#AmazonSynod. Young people,
protagonists of integral ecology
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| Synod Hall (Vatican Media) |
On the afternoon of Monday, 7 October, the work of the Synod
for the Pan-Amazon Region continued in the presence of the Pope, with the 2nd
General Congregation and with the elections of members of the Commission for
the elaboration of the final document and of the Commission for Information.
By Vatican News
The afternoon session saw the election, by absolute
majority, of the four members of the Commission for the elaboration of the
Final Document of the Synod. They are: Bishop Mario Antonio Da Silva of Roraima
in Brazil; Archbishop Héctor Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, O.F.M. of Trujillo and
President of the Peruvian Bishops' Conference; Bishop Nelson Jair Cardona
Ramírez of San José del Guaviare in Colombia; and Archbishop Sergio Alfredo
Gualberti Calandrina of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia.
Pope to choose three other members
Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of Mexico City, was
initially elected but said he preferred to relinquish his position to a Synod
Father from one of the seven Episcopal Conferences directly involved in the
Amazon Region. The elected Bishops join those already part of the Commission,
namely: the President, Cardinal Claudio Hummes; the Secretary General of the
Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri; the pro-Secretary General,
Bishop Mario Grech; the two special secretaries: Cardinal Michael Czerny and
Bishop David Martinez de Aguirre Guinea. The Pope will name three other members
in the next few days.
Election of Members of the Information Committe
Four members of the Information Committee were then elected
by separate ballots with a relative majority. They are: Bishop Erwin Kräutler,
C.Pp.S., prelate emeritus of Xingu, Brazil; Bishop Rafael Cob García, Apostolic
Vicar of Puyo, Ecuador; Bishop José Ángel Divassón Cilveti, S.D.B., former
Apostolic Vicar of Puerto Ayacucho in Venezuela; and Italian Father Antonio
Spadaro, Director of "La Civiltà Cattolica". The latter join the team
led by Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication and the
Secretary, Father Giacomo Costa; the Director of the Holy See Press Office,
Matteo Bruni; the Editorial Director of the Dicastery for Communication, Andrea
Tornielli; Sister Maria Ines Lopes dos Santos, Councillor of the Episcopal
Commission for the Amazon of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil, and Mauricio
López Oropeza, Executive Secretary of the Ecclesial Pan-Amazon Network.
Greta Thunberg and young people as protagonists
The Synod Fathers then intervened on different points of
the Instrumentum Laboris. In continuity with the Synod on Youth of
2018, they reflected on the importance of young people as protagonists of an
integral ecology. They cited the example of the young Swedish activist, Greta
Thunberg and the climate strike initiative. The "option for young
people", and the need to dialogue with them on issues of the protection of
Creation, were mentioned several times, along with the need to enhance the
social commitment of youth who can encourage the Church to be prophetic in this
area. Young hearts, it was said, want to build a better world, because young
people represent a social doctrine on the move. More than many others, young
people today feel the need to establish a new relationship with Creation, a
relationship that is not exploitative, but attentive to the suffering of the
planet. For this reason, the environmental theme, which is also ecumenical and
interreligious, should be seen by the Church as a positive challenge. It is an
invitation to dialogue with young people, to help them in their discernment. In
this way, their commitment to protecting Creation is not only a "green and
fashionable" slogan, but really becomes a question of life and death, for
humanity and for the planet.
Groundwater protection
A number of Synod Fathers called for the protection of
groundwater from chemical contamination resulting from multinational
productivity, so that indigenous peoples can survive by preserving their
culture and following new paths of evangelization. The massive industrial
mining activities were mentioned in several interventions, with particular
concern for the abuses committed by some companies, which have serious consequences
for indigenous peoples. For this reason, the Bishops repeatedly called for the
need to respect both human and environmental rights, because a true integral
ecology requires a new balance between humanity and nature.
Fossil fuels and the climate
The Synod also looked at the climate changes that are
distorting Creation. It was agreed that climate is a global good, one that must
be protected and preserved for future generations. It was suggested we stop
using fossil fuels, especially in the most industrialized countries, which are
the main polluters. Other reflections included the need to overcome those forms
of colonialism that have characterized much of past centuries, in favour of
preserving the cultural identities of the Amazon: every culture, in fact, makes
its contribution to the universality of the Church, constituted by respect and
complementarity. Quoting Saint John Paul II, the Synod Fathers said that Christ
animates the centre of every culture. Because the Church is a complex ecosystem
with a "marvellous spiritual biodiversity" that is expressed in
various communities, cultural expressions, forms of consecrated life and
ministries. Several times, St Paul was cited as the first Apostle of
inculturation, the one who became "Greek among the Greeks".
Indigenous rites
The Synod also agreed there is room for reflection on
indigenous rites. The Church looks positively on anything that is not linked to
superstition, and as long as it is in harmony with the true liturgical spirit.
The suggestion was made to begin a process in the Amazon that involves sharing
the experiences of indigenous communities that have inculturated celebrations
for certain Sacraments, such as baptism, marriage, or priestly ordination. In
this way, one of the proposals put forward was to think of establishing ad
experimentum, and according to the appropriate theological, liturgical, and
pastoral discernment, a Catholic Amazonian rite to live and celebrate faith in
Christ. Just as there is an environmental ecosystem, there is also an ecclesial
ecosystem too.
The viri probati
Finally, a few interventions focused on the question of the
so-called “viri probati”. These are mentioned in the Synod Working
Document as one of the proposals for ensuring the Sacraments, where there is a
particular shortage of priests. Some interventions described this as a
legitimate necessity, but not one that can condition a substantial rethinking
of the nature of the priesthood and its relationship with celibacy, provided
for by the Church of the Latin rite. It was suggested, instead, that vocational
pastoral work be carried out among indigenous young people, in order to
encourage evangelization even in the most remote areas of the Amazon. In
this way, there will be no "first class Catholics" who have easy access
to the Eucharist, and "second class Catholics" who are denied the
Eucharist, sometimes for at least two years.
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