AMAZONIA: NEW WAYS FOR THE CHURCH AND FOR A HOLISTIC ECOLOGY
1. After a long synodal journey of listening to the People of God in the Church of the Amazon, which Pope Francis inaugurated during his visit to the Amazon, 19 January 2018, the Synod took place in Rome in a fraternal gathering of 21 days in October 2019. The climate was one of open, free and respectful exchange between bishops pastors in the Amazon, missionaries, lay people and representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. We were witnesses participating in an ecclesial event marked by the urgency of the theme that calls for opening new paths for the Church in the territory. We took part in serious work in an environment marked with the conviction of listening to the voice of the Spirit.
The Synod took place in a fraternal and prayerful environment. Sometimes the interventions were met with applause and songs, and there were deep contemplative silences throughout. Outside the Synod Hall, there was a noticeable presence of people from the Amazonian world who organised acts of support in various activities and processions, such as the opening when songs and dances accompanied the Holy Father from Peter’s tomb to the Synod Hall. The Way of the Cross of the martyrs of the Amazon had a major impact, as did the presence of a great number of international media.
2. All participants displayed acute awareness of the dramatic state of destruction affecting the Amazon. The territory and its inhabitants are disappearing, especially the indigenous peoples. The Amazon rainforest is a “biological heart” for the increasingly threatened earth. It is a frenzied race to the death. Radical changes are urgently needed, in a new direction which would allow saving the forest. It is scientifically proven that the disappearance of the Amazon biome will have a catastrophic impact on the planet as a whole!
3. In its preparatory stage, the synodal journey of the People of God involved the entire Church in the territory around the consultation document that inspired the Instrumentum Laboris: Bishops, missionaries, members of other Christian communities, lay people, and many representatives of indigenous peoples. This highlights the importance of listening to the voice of the Amazon, stirred by the powerful breath of the Holy Spirit in the cry of the wounded land and its inhabitants. The active participation of more than 87,000 people was noted, from cities and from different cultures, along with numerous groups from other ecclesial sectors and the contributions of academics and civil society organizations regarding the specific central themes.
4. The celebration of the Synod succeeded in highlighting the integration of the voice of the Amazon with the voice and feelings of the participating pastors. It was a new experience of listening in order to discern the voice of the Spirit who leads the Church to new paths of presence, evangelization and intercultural dialogue in the Amazon. The request which arose during the preparatory process, that the Church be an ally of the Amazon world, was strongly affirmed. The celebration ended with great joy and the hope of embracing and practicing the new paradigm of integral ecology, care of the common home and defence of the Amazon.
