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RNS-Pope-Amazon1-070419 [web].jpg
Pope Francis speaks to indigenous groups in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, on Jan. 19, 2018. Standing with thousands of indigenous Peruvians, Francis declared the Amazon the "heart of the church" and called for a three-fold defense of its life, land and cultures. (NCR/AP/Alessandra Tarantino)
![](http://dev.ncronline.org/files/RNS-Pope-Amazon1-070419%20%5Bweb%5D.jpg)