APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO RIO DE JANEIRO: ON THE OCCASION OF THE XXVIII WORLD YOUTH DAY MEETING WITH THE BISHOPS OF BRAZIL ADDRESS OF POPE FRANCIS
Archbishop’s House, Rio de Janeiro
[…] There is one final point on which I would like to dwell, which I consider relevant for the present and future journey not only of the Brazilian Church but of the whole society, namely, the Amazon Basin. The Church’s presence in the Amazon Basin is not that of someone with bags packed and ready to leave after having exploited everything possible. The Church has been present in the Amazon Basin from the beginning, in her missionaries, religious congregations, priests, laity and Bishops and she is still present and critical to the area’s future. I think of the welcome which the Church in the Amazon Basin is offering today to Haitian immigrants following the terrible earthquake which shook their country.[…]
