Millions of Catholics around the world were outraged when participants of the Pan Amazon Synod in Rome solemnly carried a nude fertility idol from Peru called a “Pachamama” in a procession in Saint Peter’s Basilica. In the inaugural ceremony in the Vatican Gardens, Pope Francis cheerfully received and blessed the idol. Later … Read more
Sometimes you hear and learn things while napping. In the relaxed ambiance of a resort, imagine a tourist enjoying a full-month vacation stretching out in a comfortable easy chair where he closes his eyes for a nap. He gently lets his memory wander in search of comforting memories that will be enticing … Read more
The Amazon Synod is causing irritation and perplexity for countless Catholics, as can be seen in the reaction to the initial working document (Instrumentum laboris), a sort of green proclamation tinged with clear sympathies for the (pagan) habits of the Amazonian peoples. The malaise increased with the publication of the list of … Read more
On October 4, eve of the opening of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, representatives of the Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Institute (IPCO) officially delivered to the Synod Secretariat a “Petition to the Synod Fathers for a Christian and Prosperous Amazon (rather than a huge ‘green … Read more
Below is the text of a talk given by Jonas Marcolinio, an indigenous Brazilian leader, at the TFP-sponsored October 5 Synod Conference held in Rome. It has been edited and shortened for this publication. I am very proud to represent the native Amazon peoples at this conference organized by the Plinio Corrêa … Read more
When I heard about the Pan-Amazon Synod earlier this year, I was concerned about the future of the Church. I heard about strange doctrines and practices that aimed to give the Church an “Amazonian face.” When asked if I would like to go to the Amazon region to see for myself what … Read more
Crux, the well-known American Catholic online newspaper, published a long article signed by Christopher White, which deserves some comment. Beginning with its title, “Catholic reactionary group raising its profile ahead of Amazon synod,” the article takes issue with “a network of far-right groups in Brazil … with a long history of opposing … Read more
Two famous names associated with both the United Nations and abortion are on the guest list for the upcoming Synod on the Amazon. American economist Jeffrey Sachs, 64, and Korean former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, 75, are among the 185 people invited to the synod, which will take place … Read more
The Church evangelizes by civilizing and civilizes by evangelizing. In the Church’s two-thousand-year existence, the divine mandate to “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19) has always borne spiritual and temporal fruit. While spreading … Read more
The world is crying its heart out for the Amazon. Of course, no sensible person wants this vast and important territory to become a burning torch. No one wants to see the devastation of the planet’s most abundant source of fresh water or the largest complex of animal and plant life on … Read more