POPE FRANCIS' PROPOSAL FOR THE 2019 PAN-AMAZONIAN SYNOD: SYNODALITY, MISSION, INTEGRAL ECOLOGY

Abstract

Pope Francis' magisterium revolves around three axes: synodality as a method, the relevance of the Christians' mission to the world, and integral ecology as the horizon of responsibility for the future of humankind. In the following text, the author examines this magisterium in the context of the Pan-Amazonian Synod to be held in October 2019, in Rome. The Pope justified summoning this Synod based on requests that came from some Conferences of Latin American Bishops, as well as pastors and believers from other parts of the world. The Pan-Amazon Synod will be dedicated to the preservation of biomes and their inhabitants, starting with an immense territory comprising nine countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana and Brazil. This Synod will also have a planetary horizon, since the Amazon, considered the world's lungs, is presently suffering from acute pneumonia (Dap, n. 475).