{"id":18212,"date":"2019-11-25T23:26:45","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T04:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=18212"},"modified":"2019-11-30T21:41:36","modified_gmt":"2019-12-01T02:41:36","slug":"top-5-takeaways-from-the-amazon-synod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=18212","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 takeaways from the Amazon synod"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .<\/p>\n

An article by Luke Hansen, S.J. in America, the Jesuit Review<\/a><\/p>\n

The three-week Special Assembly of the\u00a0Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region, on the theme, \u201cAmazonia: New Paths for the Church and for Integral Ecology,\u201d concluded on Oct. 27 in Rome. Here are five key takeaways from the synod.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nIndigenous people carry offertory gifts as Pope Francis celebrates the concluding Mass of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican Oct. 27, 2019. (CNS photo\/Paul Haring)<\/center><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0The synod was prophetic in placing Amazonian and indigenous communities at the center of the synod process and for making a clear option for these communities over\u00a0foreign economic interests.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0two-year preparatory process\u00a0for the synod, the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network, or REPAM, coordinated about 300 listening sessions in the Amazonian region. About 22,000 people were directly involved in the territorial assemblies and smaller dialogue groups, and another 65,000 people participated in parish groups.<\/em><\/p>\n

At the synod itself, there were 16 representatives of different Amazonian indigenous communities who shared their faith and cultural heritage with the synod and delivered\u00a0compelling personal testimonies\u00a0about the negative effects of climate change and extractive activities. Several of these indigenous leaders appeared at Vatican press briefings during the synod, speaking passionately about\u00a0what is at stake for their communities.<\/p>\n

On Oct. 16, Yesica Patiachi Tayori, a bilingual teacher and member of the indigenous pastoral team in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, described the decimation of her people, the Harakbut indigenous community, used as cheap labor and murdered by the thousands after the invasion of their land by rubber companies.<\/p>\n

A few decades ago the Harakbut were as many as 50,000; they have been reduced to as few as 1,000 people today. Ms. Tayori said she made a direct appeal to Pope Francis to bring their story to the international level so that her people,\u00a0faced with continuing external threats, do not go extinct.<\/p>\n

At the synod, \u201cthe periphery speaks from the center with the awareness that its experience is heard as a prophetic voice for the whole church,\u201d said Antonio Spadaro, S.J., a synod member and the editor in chief of La Civilt\u00e0 Cattolica, in an\u00a0interview with Vatican News. \u201cAnd, precisely for this, it is judged by some as disturbing.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. At the heart of the synod process and the final document is\u00a0conversion\u00a0at the pastoral, cultural, ecological and synodal levels.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., a special secretary for the synod,\u00a0\u00a0presenting the final document\u00a0at a Vatican briefing on Oct. 26, underlined the synod\u2019s call for these four conversions (pastoral, cultural, ecological and synodal)because, he said, there are \u201cno new paths\u201d and \u201cno real change\u201d without these conversions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Amazon burning,\u201d he said, \u201cmany more people are realizing that things have to change. We cannot keep repeating old responses to urgent problems and expect to get better results.\u201d Referring to the urgent need for ecological conversion at both the personal and communal levels, the cardinal said the ecological crisis is so deep that if we don\u2019t change, \u201cwe\u2019re not going to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several synod participants pointedly challenged Europeans and North Americans to examine and\u00a0change their lifestyles\u00a0and engage in political action\u00a0in solidarity with Amazonian communities\u00a0who bear the burden of climate change and the activities of multinational companies involved in mining and deforestation.<\/p>\n

People who live in Europe and\u00a0North America\u00a0have a \u201cheightened responsibility\u201d for political action in support of indigenous communities since \u201cwe live from the benefits of this tragic exploitation in most parts of the world,\u201d said Josianne Gauthier\u00a0at a Vatican briefing\u00a0on Oct. 14.<\/p>\n

Ms. Gauthier, a Canadian and the general secretary of\u00a0CIDSE, an international alliance of Catholic solidarity organizations, said her role at the synod was \u201cto listen to voices we don\u2019t have direct access to all the time\u201d and to consider how to support indigenous communities after the synod through \u201cpolitical pressure\u201d in international political instruments.<\/p>\n

3. This special synod\u2014the first Synod of Bishops to be organized around a distinct ecological territory\u2014sought to practice what it preached regarding \u201cintegral ecology\u201d and care for our common home.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In this regard, synod organizers undertookseveral important measures: implementing an online registration process in order to avoid printing paper; utilizing bags, pens and cups made with biodegradable materials rather than plastics; and most significantly, to be a \u201ccarbon neutral\u201d synod, the organizers offset the emissions spent to get more than 200 participants from South America to Rome\u2014estimated at 572,809 kilograms of carbon dioxide\u2014with the purchase of 50 hectares (123 acres) of new growth forest in the Amazon.<\/p>\n

(Article continued in right column)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Question for discussion<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

