeting in Belém, Brazil. 4. PHOTO United Nations Climate Change Conference children, and elders, along the way. We will co-create an epic poem lifting up the stories of love, concern, commitment, and struggle in honour of Our Beloved Mother Earth. These verses will be gathered and shared as the pilgrimage processes, posted online, and eventually printed. These will be in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and any other languages that are present on the route.
To join and support the pilgrimage look at our Facebook page, or write to us. More media will be up and running in the months to come before the pilgrimage.
And here is how to follow Emilie’s Pilgrimage on social media:
