By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Vatican released yesterday, June 17th, the preliminary document for the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, which will be held from October 6th to 27th and will discuss the evangelization of native peoples and the preservation of the forest.
The report provides the opportunity for married laymen to become priests, but only under certain conditions. This possibility may preferably be offered to indigenous people, where priests are scarce and Christian communities sometimes stay weeks without attending mass.
The concept has been under debate since last year, after the summoning of the episcopal council by Pope Francis.
“Affirming that celibacy is a gift for the Church, it is requested that, in the most remote areas of the region, the possibility of priestly ordination of elderly people, preferably indigenous, respected and recognized by their community be considered, even if these people already have a well-established and stable family, with the purpose of ensuring the sacraments that support and sustain Christian life,” reads the document.
The goal would be to extend priesthood to so-called “viri probati,” married men of proven faith who are equipped to spiritually administer a community of believers. The aim would be to increase the ever decreasing number of priests in the Amazon.
“Therefore, instead of leaving communities without the Eucharist, the criteria for selecting and preparing ministers authorized to perform it should be changed,” says the Vatican.
The report also highlights the “decisive contribution” of native men and women to “give a boost to a genuine evangelization from an indigenous perspective, according to their habits and customs”.
“These are indigenous people who preach to indigenous people with a profound knowledge of their culture and language, capable of communicating the message of the Gospel with the power and effectiveness of their cultural background,” the document adds.
In addition, the Vatican calls on the bishops to discuss ways of ensuring “leadership” opportunities for women, particularly in the area of training. Among other matters, the report suggests that “the type of official ministry that can be conferred on women should be defined, taking into account their central role in the Amazonian Church,” reads the text.