This group of indigenous and missionaries from the Amazon processed in to begin the closing Mass of the Special Synod for the Pan-Amazon Region. They were followed by 185 synod fathers and Pope Francis, who held a wooden staff with ethnic motifs.
In his homily, the pope warned about feeling superior, which can turn into oppression and exploitation.
POPE FRANCIS
“We saw this during the Synod, when speaking about the exploitation of creation, of people, of the inhabitants of the Amazon, of the trafficking of persons, the trade in human beings! The mistakes of the past were not enough to stop the plundering of other persons and the inflicting of wounds on our brothers and sisters and on our sister earth: we have seen it in the scarred face of the Amazon region.”
Pope Francis said 'also in the Church, the voices of the poor not been heard and perhaps scoffed at or silenced because they are inconvenient.' However, 'the cry of the poor is the Church’s cry of hope.'
POPE FRANCIS
“In this Synod, we have had the grace of listening to the voices of the poor and reflecting on the precariousness of their lives, threatened by predatory models of development. Yet, precisely in this situation, many have testified to us that it is possible to look at reality in a different way.”
The pope warned about 'the religion of self.' He said it threatens the nature of human beings and makes them forget the true worship of God passes through love of neighbor.
Among the significant gestures of this Mass, the offerings were brought up by a group of indigenous people who left a plant in a wood carving on the central altar of St. Peter's Basilica, hoping to see the fruits of this Synod germinate.
Before finishing, Pope Francis greeted a group of patients, who attended Mass in the front row.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
Translated: Melissa Butz
