Greenwood Energy Joins Arhuaco Leaders for General Audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City

November 7, 2024

[November 7, 2024] – A delegation made up of Libra Group’s Latin American renewable energy subsidiary, Greenwood Energy (GWE), and leaders of the Arhuaco indigenous tribe of Colombia led a mission to Rome as special guests to a General Audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City, which was complemented by diverse protocol and cultural activities carried out in the Italian capital.

The visit marked the first-ever meeting between the supreme spiritual authority of the Arhuaco People [the Main Mamu of Seykumuke] and the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, fulfilling the seven-decade long aspiration of the Arhuacos to dialogue with the Pope and start to heal a historically complex relationship with indigenous communities. During the General Audience, Mamu Kuncha delivered a proposal entitled “Peace with Nature at the Heart of the World,” asking the Pope to help save the sacred territory of the Sierra Nevada and “restore its role as a planetary safeguard, both physically and spiritually.”

Together, GWE and the Arhuacos lead the TERRA Initiative, a groundbreaking partnership to develop large-scale solar projects supporting cultural preservation and reforestation across the sacred lands of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada.

Ahead of the Papal Audience, the Colombian Ambassador to the Holy See, Alberto Ospina Carreño, and the Colombian Ambassador to Italy, Ligia Margarita Quessep Bitar, hosted the delegation at the Colombian Embassy in Rome to discuss resources needed to protect the Sierra Nevada and its Indigenous communities. The Arhuaco leaders shared the innovative model presented by the TERRΛ Initiative, which they pointed out as an example of sustainable development that counts with the approval, support, and guidance of their Mamus and Traditional Authorities. In a heartfelt gesture of respect, Ambassador Quessep removed her shoes to honor the Arhuaco spiritual leader, breaking diplomatic protocol.

The delegation also participated in a special visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, and was granted a rare tour of the historic 9th-century San Silvestro al Quirinale Church, led by Prince Lorenzo de’ Medici, Grand Prior of the Order of San Martino. Normally closed to the public, this privilege is reserved for High Court members and the President of Italy.

This historic mission was the result of extensive international collaboration among companies, NGOs, and public entities from eight countries, demonstrating how cultural diplomacy can foster meaningful reconciliation in the history of Indigenous communities in Latin America.

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