Imelda Soidi
In Chapter Two of Pope Leo XIV’s recent exhortation Dilexi Te, he reflects on the way of life of the early Christian community, a people who truly cared for the poor and lived in solidarity. This vision is not unfamiliar to us, as the Indigenous Peoples are the “First Peoples of the world.”
Our ancestors have long nurtured the Earth and honored its sacredness, living in harmony with creation. Yet, despite this deep wisdom, indigenous communities are often viewed through a lens of backwardness. Our practices are dismissed, our voices silenced, and our contributions overlooked.
Unlike the many martyrs named in the document who died defending the Faith, indigenous defenders of land and life are rarely recognized. Many are labelled as rebels, erased from history, and forgotten.
Still, we persist.
Across this immense world, Indigenous Peoples continue to rise, claiming the spaces that are slowly opening to us. Our struggle is not abstract; it is rooted in generations of economic and social marginalization. And while we seek integral and authentic development, we are often met with ideologies that threaten to strip away our identity and sever our connection to the land.
In this crisis, the Church’s presence among indigenous communities is a grace. Mission aimed to provide education has been established in many places, offering basic education and affirming our dignity. Through education, we reclaim our voice. We remember who we are. And we walk forward, not as objects of charity, but as co-creators of a more just and sacred world.
“The cry of the poor is the cry of the Earth.” Could it be the failure to address poverty first because we are not listening to the cry of the Earth? When societies sever their relationship with the land, exploiting it and treating it as a resource, to exploit rather than honor, they also sever the lifelines of the poor, especially indigenous and rural communities whose survival depends on the land’s health.
If we fail to listen to Earth’s lament; its deforestation, poisoned rivers, disappearing species and ocean roar, we also fail to hear the cries of those who live closest to the land – the poor, who are often the first to suffer from floods, droughts, and food insecurity.
Ms Imelda Soidi is from the Dusun community in Sabah, Malaysia and currently coordinates a program on discipleship and mission for young adults in Asia at the Institute of Formation Fondacion Asia.