On Sunday last, 6 October, the Special Assembly in Rome of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region began its three week deliberations on the theme ‘Amazonia: new paths for the Church and for an integral ecology’. Pope Francis convoked this special synod which is being attended by a large number of delegates, including 114 bishops from all nine Amazonian territories.
On behalf of the bishops’ Council for Justice and Peace, Bishop Alan McGuckian has asked the faithful to offer prayerful support for the success of the Pan-Amazon synod. Bishop McGuckian said, “In his opening address, Pope Francis said that the Holy Spirit is the protagonist of the Synod, who needs ‘to express Himself among us, with us, through us, and despite us’.
“I encourage the faithful to pray for the success of this synod, the purpose of which is to serve the good of humanity. My prayerful hope is that the synod will bear fruit in motivating us to continue our efforts to respect, and be stewards of, all living beings and creation.”
ENDS
• Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ is Bishop of Raphoe and chair of the Council for Justice & Peace of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference
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