Sister Cleusa: an Eco Martyr in Defense of Creation and Indigenous Peoples

The Laudato Si’ MovementMovement, guided by the spirit of ecological conversion and in communion with the universal Church, proposes to recognize figures who embodied the call to care for the Common Home and heed the cry of the poor. Among them stands out Sister Cleusa Carolina Rody Coelho, Augustinian Recollect Missionary (MAR) and eco-martyr, who gave her life for environmental justice and the defense of the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon.

A life dedicated to the mission

Born in 1933 in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Brazil, Cleusa grew up in a deeply Catholic family. From a young age she demonstrated a commitment to evangelical values and a sensitivity to the most vulnerable.

In joining the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters, she responded to a particular call: to be a missionary in Labrea, in the heart of the Amazon region.

In her pastoral work, Cleusa worked in diverse contexts, from education to the accompaniment of migrants and street children. However, it was her commitment to the indigenous cause that marked her life and mission. Since 1979, she has been actively involved in the indigenous pastoral work of the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), accompanying the Apurinã, Paumarí and Jarawara peoples.

“Cleusa believed and lived the Word of God.”

Leader and advocate of the indigenous cause

Cleusa denounced the injustices committed against indigenous peoples, who faced the dispossession of their lands and the violent exploitation of their resources by companies and landowners. One of her most powerful strategies was to accompany the indigenous people in their commercial transactions to prevent them from being deceived. This firm stance earned him threats and enemies among those who benefited from unjust exploitation.

Martyrdom: a testimony of love and self-giving

On April 28, 1985, while navigating the Passiá River after mediating a conflict between indigenous communities, Cleusa was brutally murdered. Her body, found days later, showed signs of torture and dismemberment, a cruel reminder of the risks faced by those who defend justice in contexts of violence.

The Superior General of the MARs, Sr. Olga Lucia Perez insists that. “Cleusa crowned her life with martyrdom, and the people declared her a martyr of the indigenous peoples.”

The people of Labrea spontaneously honored her memory as “mother of the poor and the oppressed”.

Recognition of synodality and ecological conversion

In the context of the last Synod of the Amazon, held in October 2019, the Augustinian Recollect bishops asked Pope Francis to recognize Cleusa’s dedication as an example of mission and Christian witness.

His life reflects the call of Laudato Si’ to respond to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”.

Cleusa embodies the ideal of the eco-martyr, uniting the defense of creation with a commitment to the excluded. Her legacy inspires Catholics around the world to walk in synodality, promoting environmental justice and respect for indigenous peoples. CIMI, an organization linked to the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), declared after his martyrdom: “This death will bear fruit. It was not in vain.

Fr. Jaazeal Jakosalem, General Councilor of the Order and active member of the Laudato Si’ Movement, is clear that “the witness of Sister Cleusa Carolina Rody Coelho transcends her tragic death. Her life of radical dedication to the Gospel, her struggle for the rights of indigenous people and her defense of the biodiversity of the Amazon make her a model of an eco-martyr for our times”.

In the words of her contemporaries, “Cleusa lives on in the voice of the poor and in the cry of the earth”.