In a powerful symbolic gesture, Pope Francis received the bishops of the Amazon region for almost two hours on Monday. The role of the Church and violence against indigenous and vulnerable people are on the agenda. The Pope ended the meeting with the headline of people from the Amazon.
Francis received a report from CIMI (Indigenous Missionary Council) about the violence in the area, and the pope was “deeply aware” of what was going on there, according to the clergy present at the meeting.
At this morning’s meeting there were 17 bishops from the Amazon, more specifically from the states of Amazonas, Acre, and Roraima.
Dom Roque Paloschi, bishop of Porto Velho, explained in a conversation with UOL that the pope urged religious people to stand by the indigenous people and always respect the local culture.
But the bishop also noted that the meeting was also a hope. “It motivated us to live our mission as priests and not as bureaucrats, not to lose that focus. And courage, being with the poorest populations, and above all, the Church knows how to respect cultures, the challenge of incarnation,” he said.
He noted that certain cases of Dom Roque, Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira were not addressed. But it did reveal that the Pope knew the region’s challenges and the need to change the way it deals with biomes.
Another message from the Pope was that the bishops act “without fear” and condemn those who violate the rights of indigenous peoples.
source: Noticias
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