IN SEARCH OF THE AMAZON
On the 2nd
of this month Pope Francis issued his much anticipated letter, Querida Amazonia, the Beloved
Amazon. The BBC ignored the thrust of
the letter and reported only on one aspect which, it knew, would interest
people who would be unmoved by the sweep of the letter. That aspect was the
ordination of married men, a question which, Francis knew, would distract
people from his message.
We are not
searching for the Amazon as explorers from Europe once searched for the source
of the Nile. We are searching to
understand the gift of this vast rain forest and river system that stretches
across nine countries and whose health or otherwise has a vital effect on the people
who live there and on us who live far away. It affects world climate.
The pope
begins; ‘The beloved Amazon region stands before the world in all its
splendour, drama and mystery’. Using vivid descriptions, arguments and poetry
Francis shares with us his four dreams
1.
For
an Amazon region that fights for the poor, the original people; this is a cry
of the earth and a cry of the poor. He goes on to describe the indiscriminate
and irresponsible plunder that affects the people.
2.
That
the people of the Amazon can preserve their distinctive cultural riches
3.
And
that the region preserves its overwhelming natural beauty, its superabundant
life teeming in its forests and rivers
4.
And
finally, that Christian communities in the region become capable of generous commitment
in incarnating the faith in the Amazon region.
Pope Francis
develops each of these points at length often, as mentioned, using the words of
poets;
Many are the tress
where torture dwelt
and vast are the forests
purchased with a thousand deaths
The people,
driven from their forests migrate to the cities where they find worse
enslavement, subjugation and poverty. They are a dispensable obstacle to the
exploitation of the Amazon and can be eliminated. They are not human beings. Francis says we
need to feel outrage, as Amos, ‘They turn justice into wormwood and throw
uprightness to the ground’ (5:7-12).
The letter
runs to many pages. It is a celebration
and a warning. And it affects us in
Africa because the Amazon is not just a river system in South America; it is a
vital part of us. Today we need a
universal mind and a universal heart.
Otherwise we will perish.
23 February 2020 Sunday 7 A
Lev 19:1…18 1 Cor. 3:16-23 Matt 5:38-48
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