Pope Francis

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-presentation-of-the-draft-of-the-final-document.html
Amazon Synod: Presentation of the draft of the final document
21 October 2019, 14:40

Amazon Synod: Presentation of the draft of the final document
The 14th General Congregation of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region took place on the morning of Monday, 21 October, in the presence of Pope Francis. One hundred eighty-four Synod Fathers were in the Hall for the session. The Synod concludes on Sunday, 27 October.
By Vatican News

Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the Relator General, presented the draft of the final document of the Synod for the Amazon to participants in the Synod Hall on Monday morning. The text, which gathers together the fruits of the interventions presented during the work, will now go to the small groups for discussion in a “collective manner”.

The program for the coming days

Amendments will be inserted into the final document by the Relator General and the Special Secretaries, with the help of experts. Then the text will be revised by the editorial committee; and on Friday afternoon, the document will be read in the Hall on Friday afternoon, in the course of the 15th General Congregation. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, at the 16th General Congregation, the Synod Fathers will vote on the document.

The homily of Archbishop Héctor Cabrejos Vidarte

Monday’s session began as usual with Mid-Morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. The homily was delivered by Archbishop Héctor Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo, Mexico, who also serves as President of CELAM (the Latin American Episcopal Council). He invited those present to look to the example of Saint Francis and his “Canticle of the Creatures”. “For St Francis”, Archbishop Trujillo said, “beauty is not a question of aesthetics, but of love, of fraternity at any cost, of grace at any cost”. The Saint of Assisi, he said, “embraces all creatures with a love and a devotion never seen, speaking to them of the Lord and exhorting them to praise Him. In this sense, Francis came to be the originator of the medieval sentiment for nature
 
The morning session was closed by a special guest who focused on the theme of integral ecology, particularly in relation to climate change.

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-giving-a-voice-to-indigenous-peoples.html
Amazon Synod Briefing: Giving a voice and visibility to indigenous peoples
21 October 2019, 16:56

Following the 14th General Congregation of the Synod for the Amazon on Monday morning, the Holy See Press Office hosts a press briefing during which four Synod participants respond to journalists’ question on a series of issues.
By Vatican News

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Communications, Dr Paolo Ruffini, opened the briefing. He confirmed that Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Archbishop emeritus of Sào Paulo, had presented the draft text of what will be the final synod document. The text contains details of what was discussed in both the General Congregations and small working groups. These issues include inculturation, and missionary and ecological conversion, among others. The main message to emerge, however, is that “the process of listening is not yet over”.
 
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, O.P.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, O.P., Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, addressed journalists at the briefing, saying he had spent two weeks in the Amazon “listening to their experiences”. At the Synod, he said he learned “we have nothing to teach the Amazon”, but that we need to understand what our contribution can be. The Synod provides an opportunity to consider those who are “forgotten by world politics”, he said, and to “give voice” to those in the Amazon Region whose lives are threatened.

Proposals at the Synod for a permanent diaconate, he said, are aimed at “assisting pastoral ministry in this huge territory”. Referring to the 180 permanent deacons who serve in his own Archdiocese of Vienna, the Cardinal said he thought the permanent diaconate was “useful and significant for the life of the Church”.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

Working Translations by Zenit of Spnish groups--A, B and C

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-spanish-relatio-texts-group-a/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Spanish Relatio Texts: Group A 
Working Translation by Zenit
October 21, 2019 16:44

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-spanish-relatio-texts-group-b/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Spanish Relatio Texts: Group B 
Working Translation by Zenit
October 21, 2019 17:24

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-spanish-relatio-texts-group-c/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Spanish Relatio Texts: Group C 
Working Translation by Zenit
October 21, 2019 17:50

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Update:  digital rosary 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/digital-rosary-discovered-to-be-hackable-vatican-says-it-has-fixed-bugs-32444
Digital rosary discovered to be hackable, Vatican says it has fixed bugs

Vatican City, Oct 21, 2019 / 07:40 pm (CNA).- Shortly after the new “smart rosary” bracelet was released last week, the Vatican discovered an easy route for hackers to retrieve a user’s personal information. The issue has since been fixed.

