Latin American Church leaders from various countries have joined their voices to the worldwide concern expressed at the current fires in the Amazon rainforest.
The Brazilian and Bolivian bishops, whose countries are most affected, have used the strongest language.
In a statement on 23 August, the executive of the Brazilian bishops’ conference began by saying that “the Brazilian people, its representatives and servants,” had the greatest responsibility because the bulk of the Amazon lies within Brazil’s borders. They declared that “the absurd fires and other criminal depredations require adequate attitudes and urgent measures”.
Raise your voice for the Amazon, the title of their statement, is, they say, “a movement, now indispensable, to counter mistaken understandings and choices. The gravity of the tragedy of the fires and other irrational situations motivated by a desire for profit, which have huge effects, both local and planetary, require us to raise our voices, constructively, making people aware and correcting courses… It is not the time for ravings and disastrous mistakes in judgments and speeches.”
The Bolivian bishops announced a national collection for the victims and a day of prayer on Sunday 25 August. They also called on the government “to make every effort to halt this serious problem, with effective responses and a transparent and responsible management of information. So far we consider that the actions undertaken and the time taken are neither proportionate nor adequate to the scale of the tragedy we are facing.” They also called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the region affected and an “impartial and transparent investigation” into the causes of the fires, with punishment if necessary and to learn lessons for the future.
Both bishops’ conferences looked to the forthcoming Amazon synod, to be held in Rome in October, to provide wider responses, as did the bishops of Paraguay. The network coordinating preparations for the synod, REPAM, also issued a statement expressing the fear that “currently climate change and the increase of human intervention, deforestation, fires and changes in land use are leading Amazonia to the point of no return.”
The co-presidents of the synod, Cardinals Cláudio Hummes of Brazil and Pedro Barreto of Peru, and Mauricio López, the secretary general, welcomed the international concern and expressed the hope that the synod would generate “a commitment to the care of our common home, as we raise our voices and find practical forms of peaceful but firm action to ensure that this situation is ended”.
The Brazilian bishops have put a version of their statement on You Tube, including the text of the statement, voiced by the president of the Brazilian bishops' conference, Mgr Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, with subtitles across the images.
Loading ...
