As the 185 Catholic bishops who met to discuss the Amazon region broke into small working groups for the second week of the synod, the topics they tackled included dwindling vocations, the role of women and married men in the Catholic church and the rights of indigenous peoples. But if the small-group participants agreed on the problems the reports from the “circoli minori” showed how wide a difference there was in approaches to possible solutions.
The ideas generated by the 12 groups, which divided the bishops and the synod’s lay and religious participants according to language, were presented to Pope Francis as recommendations, said Father Giacomo Costa, who heads the Vatican’s Information Commission, at a press briefing Oct. 18.
With the goal being to provide the sacraments and a greater pastoral presence in the Amazon the groups urged Francis to consider everything from the ordination of women as deacons, who may preach but not perform sacraments, to the creation of a separate rite for the region, like those in the Eastern Church that allows priests to be married.
“It’s obvious that the debate and discussion are open, we try to listen to the differences because everyone has something important to say,” said Costa. (RNS)
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