Launched on Oct. 15, the device is called an eRosary and allows users to track their prayers, find spiritual resources, and connect with an online prayer community.

A few days after its release, Fidus Information Security, a cyber security consulting service, discovered the device’s weak safety measures, which could have allowed hackers to gain access to a user’s personal information such as their phone number, date of birth, gender, and height.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/polish-bishops-call-for-john-paul-ii-to-be-named-a-doctor-of-the-church-80686

Polish bishops call for John Paul II to be named a doctor of the Church

Poznan, Poland, Oct 22, 2019 / 04:07 pm (CNA).- The Polish Bishops’ Conference has asked Pope Francis to name St. John Paul II a patron of Europe and doctor of the Church.

Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan, president of the Polish Bishops Conference, sent the request to the pope on Oct. 22 - the feast day of John Paul II.

“The pontificate of the Pope from Poland was filled with groundbreaking decisions and significant events that changed the face of the papacy and influenced the course of European and world history,” he said, according to Zenit.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former archbishop of Krakow and a close friend of John Paul II, supported the request during a conference held by the “Europa Christi” movement, which took place at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw from Oct. 19-23.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-turkson-says-ordination-of-married-men-may-be-subject-of-further-study-22245
Cardinal Turkson says ordination of married men may get further study
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2019 / 09:05 am (CNA).- Cardinal Peter Turkson said Monday that the ordination of married men will likely be the subject of further study for the universal Church after the Amazon synod.

“This issue will probably be made the subject matter of a more detailed study of the issue with view to the Church taking a consistent position, not only in view of the Amazon, but in view of the universal Church,” Turkson told EWTN News Nightly Oct. 22.

During the special assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Church’s life and ministry in the Pan-Amazonian region, being held in Rome Oct. 6-27, several bishops have proposed the possibility of the ordination to the priesthood of so-called viri probati – a term used to refer to mature, married men – for ministry in remote areas of the Amazon.

Turkson, the Prefect of the Vatican’s the Dicastery for the Promotion of  Integral Human Development, said that the challenges in the Amazonian region are similar to challenges faced in other parts of the world.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-networking-responsibility.html
Amazon Synod Briefing: Networking and co-responsibility
22 October 2019, 16:10

While the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon continues discussions on the draft of the final document, four Synod participants share their insights and experiences at a press briefing in the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday afternoon.
By Vatican News

Tuesday is the last day for discussions within the small working groups. The Secretary of the Synod Information Commission, Jesuit Fr Giacomo Costa, said participants are “still listening and contributing”. The results will be handed over to those responsible for drafting the final document, and the Synod will vote on it on Saturday.

Ms Judite da Rocha

Ms. Judite da Rocha was the first to make her presentation. She is National Coordinator of the Movement for Victims affected by dams in Brazil. She highlighted the threats posed by hydroelectric power stations to fishermen and people living alongside rivers.
Ms. da Rocha gave examples of families left homeless, communities displaced, traditions and cultures destroyed. She spoke of the effect on women in the form of domestic violence and sexual harassment. We need to develop other ways to produce energy and power, she said.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

Working Translations by Zenit of Spanish groups--D and E

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-spanish-relatio-texts-group-d/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Spanish Relatio Texts: Group D
Working Translation by Zenit
October 22, 2019 16:06

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-spanish-relatio-texts-group-e/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Spanish Relatio Texts: Group E
Working Translation by Zenit
October 22, 2019 16:19

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-francis-catechesis-general-audience-book-of-acts.html

Pope at Audience: Church must always be open, expansive, welcoming
23 October 2019, 12:29

In his catechesis at theWednesday General Audience, Pope Francis reflects on how the first Christians resolve their differences at the “Council of Jerusalem”, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis began his catechesis by saying that the Book of Acts recounts the long journey of the Word of God. “This journey”, said the Pope, began after a “strong persecution”. During this persecution, Christians were forced to flee taking the Word with them, rather than being discouraged from evangelising.

