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The EditorsOctober 07, 2019

The 2019 Synod of Bishops for the pan-Amazon region is scheduled to meet from Oct. 6 through 27 in Rome. Commissioned by Pope Francis two years ago, the meeting will bring together Catholic bishops, indigenous leaders, and other subject matter experts to address the various cultural, ecological and religious issues facing the Amazon region.

The synod is the first meeting of its kind to be organized around a distinct ecological territory. The region contains about 34 million inhabitants, including three million indigenous people from nearly 400 ethnic groups.

The synod has already faced challenges from prominent church leaders in the wake of the preparatory document released by the synod’s planning committee in June; however, as noted in a recent report, this opposition has primarily emerged from church officials outside the Amazon region.

America will provide coverage leading up to and during the synod. Readers may return to this page for the latest on the synod, including reports from America’s Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, who will be covering the meeting from Rome.

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