Amazon Synod: Cardinal
Gracias sees similarities between Amazoni
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| Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias |
Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias is a Synod Father appointed
by Pope Francis to the October 6-27 Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
for the Pan-Amazon Region. In an interview to Vatican News, he looks at the
Synod and its issues from the Indian perspective.
By Robin Gomes
An Indian cardinal participating in the Amazon Synod,
currently taking place in the Vatican, says he is moved by the passion of the
bishops of the Amazonia region for their poor and suffering people.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, made the
remark in an interview to Vatican News.
A Synod Father, appointed by Pope Francis, Cardinal Gracias
is the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) that
brings together India’s Latin-rite bishops as well as the two eastern-rite
Churches – the Syro-Malabar and the Syro-Malankara Churches.
He served as the president of the Conference of Catholic
Bishops of India (CCBI) of the Latin-rite for 3 terms and is also a former
president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).
The theme of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
for the Pan-Amazon Region is: Amazonia - new pathways for the Church and for an
integral ecology.
The Synod is now entering its final week, with the closing
scheduled for October 27. After the general sessions, participants are
now trying to sum up the findings of their meetings in small groups.
Listening to the various interventions of the Synod so far,
Cardinal Gracias says he feels the Church is really one body. He notes
that Asia, as well as India, have challenges that are similar to the people of
Amazonia.
The cardinal expresses his gratitude to Pope Francis for
having nominated him to the Synod because he is learning a lot about the
challenges of the people of the Amazon which are a little different but
essentially the same, such as making the Gospel values present and reaching out
to the poor in the peripheries.
Passion for the people
Another aspect of the Synod that struck the cardinal is the
passionate care of the bishops of the Amazonia for their poor people who are
suffering. The bishops are the voice of the voiceless. They are
listening to the cry of the people against violence, exploitation, injustice
and are passionately concerned about their future. Hence, being in
the Synod has been a good learning experience and inspiration for Cardinal
Gracias.
Exploitation of the indigenous
What came out strongly in the interventions, according to
Cardinal Gracias, is the exploitation of the indigenous people. He says
this is also happening in India.
“The Adivasis and the tribals are our indigenous people.
Their land is being taken away. Legislation is being passed that deprive
them of the privileges they have.”
The 74-year old cardinal explained that many of these
original residents do not have proper documents. They are not accustomed
to all this but they have been living in their lands for centuries. “All
of a sudden, someone comes telling them they don’t have proper papers, so their
land is being taken away.”
Deforestation
Cardinal Gracias pointed out that India also has the problem
of deforestation but to a lesser extent than in the Amazonia, where it is
rampant. In India, corporate companies are taking over the land. He
lamented that the green cover of the country is gradually diminishing.
“Fortunately, the government has been speaking about the
necessity for taking care of the climate” but in reality, the corporates” have
been doing otherwise.
Shortage of pastors
The third issue that came up in the Synod, is the acute
shortage of priests in the Amazonia region. The faithful don’t have the
Eucharist for six months or a year. Fortunately, this is not the
situation in India, but the exploitation of the indigenous people is very
strongly felt in India.
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