Amongst those fleeing persecution were Paul and Barnabas, who took the Word of the Gospel to the Jewish community of Antinoch in Syria.

“The book of Acts reveals the nature of the Church,” said the Pope. He explained that she is “not a stronghold, but a tent, capable of widening her space” so that all may enter.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-francis-appeal-chile-dialogue-general-audience.html
Pope appeals for dialogue in Chile, solutions that will benefit all
23 October 2019, 11:24

https://zenit.org/articles/holy-father-continues-catecheses-on-acts-of-the-apostles/
Holy Father Continues Catecheses on Acts of the Apostles
October 23, 2019, General Audience – Full Text
October 23, 2019 15:59Virginia Forrester

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/vatican-aif-investigations-confidence-in-di-ruzza.html

Vatican investigations: AIF reaffirms confidence in Director Di Ruzza
23 October 2019, 15:13

The Vatican’s Financial Information Authority, AIF, confirms correct action conducted by the oversight body in verifying alleged suspicious activities.
By Vatican News

The Board of Directors at the AIF released a press statement on Wednesday, reaffirming their “full faith and trust in the professional competence and honorability” of AIF Director Tommaso Di Ruzza, who is currently under investigation by the Vatican Judiciary.

The statement reads as follows:

On 1 October 2019, the Director of the Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria (AIF), Tommaso Di Ruzza, and his offices were searched by the Corps of the Gendarmerie of the Vatican City State in relation to an investigation initiated by the Promotor of Justice following two complaints lodged in July and August this year by the I.O.R. and the Office of the Auditor General within their respective institutional competences. The search, which resulted in the seizure certain files and records, is in connection with an ongoing institutional activity carried out by AIF based on a Suspicious Activity Report involving several foreign jurisdictions.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

Working Translation by Zenit of the English/French group

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-english-french-relatio-texts/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: English/French Relatio Texts
Working Translation by Zenit
October 23, 2019 18:00

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-role-of-women-inculturation-synodality.html
Amazon Synod Briefing: Role of women, inculturation, synodality
23 October 2019, 17:34

The role of women; inculturation; and synodality were some of the key topics highlighted at Wednesdays’ press briefing for the Synod on the Amazon.
By Vatican News

At the beginning of the briefing, the Prefect for the Dicastery for Communication, Dr Paolo Ruffini briefly reviewed the process for producing the Synod’s final document. Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa noted that the final document will be entrusted to the Holy Father, who will provide guidance for the Church going forward. Father Costa emphasized the importance, in the synodal process, of “listening deeply”, noting that the final document is a fruit of the process, but not its final goal.

Sister Roselei Bertoldo, I.C.M.

The first guest at today’s briefing, Sister Roselei Bertoldo of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, spoke about the issue of trafficking, especially of girls and women. Often an “invisible crime”, trafficking can involve not only sexual exploitation, but also domestic enslavement and child labour. She said the Church must help raise awareness about the issue, and continue working on strategies of prevention.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-amazonian-rite-indigenous-spirituality.html
Amazon Synod Briefing: an Amazonian rite and indigenous spirituality
24 October 2019, 16:39

While the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon continues discussions of the draft of the final document that will be voted on this Saturday, five Synod participants share their impressions and experiences at a press briefing in the Holy See Press Office.
By Vatican News

The five presentations provided journalists and media professionals with an opportunity to hear impressions of the Synod, from the inside out.

Sr Mariluce dos Santos Mesquita, FMA
Sister Mariluce dos Santos Mesquita, FMA, of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, is a religious belonging to the Barassana ethnic community in Brazil. She comes from the “most indigenous of all dioceses in Amazonia”, she said.

