Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, confirmed that the Instrumentum Laboris of the Synod on Amazonia, to be held in the Vatican from October 6-27, will be presented this coming month of June.
“Amazonia: New Ways for the Church and for An Integral Ecology” is the title of the Synod of Bishops’ Special Assembly, convoked by Pope Francis on October 15, 2017, “to find new ways for the evangelization of that portion of the People of God, especially the Indians, often forgotten and without the prospect of a serene future, and to address the crisis of the Amazon forest, lung of fundamental importance for our planet.”
The Synodal Fathers will have a working document to reflect amply over the three weeks, on the questions to be addressed in regard to Amazonia. It is a text that brings together and summarizes all the material received from the consultation carried out by the General Secretariat through the “Preparatory Document,” presented on June 8, 2018, which includes a questionnaire.
Meeting in May with the Pope
In an interview with the Spanish edition of “Vatican News,” Cardinal Baldisseri indicated that the Holy Father will preside over a meeting this May, in which the working document will be presented, which will be published in June.
The Synod’s Secretary also explained that Synodal Fathers from the whole Pan-Amazonian territory, which includes part of Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam, Guyana, and French Guyana, will travel to Rome.
The Indians Will Be “Well Represented”
Present, also, in addition to the Auxiliaries, will be the Presidents of the seven Episcopal Conferences of the area and other representatives of the five Continents. Later, the Pope will choose other participants.
“In particular, the Indians will be well represented, given that it will be a Synod giving special attention to the natives,” affirmed Cardinal Baldisseri.
REPAM
In the preparation of the Synod on Amazonia, the Synod’s Secretariat collaborated with the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), made up of representatives of different dioceses of the area, together with other experts who are at the service of pastoral work and human promotion in the Amazonian territory.
Cardinal Baldisseri met with REPAM and with the Pre-Synodal Council in November 2018 in Manaus, Brazil, where 45 territorial meetings took place with 15 forums.
