If you have any questions about the symposium, please contact Juan Poveda, CJI Outreach Coordinator: [email protected]

INFORMATION and RESOURCES

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Guest speaker: Sister Laura Vicuña Pereira Manso

Sister Laura Vicuña Pereira Manso, a Franciscan Catechist nun and a member of Brazil’s Indigenous Kariri people, has devoted over 20 years to championing human rights and environmental justice in the Brazilian Amazon. As vice president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), she works tirelessly alongside Indigenous communities—particularly in Rondônia—who face threats from illegal logging, land grabbing, and extractive industries. With her background in anthropology and specialization in social psychology, she brings both academic insight, lived experience, and a deep cultural understanding to her advocacy.

In regions where institutional support falters, Sister Laura provides spiritual accompaniment, legal advocacy, and pastoral care. She has spoken out against Amazon exploitation in Brazil and the criminalization of Indigenous and women leaders. She has brought these urgent issues before international bodies, including the United Nations, calling for stronger global accountability and protection of human rights and environmental defenders.

Within the Catholic Church, she advocates for women’s greater inclusion and recognition of women’s contribution in church life.

This November, Sister Laura will visit Canada as the keynote speaker for Canadian Jesuits International’s Women at the Heart of Justice campaign, before travelling to Rome to participate in Year of Jubilee events. We are honoured to welcome Sister Laura to Canada.

2025 Y4O Symposium story & photos

November 16, 2025 

November 17, 2021

Visit to Parliament Hill (Advocacy 101 with Results Canada, Meet and Greet with Speaker of the House and other Members of Parliament)

November 18, 2025: Next steps and closing

 
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