Caring for the Whole of God’s Creation

The Most Rev. Marinez Bassotto, the first woman presiding bishop of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil, shares the impact of her pioneering ministry on a visit to Trinity. 

As a young child in Rio Grande do Sul, in the extreme south of Brazil, Marinez Rosa dos Santos Bassotto was introduced to the Christian church by her maternal grandmother, a founding member of a small mission in the interior of the state. “I grew up in the church and felt called to the ministry from an early age,” she said. In 1984, when Marinez was 13, the ordination of women was approved in the IEAB (Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil), opening a pathway to the priesthood. At age 20, she decided to study theology at the National Seminary of the IEAB, becoming a deacon in 1995 and a priest the following year at the National Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Porto Alegre, a city of 1.4 million.  

A remarkable series of firsts followed. In 2018 she was made bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Amazon, the first woman to be consecrated bishop in South America. In 2022, she was elected presiding bishop and primate (the chief bishop of a province in the worldwide Anglican communion) of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil, the first woman to hold this position in Latin America. Elected by her peers in September 2024 as the first female Regional Primate for the Americas, Bishop Bassotto became one of only five representatives (one from each continent) to the Permanent Council of Primates of the Anglican Communion. Recently she led the Anglican Communion delegation to the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. 

Throughout her ministerial life, Bishop Bassotto has supported women's leadership in the church, as well as projects that fight gender-based violence. Her service has been marked by her commitment to ecumenism (the idea that Christians of all kinds should work together for good), especially interreligious dialogue. And as Bishop of the Diocese of the Amazon, she is dedicated to advocating for the Indigenous peoples and incredibly biodiverse environment of that region. 

Bishop Bassotto comes to Trinity on May 4–7 as part of the church's program to host leading voices from across the Anglican Communion and connect with our global family of more than 46 national churches. On Sunday, May 4, she joins the 11:15am service as guest preacher. In advance of her visit, we had an opportunity to hear more about the ripple effect of Bishop Bassotto’s history-making ministry and her hopes for the future of her diverse province and its people.  

What unique perspectives do you bring to the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil as its first female presiding bishop? 

We live in a patriarchal society where machismo is deeply entrenched, and women encounter bias and limited opportunities. In our churches, women are responsible for the majority of social action, yet this is not reflected in positions of governance and decision-making. The empowerment of women in the ecclesial environment is still a distant reality. 

I believe the ordination and subsequent election of a woman bishop to the position of primate is a significant statement given the struggles of women throughout Latin America. It will have a profound impact on theological reflection and ecclesial life, both in the Anglican Church and in other Christian denominations. I hope it will encourage women to seek more decision-making positions in churches; create spaces for discussion, training, and capacity building for other women in ecumenical settings; and encourage the movement toward equal rights. 

Creation care has been key to your ministry. Tell us about the challenges your community faces with deforestation and how you are advocating for the environment. What are your hopes for the next five years? 

The Brazilian Amazon covers an area of approximately five million square kilometers, which is nearly 60% of Brazil’s territory. It is home to the world’s largest tropical forest, unique biomes and biodiversity, and peoples of enormous cultural richness.  

I am convinced that God has called me to live my ministry in this land and among these people.”

From 2016 to 2022, Brazil experienced a dismantling of environmental policy that destroyed the protections that had been built over more than 40 years. We saw Indigenous peoples lose access to their traditional lands, the return of banned pesticides, mining on previously protected land, and an increase in deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture. 

Despite increased enforcement efforts since 2023, deforestation in the Amazon continues today. We document thousands of fires annually, and over the past two years the region has faced extreme drought. Since the beginning of the year, southern Brazil has experienced a series of devastating hurricanes, floods, and landslides. 

The Anglican Diocese of the Amazon has several ongoing initiatives, including projects to create resilient communities and to restore the biome and forests. My hope for the next five years is to facilitate the expansion of the Anglican presence throughout the Amazon region. This initiative will allow us to positively impact the lives of the region’s inhabitants through our social action and the living of the Gospel, which fosters abundance and vitality. 

What are some of the most pressing challenges facing young people in your community today? What role do you see the church playing in addressing these issues? 

The region’s young people are confronted with climate change, environmental degradation, and limited access to quality education and employment opportunities. Many young people in the Amazon region lack essential services like water, sanitation, and healthcare. There is no infrastructure to support sustainable development or youth participation in decisions affecting the region. These limitations hinder their potential for development. 

The Church has played an instrumental role in implementing several key projects, including training social educators, courses on digital inclusion through citizenship, a Jiu-Jitsu project, and support for indigenous youth through a preparatory course designed to help students prepare for entrance exams to universities. 

How do you foster unity in Brazil with a diverse community including over 300 Indigenous groups and over 200 languages?  

As a church in the Amazon, we have sought to recover the egalitarian and ecological values present in the ancestral traditions of the region and relate them to our Christian tradition — by incorporating the symbols, instruments, music, and languages of local communities into our liturgies and other activities. These elements symbolize the profound diversity of God’s creation, a concept embodied by these communities long before our arrival. 

From a pedagogical perspective, we have come to witness that our faith entails caring for and protecting the integrity of each created being, acknowledging our interconnectedness with all other living things.  

We learn from Indigenous spirituality that it is impossible to live without each one taking care of this vital network. So, to be faithful to Christ, we must understand that our mission is to walk hand in hand with the whole of creation. I believe this with all my heart. 

What are some of the things that bring you joy and help you stay grounded in your faith? 

Living in the Amazon region brings me great satisfaction. I was born in southern Brazil, about 4,500 kilometers from where I live today. I am convinced that God has called me to live my ministry in this land and among these people. To carry out our work, whether it is social or religious in nature, we use rivers as our primary transportation routes. The mission is quite challenging, with long distances to cover and extended journeys by boat or canoe. To reach the most remote communities, I travel 30 hours by boat. 

However, my personal fulfillment is derived from the relationships I have with the people, which reinforce my spiritual beliefs. While I was not born in the Amazon, I feel as if I was. I love the place where God has sent me to serve, and although my life has changed radically and the challenges are enormous, I am grateful every day.  

Watch Bishop Bassotto's sermon on May 4, 2025.  

Responses have been translated from Portuguese and edited for length and clarity.