The synod, which took place at the Vatican Oct. Oct. 6-27, addressed the challenges facing large dioceses with few resources to minister to Catholics in remote areas.

In his Nov. 6 weekly audience in Rome, Pope Francis urged his listeners to be open in dialogue with people of other faiths and cultures, in much the same way that St. Paul did.

This week, Gerry and I examine the theme of martyrdom that has emerged repeatedly in recent weeks and how it relates to Pope Francis’ vision of evangelization.

“There are circles and sectors that present themselves as ilustrados (enlightened) — they sequester the proclamation of the gospel through a distorted reasoning that divides the world between ‘civilized’ and ‘barbaric,'” Francis said. "On this basis, contempt can develop for people considered to be second rate,” he said, adding that “all this also emerged during the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.”

Celebrating Mass in the underground burial chamber, Pope Francis said he naturally thought "of the life of those people who had to hide, who had this culture of burying their dead and celebrating the Eucharist inside here."

The most important thing to emerge from the synod was the unequivocal commitment by the church to seek new ways to preach the Gospel and to promote justice and stand in solidarity with the Amazon’s 34 million inhabitants.