\n

The understanding of indigenous peoples, Can it help us cultivate a culture of peace?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Religion: a barrier or a way to peace?, What makes it one or the other?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(Article continued from left column)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe synod is a son, a daughter, of \u2018Laudato Si\u2019,\u2019\u201d the encyclical published by Pope Francis in 2015, said Mauricio L\u00f3pez, the executive secretary of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network, inan interview with\u00a0America.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe synod is not the end of the road,\u201d Mr. L\u00f3pez said, \u201cbut the beginning of a new stage for the church in the Amazon, planting the seeds of\u00a0metanoia, of radical conversion, from within, at this\u00a0kairos\u00a0moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. All 120 paragraphs of the synod\u2019s final document\u00a0(currently available in Spanish only) were approved with the necessary two-thirds majority vote, including proposals related to married priests and women deacons.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Even though these highly debated proposals had the most votes against them, the synod was able to find language to satisfy\u00a0large majorities of voting members. It is a remarkable accomplishment, considering that even discussion about such questions was strongly discouraged in previous papacies.<\/p>\n

In the paragraph on married priests, the synod noted that many Amazonian communities go for a year or more without the Eucharist and other sacraments because of a\u00a0serious shortage of priests; that celibacy is a \u201cgift from God\u201d but also \u201cnot required by the very nature of the priesthood\u201d; and that criteria should be established for the priestly ordination of \u201csuitable and esteemed men of the community, who have had a fruitful permanent diaconate.\u201d The bishops supported the proposal, 128 to 41.<\/p>\n

In the paragraph on women deacons, the synod acknowledged that in \u201ca large number\u201d of the consultations carried out in the Amazon, \u201cthe permanent diaconate for women was requested,\u201d adding that the theme was also important during the synod. Then, referring to the\u00a0Study Commission on the Diaconate of Women\u00a0that Pope Francis had established in 2016, the synod expressed its desire \u201cto share our experiences and reflections with the Commission and await its results.\u201d This paragraph received the support of 137 bishops, with 30 against.<\/p>\n

In his remarks at\u00a0the synod\u2019s closing session, Pope Francis decided to immediately respond to this proposal, assuring the 265 synod participants that he would reconvene the commission, perhaps with new members. \u201cI take up the challenge\u201d for the synod \u201cto be heard\u201d on this topic, the pope said, as the synod hall responded with applause.<\/p>\n

Several bishops\u00a0and other participants\u00a0spoke strongly in favor of women deacons throughout the synod, but perhaps\u00a0the most compelling case\u00a0was made by Bishop Evaristo Pascoal Spengler, O.F.M., of Maraj\u00f3, Brazil, on the eve of the highly anticipated voting on the final document.<\/p>\n

At the synod\u2019s conclusion, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, a papal appointee to the Amazon synod, told\u00a0America\u00a0in an interview, \u201cIt was clear to me that the majority of bishops at the synod were in favor of recommending women to be in the diaconate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bishop also said the pope\u2019s closing comments \u201ccertainly signaled\u201d that the papal commission would have \u201ca new perspective and new people\u201d looking at the possibility of women deacons \u201cto see is there a way that this can be accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Since his election as pope in March 2013, Pope Francis has transformed the Synod of Bishops into a privileged place of discernment and conversion.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Through the enhanced preparatory process, the increased participation of lay women and men as experts and auditors, the encouragement to speak freely on controversial topics and the rich discussions in small groups, Pope Francis has ensured that the synod is a place of encounter, listening and dialogue with others and with the Spirit, in which everyone is invited to let go of expectations and be open to conversion.<\/p>\n

The synod is \u201cnot a discussion, not a parliament,\u201d but\u00a0there is \u201ca spiritual dynamic,\u201d\u00a0said Giacomo Costa, S.J., the synod\u2019s secretary for information, at a Vatican press briefing on Oct. 16. The\u00a0biblical image, he said, is \u201cthe blind man who throws away his cloak to go to God,\u201d and for the synod it means \u201cto leave behind the safety of your arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The synod \u201cis a path of discernment\u201d that must \u201cleave space for the Spirit,\u201d Father Costa said.<\/p>\n

On the\u00a050th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops\u00a0in 2015, Pope Francis said that God expects the church to follow the \u201cpath of synodality\u201d in the third millennium.<\/p>\n

Synodality\u00a0refers to the active participation of the whole People of God in the life and mission of the church, according to the\u00a0International Theological Commission. It means embracing the diversity of charisms, vocations and ministries of God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY . An article by Luke Hansen, S.J. in America, the Jesuit Review The three-week Special Assembly of the\u00a0Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region, on the theme, \u201cAmazonia: New Paths for the Church and for Integral Ecology,\u201d concluded on Oct. 27 in Rome. Here are five key takeaways from the synod. Indigenous … Continue reading Top 5 takeaways from the Amazon synod<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,77,14],"tags":[11,20],"class_list":["post-18212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-global","category-latin-america","category-tolerance","tag-global","tag-latin-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}