By Eric Martin
We cannot allow globalisation to become “a new version of colonialism”, His Holiness Pope Francis has said in Querida Amazonia, the Apostolic Exhortation produced as a result of the recent Amazonian Synod in 2019.
Though the Synod has been eclipsed in the media by the global coronavirus pandemic, its findings were much anticipated.
Speaking with Catholic News Service, Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge says Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation is not just for a distant and alien part of the world, but has much to offer the Church in Australia.
“The Amazon is remote from us [here in Australia] but the issues are not,” the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President said.
“All papal documents are highly anticipated, but this one holds a special interest not just for the peoples of Amazonia with all their needs, but for the Church around the world.”
He said two critical issues addressed during the Synod and in the Pope’s exhortation – indigenous culture and an integral understanding of ecology – must be front and centre in the Australian context as well.
“The Amazon has a unique place in the planet’s ecological footprint and its abuse in various forms is having and will continue to have an impact on the connection between humanity and the planet, our common home,” Archbishop Coleridge explained.
“Here in Australia we see, at times dramatically, the damage done by abuse of the natural world – not only to the environment but also to wildlife, to communities and countless individuals.”
The Holy Father states that we need to feel outrage “as Moses did, as Jesus did, as God
does in the face of injustice”.
“It is not good for us to become inured to evil,” Pope Francis said.
“It is not good when our social consciousness is dulled before an exploitation that is leaving destruction and even death throughout our region… jeopardising the lives of millions of people and especially the habitat of peasants and indigenous peoples.
“The Church has a God-given duty to care for our common home, made clearer than ever in Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“Querida Amazonia builds on that papal teaching and applies it boldly in one particular situation.”
Regarding the residual effects of colonisation and the treatment of indigenous peoples, His Holiness writes that “a history of suffering and contempt does not heal easily, nor has colonisation ended – in many places, it has been changed, disguised and concealed; while losing none of its contempt for the life of the poor and the fragility of the environment.”.
Pope Francis’ focus on indigenous cultures in the Amazon speaks strongly to the Australian context where, as Archbishop Coleridge points out, there are many similar issues facing the indigenous community.
“It’s good that the Pope’s words on indigenous peoples come as we in this country consider the woeful lack of progress on closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in key areas,” he said.
Specific goals stated in Querida Amazonia relating to the indigenous community include:
- Include environmental study programmes (environmental theory along with the wisdom of the peoples living in the region) and ethnic studies (description of the different languages, etc.) in research, education and extension activities.
- Respect the customs and traditions of indigenous peoples, with inculturated teaching materials being developed and outreach activities being held in different countries and regions in teacher training, teaching and educational materials.
One of the controversial topics of the Amazonian Synod was the appointment of married priests to serve in remote areas of the region, where many parishioners are completely unable to access the Sacraments.
No mention of the appointment of married priests was made in Querida Amazonia.
However, the role of women within the Church, a topic that is also of great interest to Australian Catholics, was a focus of the apostolic exhortation, with specific goals including:
- Create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church.
- Do not reduce the involvement of women in the Church, but instead promote their active role in the ecclesial community.
- Value the role of women, recognising their fundamental role in the formation and continuity of cultures, in spirituality, in communities and families.
- Participate in the Church’s commitment to defend the rights of women who are victims of physical, moral and religious violence, including femicide, and to recognise them as protagonists and guardians of creation and of our common home.
- Promote the formation of women in biblical theology, systematic theology and canon law, valuing their presence in organizations and leadership within the Church environment and beyond.
- Strengthen family ties, especially for migrant women.
- Assure women’s place in leadership and formation.
In the future, as COVID-19 slowly retreats from our everyday lives, the reception and adoption of the goals and principles contained within Querida Amazonia within Australia promises to support and inform our own Plenary Council process, helping us forge our own path ahead as a nation in communion with the Body of Christ.