Church organizations and networks ask Pope Leo XIV to include victims of extractivism in the dialogue on mining

05.02.2026.- The Justice in Mining Network, part of the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN), has signed the “OPEN LETTER for a Samaritan Church: Hear the cry of the poor and of the Earth” launched by the Churches and Mining Network on January 25 and initially supported by the Brazilian Justice and Peace Commission, the Mesoamerican Ecclesial Network (REMAM), the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), the Gran Chaco and Guaraní Aquifer Ecclesial Network (REGCHAG), the Platina Ecclesial Network (REPLA), Pax Christi International, the JPIC Commission of the Union of Superiors General (USG), and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG).

This initiative comes in response to a meeting between around 15 executives from companies in the mining and energy sector and Pope Leo XIV, organized by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (CAL). The news was reported by the main Catholic media outlets (such as Vatican News and Religión Digital) and other digital blogs in the mining sector, but no further details were given about the content of the dialogue or the companies present.

The meeting took place on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the Brumadinho disaster in Brazil, in which 272 people lost their lives when a mining tailings dam managed by the Vale company burst. This circumstance and the lack of information has caused concern among the pastoral networks that accompany the communities affected by mining.

Hence the invitation that the organizations signing the open letter extend to Pope Leo XIV to listen to the testimonies of those who have suffered the worst consequences of mining activity. Their dreams, their hopes, and their fears constitute the cry of the poor and of the Earth in many territories affected by mining and must be at the center of any discernment about pastoral activity in this context, as well as in reflection on the present and future of mining activity.

The Open Letter is available in three languages [ESP – ENG – PT].

The names of the 40 networks and organizations that signed the open letter can be found at this link.