Jesuits: Openness and freedom of speech: the testimony of Bishop Alfredo Vizcarra after one week of the Synod

Among the Jesuits participating in the Synod on the Amazon is the bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Jaén, in the northeast of Peru. Bishop Alfredo Vizcarra succeeds several Jesuit confreres who have animated this Amazonian region since 1946. The vicariate is under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier. Over the decades, the Jesuits have supported what can be called “integral development” with projects that take into account first the people-the indigenous populations of the region-before the economic interests of the industrial sectors that see the Amazon as a profit-generating area. Radio Marañon, the vicariate’s radio, pursues objectives of education, awareness and information that support the values of local populations.

Bishop Vizcarra is active in the media. La Croix (France) and choisir (Switzerland), after Vatican Radio, have featured him. He has portrayed the difficulties and challenges faced by the people of his region: a clash between certain attractions of the modern world and money and the life of small Amazonian communities and their ancestral cultures. The response of the Church of Jaén is to propose development programmes that are more adapted to the relationship of indigenous peoples and nature. This implies a strong investment in education, particularly in the Fe y Alegría network of regional schools.

At the beginning of the Synod, the Jesuit bishop stated that this gathering is an opportunity for the Catholic Church to draw attention to what is really happening in the Amazon. The topics addressed are from the grassroots. The diversity of Amazonian peoples is quite real, but what is common to all is how they are bound to the great river and the forest. People involved in the Church, from community leaders to the bishops, are moving in the same direction: to support and strengthen the harmonious relationship between human beings, nature and God. In his view, listening to the Holy Spirit can open new paths-a key element for the success of the Synod.