Bishop Frigeni: Do not deprive the peoples of the Amazon of the joy of the Gospel

The bishop of Parintins (Brazil) underlines some fruits of this Synod.  The presence of Pope Francis.  Saving and safeguarding nature in the Amazon under the guidance of the indigenous peoples, who are its custodians.  Evangelization is not colonization, but love for cultures to understand how to offer the newness of the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The most important aim of this Synod on the Amazon is "not to deprive these peoples of the joy of the Gospel".  Thus Msgr.  Giuliano Frigeni, bishop of Parintins (Brazil) summarizes his experience as a synod father.  In this reflection, a few hours after the conclusion of the great gathering, he appreciates the fraternity and fatherhood of Pope Francis, as well as his teaching to put people at the center of the debate on ecology and Amazonian forests.  From his experience, and from that of PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions), to which he belongs, Msgr.  Frigeni claims the goodness of evangelization carried out by lay celibates and priests, which has had beneficial effects on Amazonian society: a corrective to the unilateral presentations of evangelization as colonialism.

My most beautiful experience at the Synod has been being able to observe the attitude of Pope Francis.  He has always been with us, listening to us, allowing us to assimilate the gaze he has on the Church in the world and in particular in the Amazon.  He also oriented us to the most important thing about this Synod: we must not deprive these peoples of the joy of the Gospel.

His gaze on ecology is also important.  The Amazon is rich in resources but humiliated by the extreme exploitation of men, who also wreak damage and violence on indigenous peoples.

It is clearly stated in "Laudato si '", we defend the Amazon not for itself, but at the service of the peoples who inhabit it, who are the custodians of this land that they call "mother", because they receive it as a gift  from God.

The Pope wants us to love their cultures so that we may understand how to offer them the newness of Christianity.  This allows us not to demonize these cultures, but to value the good these peoples have, appreciating their contribution to the Brazilian and world community.  Too often Brazilian culture looks down upon Indigenous culture as something outdated and useless.  And the Indigenous also feel humiliated and useless.

The path of the incarnation of peoples passes through the passion and the cross of the Lord.  This is the heart of the question: we must work towards an encounter between these cultures and the Gospel.

Consecrated priests work at this meeting, but also catechists who are extraordinary in their humanity.  From this point of view, there is no need to ordain married men or nuns: the laity already do a great deal as they are.

Finally, it is worth emphasizing one fact: in the Instrumentum Laboris there was mention of evangelization that came with colonization, to the point of making the proclamation of the Gospel seem like a kind of colonization.  In the experience of PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions), two aspects are evident: in Amama, or in the Brazilian Amazon, evangelization was born of consecrated lay persons.  I will mention here our brother Francesco Galliani who not only spread the Gospel, but also organized methods and health structures to defeat leprosy.  And now there is no leprosy in Parintins.  Far from concepts of colonization!  Through these lay people the Church is truly missionary and evangelizing.