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by Roberto Montoya 26 October 2019The Special Synod on the Amazon is concluded with a brief and agile document but at the same time concise: 37 pages rich in pastoral experiences and different points of view.
Many presented motions, 831, normal discrepancies and consensus on some issues. Overall, the document was appreciated by the Assembly of bishops from overseas. Walking, together with the weakest, with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and the inhabitants of the suburbs of humanity. These are the main lines of the pontificate of Pope Francis , who repeatedly admitted the need to envisage new paths, new missions and new paths of evangelization. The challenge of today's church is to face the epochal changes of our society, which seems to have lost the compass of values, but at the same time is hungry for truth. Raising the work of God in the Pan-Amazonian region, a deeply religious region, means giving an opportunity to the soul of our planet.
A synod with a strong media response, which had to deal only with a disruptive paganism and environmental issues. Instead, it was a synod that shed light on those who have no voice and live in that part of the planet and how to best protect creation. The topics on the agenda were: the role of women in the church, the permanent diaconate, the formation of lay people and priests (to meet local ecclesial communities), the "viri probati" and an inculturation of the rite Amazonian during mass. A church with an indigenous face and a culture of sustainability against extractivism.
Prophetic and wise for over 2000 years, she is willing to be martyr and exemplary, putting the Gospel first. We need a Church that knows how to listen, that appreciates the unknown cultural wealth of a part of creation, afflicted by drug trafficking, the "hidden" power of corruption, with which no one can compete, a power capable of destroying entire generations.
A test-bed for the Universal Church, which announces Jesus and asks the bishops of the Synod to be courageous and fearless, not to remain at home enclosed within the protected walls, taking care only of themselves. It is the church of Pope Francis , who needs to throw open the doors, a church that welcomes everyone, breaking down the walls of indifference and building bridges of humanity.
We met with Father Martín Lasarte Topolanski , Uruguayan, a Salesian missionary for 25 years in Africa and Latin America. Pope Francis chose him as an expert to follow the synod on the Amazon closely.
What were the most relevant topics in the Synod?
Undoubtedly when Pope Francis launched the synod the two great columns were integral ecology and the new evangelization. 50 years later the Amazon has lost almost 20% of its forests, it is not a poetic place, a scientific myth, or an ecological fashion. The Amazon is the guarantor for Latin America. The 'Laudato sì' supports the harmony of creation with people, the cry of the earth and the cry of peoples. There is no ecology that does not respect peoples, and vice versa there is no promotion of peoples that does not respect creation. The second theme was that of Evangelization in the Amazon.
Father Lasarte, on this second point I would like to ask you a few questions. What didn't work after 500 years of Catholic presence in Latin America?
Many bishops have focused attention on married priests, the permanent female diaconate. They are motivated by the desire to take care of pastoral areas in the most distant areas. We also asked ourselves why there is a lack of vocations in a region that is strongly religious. The lack of an adequate and profound youth ministry, the lack of an organic, fruitful, and generating pastoral care, are the symptom of the spiritual health of a particular church.
Where can you leave from?
The synod made a self-criticism of why we came to this situation. One reason is that the service, health, education and human rights were exaggerated in the church's mission in the diaconal dimension. Of course yes, this is fine, but all this must be accompanied by the Announcement, the testimony and the Mysteries of the Faith, the Catechesis, the Liturgy. Therefore, when the Church forgets some aspects, all her pastoral work is certainly affected. In some places pastoral care has been very reductive. A presence of the social and welfare church, rather than an instrument of integral evangelization. When we forget some dimensions, poverty appears.
Is there a possibility of having married priests in the Catholic church?
In the Catholic Church, there is the possibility that married men perform priesthood functions, canon 1047 of the Code of Canon Law contemplates. The Holy See, in extreme cases or for a just motivation, can grant a dispensation with respect to celibacy. For example, during the communist persecution of Eastern Europe, some married priests were ordained to assist their community. But this does not concern the absence of faith. They are paths that already exist. The problem is when we want to generalize, that is, when we open the door to everyone. This is a trivialization, an improvisation that only hurts the Church. The synod on this issue has had a very prudent line. Surely some proposals will emerge, but every situation will be carefully studied. I would have liked this issue to have been addressed by the whole universal Church, not only by that of the Pan-Amazon region, since the lack of priests affects many parts of the world, including Italy.
In this synod, what does Pope Francis ask the laity to do? What is their role?
No doubt take up the Evangeli Gaudium, the missionary disciples. The lay person must be a layman, by Baptism and by his vocation. It testifies to the real presence of the Church in daily life, in large and small communities. The layman must feel himself the protagonist and the living part of the church, with simplicity and naturalness. Every baptized person must feel himself to be a protagonist. However, during this synod, the Pope stressed the danger of "clericalizing" the laity. Rather, the laity must have a lay mentality with a spirit of service. Faith in Jesus Christ, Baptism and the Christian life are the indispensable elements. Everything else serves as an aid to growth. Evangelization in Korea has been carried out by the laity. Then, over the years, the priests arrived on a regular basis. We collect what we have sown.
Give me an example ...
Africa, for example, has been evangelized by the laity, by catechists, who have taken care of the communities. They didn't think at all about being ordained priests. As lay people their passion for Jesus Christ was a testimony and many of their children, believe me, became priests. Africa is the continent where faith is growing the most. All this can also be seen in other parts of the world: Korea, Vietnam ...
Is there the risk of introducing rites, indigenous symbols into the Latin Roman rite liturgy?
Indigenous symbols do not claim to be liturgical; they are gestures, symbolic moments, of cultural interchange. These are gestures that are not part of the liturgy. The same St. Francis called the earth our "Mother Earth". What I understood is that they are symbols that make the elements of the Amazon present, without pretending to adore who knows what. At times, a certain type of press seeks and highlights folkloristic elements with the aim of creating tension and misunderstanding. Then there is ritual and ritual. For example, there are rituals that can be significant for the expression of community life. A gesture read in the mystery of Christ can be very eloquent, but this does not mean paganizing culture. The liturgy must always speak of the mystery of Christ. The rituals are not read in improvisation and folklore, it is something that has its meaning and its depth. Any adaptation of a ritual must have a Christological reading. The effort of the church is to know how to place the mystery of Christ in the culture that is expressed in a place. This does not mean paganizing.
What are the three critical issues facing the Catholic Church?
Witness the faith. Because it is true that words inspire people, but examples speak for themselves. Catholics must be authoritative, cheerful, an undivided cord, coherent, in public, private and spiritual life. They must strive to have a just and overflowing heart of charity, even in our smallness. The second is the phenomenon of secularization. A society that grows without God is a society in crisis. We see it: there is a lot of 'human respect'. This is a brake on the communication of our faith. The Christian, wherever he is, must be an example of life, not to do apostolate, but to be an apostle. It is not so much the crisis of the family, of celibacy, it is the crisis of the Faith; the danger of the church is to let itself be secularized. Last criticality is the importance of a harmonious church. When the priest becomes just an official, the Church becomes a supermarket that only provides priestly services.
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