What does geometry have to do with Pope Francis’ post-synodal exhortation? Let’s ponder the Amazonian polyhedron. The Holy Father reminds us of the multiple nationalities, peoples, and cultures of the Amazon basin. It would be ignorant to consider them uncivilized. (QA 29) In some cases some Amazonian cultures were more advanced than those of Europe or Asia at certain points in history.
Paragraph 30 reminds us that people of the pre-colonial Amazon lived near rivers and lakes, but the encroachment of colonizers have pushed them to the interior. Today, another forced migration pushes people from the new interior deserts to the cities.
Cities, which should be places of encounter, of mutual enrichment and of exchange between different cultures, become a tragic scenario of discarded lives. (QA 30)
Paragraph 31 reminds us that these migrations have helped to erase the “cultural identity and unique richness” of Amazonian peoples. A conclusion:
In each land and its features, God manifests himself and reflects something of his inexhaustible beauty. Each distinct group, then, in a vital synthesis with its surroundings, develops its own form of wisdom. Those of us who observe this from without should avoid unfair generalizations, simplistic arguments and conclusions drawn only on the basis of our own mindsets and experiences.
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Catholic Sensibility 