Pope Leo urges stop to Amazon deforestation, decries 'murders' of tribal leaders

PUCALLPA, Peru - Pope Leo on Sunday forcefully condemned what he called the exploitation of the Amazon jungle and urged Catholics to oppose "with perseverance" the deforestation and pollution caused by gold and oil production in the world's largest rainforest.

The pope, meeting with Indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon as part of a South America tour, also lamented a spate of killings of tribal leaders protesting deforestation, calling them murders that must be solved.

"Many Indigenous leaders have been murdered for defending their territories," Leo said in the Peruvian city of Pucallpa, an eastern gateway to the Amazon about 200 km (124 miles) west of the Brazilian border.

"The blood of these brothers cries out to God and demands justice!" he said.

Leo is known for choosing his words carefully and preferring to eschew headlines. But he has emerged as a more forceful voice on the world stage in recent months, decrying the direction of global leadership. He drew the ire of US President Donald Trump earlier this year for denouncing the Iran war.

Pope Leo says balance of creation at risk

Leo, who is originally from the US but spent about 20 years as a missionary and bishop in Peru and is also a Peruvian citizen, is making an emotional return to his adopted home.

He is covering 2,270 km (1,410 miles) in 12 hours with three flights on Sunday. He has also visited Cusco, once the center of the Inca Empire.

Peru's Indigenous communities face mounting pressure from illegal logging, gold mining, coca cultivation and agricultural expansion, according to Amazon Watch, an Indigenous rights and environmental advocacy group.

Communities that resist drug trafficking and illicit commercial activity have seen rising violence. Thirty-five Indigenous leaders have been killed in Peru over the past 15 years, more than two-thirds of those this decade, the group said in a report.

Leo warned on Sunday that "patterns of exploitation and economic activity ... threaten the balance of creation."

"You know well the damage caused by indiscriminate deforestation and the pollution of rivers and other waters through illegal mining and oil spills," the pope told the Indigenous leaders.

"These are not isolated accidents, but the consequences of the irresponsible exploitation of natural resources, which undermines the very existence of communities," he said.

Deforestation has steadily shrunk the Peruvian Amazon, with the country losing about 200,000 hectares of natural forest in 2025 alone, Global Nature Watch data showed.

Leo reproached an economic model that he said "tends to exploit nature and cultures for the sake of immediate economic gain for the benefit of a few."

"We must oppose this model with perseverance and broad vision," he said.

Pope draws millions in Peru

Church leaders hoped more Peruvians would have an opportunity on Sunday to attend events with Leo. The trip has drawn the largest crowds of his papacy, some 12 million people across a 12-day, three-nation tour.

As Leo took to an open-air popemobile shortly after his arrival in Cusco, enthusiastic crowds estimated at 500,000 lined his route for miles in rain, pressing against police barriers and holding personal signs for the pope to see.

Volunteers wearing yellow shirts imprinted with "Friends of Leo" held back the crowd.

Leo started his travels on Sunday from Chiclayo, where he was bishop from 2015 to 2023, and will end the day in Lima, before leaving for Rome on Monday.

In Cusco, Leo visited an archaeological site at the esplanade of Saqsaywaman, an ancient Inca fortress 3,700 meters (12,139 ft) above sea level. The Inca Empire dominated western South America from about 1438 to 1533, when Spanish conquistadors toppled it.

Indigenous people to highlight living conditions

In Pucallpa, home to the Shipibo-Konibo Indigenous people, locals hoped Leo's visit would also draw attention to poor living conditions.

"For us, the pope's arrival is a source of great joy, but it is also a great opportunity to make our demands, our grievances, and our problems heard," Cecilio Soria, an Indigenous human rights activist, said ahead of his speech.

Leo's visit to high-altitude Cusco a month after undergoing lung cancer surgery has drawn some attention, as travelers visiting the city can experience altitude sickness.

The pope underwent surgery for lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, on October 13. His doctors have said the cancer was localized and had not spread, and the pope will not require further treatment.

Medical experts said the pope faces no special dangers on the trip, but may need to take rest breaks as he recovers from the altitude changes. — Reuters