Vatican City, 07 February, 2020 / 12:46 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the Amazon region will be published Feb. 12, the Vatican announced Friday.
The document, which follows October’s Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, is highly anticipated for how the pope will respond to the recommendation to allow the ordination of married men to the priesthood for ministry in the region.
The synod’s final document had also called for women to be considered for diaconal ordination and contained strong appeals on environmental issues and the rights of indigenous peoples, which Francis’ letter is also expected to address.
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, and Cardinal Michael Czerny, special secretary of the Amazon synod, will hold a press conference in the afternoon Feb. 12 to present the document.
Several others will also speak, including Fr. Adelson Araújo dos Santos, a theologian and professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and participant in the Amazon synod.