Fr Eleazar Lòpez Hernández
Father Eleazar Lòpez Hernández is an expert in indigenous theology, and a member of the Zapoteca people in Mexico. He described the Synod as “the realization of a dream”. It represents a “new kind of relationship”, he said, based on encounter. Speaking in terms of his understanding of indigenous culture, Fr Hernández said his people “cannot separate God and life”: theology, science, and life are all interrelated for them, he said.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2019-10/pope-francis-santa-marta-homily-25-october-2019.html

Pope at Mass: in the struggle between good and evil choose salvation
25 October 2019, 13:53

Pope Francis says that in all of us there is a constant struggle between grace and sin. He invites Christians to examine themselves at the end of the day and find out whether their decisions are “from the Lord” or are dictated “by the devil”.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis is urging Christians to ask the Lord for the light to know well what is happening inside us.  In his homily at Mass, Friday morning, at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, he reflected on the First Reading where St. Paul speaks to the Romans about the continuous inner struggle inside him between the desire to do good and not being able to do it.

A struggle in all of us

Some might think that by carrying out the “evil he does not want” St. Paul might be in hell or defeated. Yet, the Pope says, he is a saint because even saints experience this war within themselves, between the good that the Holy Spirit inspires and the bad of the evil spirit, It is “a law for all”, “an everyday war”.

Anyone who says he does not have this struggle within and feels blessed and at peace, the Pope tells him or her: “You're not blessed.  You’re someone who doesn't understand what’s happening”.

In this daily struggle, the Pope says, we win today, tomorrow and the day after until the end.   The martyrs “had to fight to the end to maintain their faith”.   It’s the same for the saints, like Therese of the Child Jesus, for whom “the hardest struggle was the final moment”, on her deathbed, because she felt that “the bad spirit” wanted to snatch her from the Lord.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-10/pope-francis-comments-on-statues-stolen-from-church.html
Pope Francis announces retrieval of indigenous statues
25 October 2019, 19:26

The Holy See Press Office has provided a transcription of Pope Francis’s remarks concerning several indigenous statues, stolen earlier this week and thrown into the Tiber River. The Holy Father spoke off-the-cuff following the liturgical prayer that opened the afternoon session of the 15th General Congregation of the Synod for the Amazon.

Pope Francis' words

Good afternoon. I want to say a word about the statues of the pachamama that were taken from the church of the Transpontina – which were there without idolatrous intentions – and were thrown into the Tiber.

First of all, this happened in Rome, and, as Bishop of the Diocese, I ask pardon of the persons who were offended by this act.

Then, I want to communicate to you that the statues which created such attention in the media, were retrieved from the Tiber. The statues were not damaged.

The Commander of the Carabinieri desires that you should be informed of this recovery before the news is made public. At the moment, the news is confidential, and the statues are being kept in the Italian Carabinieri Commander's office.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-final-document-presented-in-aula.html

Amazon Synod: Final document presented in the Synod Hall
25 October 2019, 19:58

The 15th General Congregation of the Special Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region took place on Friday, 25 October, in the presence of Pope Francis. At the afternoon session, the final Document was presented to the Synod Fathers; and Members of the Post-Synodal Council were elected. One hundred eighty-two Synod Fathers were present in the Synod Hall.
By Vatican News

The thirteen Members of the Council for the implementation of the Special Assembly of the Amazon were elected on Friday afternoon, by an absolute majority. The newly-elected Members represent the principle countries of the Region: four coming from Brazil; two each from Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru; and one each from Peru, the Antilles, Venezuela, and Ecuador. In addition to those elected, three other Members will be named by the Pope. The Council has the duty of implementing the directives of the Synod.

The presentation of the Document

Immediately following the vote, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the Relator General of the Synod and President of the Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network (REPAM) presented the Final Document for the consideration of the Synod Fathers. In introducing the text, the Cardinal highlighted the immense work of the Commission for the redaction of the Final Document, as well as that of the Small Groups, which produced numerous amendments. The text, he said, is set in the context of an urgent ecological crisis, which makes it necessary to act without delay. The preservation of the Amazon, he said, is fundamental for the health of the planet; and the Church recognizes this, conscious of the fact that an integral conversion for an integral ecology is necessary. He said the Church hears the cry of Amazonia, and the cry of the earth, which are the same cry, and also an expression of great hope. The Synod, Cardinal Hummes concluded, is intended to achieve ecclesial communion, with Peter and under the guidance of the Pope.

