The keynote address of Carroll College’s 2026 Student Research Festival will take place on April 23, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Lower Campus Center. This year's speaker is Mauricio López Oropeza, co-founder and current lay Vice President of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA).
Title: From the Amazon to Montana: A Journey towards Integral Ecology, Faith, and Shared Hope
In a time of ecological, social, and existential crises, Laudato Si’ calls us not only to awareness but to hope — a hope that is active, grounded in faith, and open to scientific and intercultural wisdom. This keynote will explore how the Church’s Social Teaching and the vision of integral ecology offer a path toward renewal: a way of seeing the world where everything is connected: the human and the natural, the spiritual and the political, the local and the global. It is a call to conversion, but also to confidence that transformation is possible when we walk together with humility and courage.
From the heart of the Amazon to the Congo Basin, from the Mesoamerican Corridor and the Asia–Oceania bioregion to the boreal forests of North America, I have witnessed communities rising in resilience and creativity. These territories — wounded yet full of life — show us that hope grows in relationship: when people listen deeply, protect one another, and care for the land that sustains us all. Their stories remind us that healing the planet begins with healing the human heart. Drawing from the Amazon territory and the Amazon University Program (PUAM) — a living expression of Laudato Si’ and the Global Compact on Education — this keynote hopes to invite the Carroll College community to a shared journey of learning and transformation. Together, we can explore how our distinct biomes, cultures, and faith traditions offer wisdom for a renewed world. Through research, dialogue, and intercultural encounter — a true liberal arts approach — we can nurture a hope that unites us, inspiring concrete action for the care of our common home and the flourishing of future generations.
This event is free and open to the public.
About Mauricio López Oropeza
Mexican by birth, Ecuadorian by adoption, and Amazonian by choice. Mauricio López Oropeza is the former Director of the Center for Pastoral Action of CELAM and is responsible for the methodology and listening process of the First Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean. He was the first Executive Secretary and co-founder of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), as well as co-founder and current lay Vice President of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA).
Oropeza is the founding Director of the Amazon University Program (PUAM) and is a former member of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He is an Ignatian layperson and member of the Christian Life Community (CLC), of which he served as World President from 2013 to 2018. He's a member of the methodological and facilitation team for the Synod on Synodality. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Higher Education with a concentration in Catholic University Leadership at Boston College.
