{"id":55697,"date":"2022-02-06T07:18:59","date_gmt":"2022-02-06T12:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/querida-amazonia-continues-to-generate-new-life-for-church\/"},"modified":"2022-02-06T07:18:59","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T12:18:59","slug":"querida-amazonia-continues-to-generate-new-life-for-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/querida-amazonia-continues-to-generate-new-life-for-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Querida Amazonia continues to generate new life for Church"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two years after the publication of the Pope\u2019s apostolic exhortation “Querida Amazonia”, the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops says the Holy Spirit continues to flow from the Amazonia Church and inspire the Church.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feb 06, 2022<\/h4>\n

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Inhabitants of the Amazonia region <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spirit continues to overflow from the Amazon two years after Querida Amazonia\u201d. <\/em>Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops made the remark in a statement on Saturday, marking the 2nd anniversary of Pope Francis\u2019 post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation.<\/p>\n

Querida Amazonia<\/em> (\u2018Beloved Amazonia\u2019 in Spanish), was released on February 2, 2020.\u00a0 It followed the 6 to 27 October 2019 Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region in the Vatican on the theme, “Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology\u201d.<\/p>\n

Generating new life
<\/strong>\u201cOn this 2nd Anniversary of Querida Amazonia,\u201d Cardinal Grech said, \u201cthis breath of God\u2019s Spirit continues to generate new life for the good of the Church.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed out that the many responses received from both church and civil circles point to two most essential elements of this document: \u201cthe lives of the peoples that are embodied therein and the promise made as a Church to respect and honour their voices in search of a genuine conversion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Querida Amazonia <\/em>\u2013 always relevant
<\/strong>He noted that taking steps in this direction takes time. \u201cSome seeds are still in the process of germination, others have not borne fruit, but many have grown, are flourishing, and will continue to give life for generations to come.\u201d\u00a0 However, Querida Amazonia <\/em>remains as relevant now as it was then. \u201cIt continues to be a love letter written for and with the People of God who are on pilgrimage in this beautiful and threatened territory.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cardinal Grech underscored the urgency of the social, cultural, ecological and ecclesial dreams evoked by Pope Francis in the Apostolic Exhortation saying they cannot be put off. These dreams embody a revival of Vatican Council II\u2019s most profound invitations, making Querida Amazonia<\/em> a means by which the Church might be led to an integral synodal conversion to which the upcoming Synod 2021-2023 is inviting everyone.<\/p>\n

Since the publication of the document, the cardinal says, God continues to manifest Himself in the lives of peoples of the Amazonia and in the testimony of an incarnate Church, which is both holy and sinful.<\/p>\n

The periphery
<\/strong>The secretary general of the Synod of Bishops noted that during the preparation for Synod on the Amazon, Pope Francis said: \u201cthe periphery is the centre”. This can be understood as a fundamental Gospel element that might shed light on the two years that have passed since the publication of Querida Amazonia<\/em>. Hence, what \u201cused to be discarded or secondary in this territory has become a cornerstone, healing a broken world and creating new possibilities for the Church\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis \u2018way\u2019, where the marginalized become a source of life, is proper to the very way of Jesus.\u201d The voices of the people from the Amazonia are changing the pastoral model for their Church, and are becoming a source of renewed life for the Church and the world.<\/p>\n

Participation of God’s People
<\/strong>By listening to the Amazonia people and effectively incorporating their voices in deciding ecclesial projects, Cardinal Grech said, the Church has been strengthened, making the disciples of Christ the true subjects of their own history.<\/p>\n

Recalling the theme of the 2023 synod – communion, participation and mission \u2013 he said, \u201cwe cannot speak of synodality without the effective participation of the holy faithful People of God\u201d.<\/p>\n

Cardinal Grech also pointed out that the Holy Father is planning to establish the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) on an experimental basis, a fruit of the Synod on the Amazon and Querida Amazonia<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CEAMA would articulate the regional bodies of the Church such as the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious men and women (CLAR), CARITAS of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network (REPAM).<\/p>\n

Currently, several commissions and working groups, which include the direct participation of local people, are taking on some of the most urgent tasks proposed by Querida Amazonia<\/em> for the Church\u2019s mission. –Vatican News<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n