Final vote set for Saturday.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/amazon-synod-briefing-women-ecumenism-martyrs.html

Amazon Synod Briefing: Women, Ecumenism, and Martyrs
25 October 2019, 17:40

The Synod of Bishops for the Amazon enters its closing phase with Synod Fathers expected to vote on the final document on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, in the Holy See Press Office, five participants share their perspectives on a variety of issues: from the role of women, to ecumenism in the Amazon.
By Vatican News

Over the past three weeks, the daily press briefings have provided an opportunity to hear, first-hand, the experiences and reactions of Synod participants coming from, or engaged in, the Amazon Region.

Sr Inés Azucena Zambrano Jara, MMI

Sr Inés Azucena Zambrano Jara is a Missionary Sister of Mary Immaculate, originally from Ecuador, but working in Colombia. As a woman at the Synod, she said she felt “trusted and heard”. Sr Inés described the atmosphere at the Synod as one of “active listening… to God, the Amazon, the people, and the pain of mother earth”.
Sr Inés said the women participating at the Synod were calling themselves the “Synod Mothers”, reflecting the sense of family and belonging.
 

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

Working Translation by Zenit of the Portuguese groups A, B, C and D

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-relatio-texts-portuguese-circle-a/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Relatio Texts: Portuguese Circle A
Working Translation by Zenit
October 24, 2019 09:04

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-relatio-texts-portuguese-circle-b/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Relatio Texts: Portuguese Circle B
Working Translation by Zenit
October 25, 2019 16:37

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-relatio-texts-portuguese-circle-c/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Relatio Texts: Portuguese Circle C
Working Translation by Zenit
October 25, 2019 16:52

https://zenit.org/articles/synod-on-the-amazon-2019-relatio-texts-portuguese-circle-d/
Synod on the Amazon 2019: Relatio Texts: Portuguese Circle D
Working Translation by Zenit
October 25, 2019 22:12

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 2019

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/amazon-synod-document-calls-for-married-priests-and-increased-roll-for-women-20862
Amazon synod document calls for married priests and increased role for women

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2019 / 01:17 pm (CNA).- The meeting for the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian region has approved a final document which calls for the ordination of married men as priests and for women to be considered for diaconal ordination.

The 33-page document, approved Oct. 26, is the result of a three-week meeting in Rome. The synod’s 181 voting members, together with representatives from indigenous communities, religious orders, lay groups and charities, discussed a range of issues concerning the region, spread across nine countries.

In ordinary sessions of the Synod of Bishops, delegates are elected by the world's bishops conferences. In the special session for the pan-Amazonian region, all attendees were by special invitation.

The document presents the synodal assembly’s reflections and conclusions on topics ranging from environmentalism, inculturation in the Church, and the human rights of indigenous communities in the face of economic, environmental, and cultural exploitation.

The draft text was presented to the assembly on Friday night, and various amendments were proposed and debated during the approval process. The synodal document does not have magisterial authority; the conclusions are presented to Pope Francis, who will issue his own document later.

One of the document’s most anticipated and likely controversial items is the call by the synod fathers for the ordination of proven married men, so-called viri probati, in the face of an acute shortage of priests in many parts of the region.

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Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, Vatican, Oct. 6-27, 201

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/church-must-convert-from-cultural-ecological-sins-amazon-synod-concludes-88406
Church must convert from cultural, ecological sins, Amazon synod concludes
By Courtney Mares and Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2019 / 03:45 pm (CNA).- The Amazon synod final document, published Saturday, laid out the need to define “ecological sins” while calling the Church to walk new paths of “integral conversion.”

“We propose to define ecological sins of commission or omission against God, one’s neighbor, the community and the environment,” paragraph 82 of the final document states. “They are sins against future generations and are manifest in acts and habits of pollution and destruction of the harmony of the environment.”

“No believer, no Catholic can live their life of faith without listening to the voice of the earth,” Bishop David Martínez de Aguirre Guinea, apostolic vicar of Puerto Maldonado, Peru explained at a press conference to present the final document Oct. 26.

“If we are going to face the problem, then we have to change,” Cardinal Michael Czerny, special secretary for the synod, added.