A prominent bishop in the Brazilian Amazon has said there is marked disappointment in the region over the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia. Erwin Kräutler, the bishop emeritus of Xingu in the Brazilian Amazon, expressed concern that not a word was said about opening up the Sacrament of Holy Orders to married men and ordaining Read more
Pope Francis has just issued an important document entitled “Querida Amazonia,” or “Beloved Amazon.” It is a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, that is, the Holy Father’s summing up of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region, which took place in October of last year. The synod gathered Catholic bishops, clergy, theologians and lay people, including Read more
A new document by Pope Francis slams countries and companies exploiting the Amazon region and calls on the Catholic Church to find new paths and methods to minister to its indigenous people. But those new paths do not include the ordination of married men to the priesthood in the region. The document, called “Querida Amazonia” Read more
Pope Francis says the Church may add ecological sins to the Catechism – the Church’s official teaching. A request to do this came from bishops at the recent Synod for the Amazon. In its final document, the synod defined ecological sin as a sin against God and future generations. It “manifests itself in acts and Read more
Climate change, water resources, inculturation and indigenous practices were among the topics discussed during the Amazon Synod’s Sunday afternoon session. A general summary of the topics discussed during the closed-door session has been published. Some of the discussions focused on ordaining married men. It was described as a “legitimate need” but one which “cannot affect Read more
Bazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes clarified the working document’s purpose for the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon. It is is not official church teaching, he says. It is a way for bishops to listen to the local church’s concerns. The working document ( also called the Instrumentum Laboris) “isn’t a document of the synod, it Read more
Pope Francis is said to be considering including debate about married men’s ordination to the priesthood in next year’s Synod of Bishops. The context of the discussion will focus on the Church in the Amazon basin. His comments came in response to a question on the matter from Cardinal Claudio Hummes. Hummes is the president Read more