His Excellency Bishop Emmanuel Lafont of Cayenne in French Guyana expressed his joy when he heard Holy Father Pope Francis’s announcement of a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region. French Guyana and Suriname are part of the Amazon territory together with Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil.
As reported by Vatican radio, His Grace Bishop Lafont remarked that “I am very happy, grateful to the Holy Father for having called this Synod which is most important for the benefit of the indigenous people-the First Nations-of the Amazon region because they have a long history for the past 500 years of submission, of exploitation, of misunderstanding.” Further, His Excellency added, “The Amazon is one of the most important regions in the world for the protection of Creation and it is currently facing many challenges.”
His Excellency Bishop Lafont exhorted the Church to speak even more loudly for the protection of the region and for the sake of the protection of the whole world.
