Brazil indigenous chief Raoni meets pope as Amazon threat rises

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Monday met Brazil’s legendary indigenous chief Raoni who is on a European tour to highlight increasingly acute threats to the Amazon since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took power.The elderly Kayapo chief, internationally recognisable through his traditional lip plate and feather headdress, is seeking to raise one million euros ($1.1 million) to better protect the Amazon’s Xingu reserve -- home to many of Brazil’s tribal peoples -- from loggers, farmers and fire.Raoni Metuktire, famous for his work campaigning in defence of Brazil’s rainforest alongside personalities like pop star Sting, is accompanied by three indigenous leaders from the Xingu. The Vatican did not release details of Monday’s meeting, but the Amazon region will be the focal point of a world bishops’ meeting, or synod, to take place in October.Local tribal leaders and conservationists are increasingly concerned about rampant illegal gold mining and logging that have devastated ancestral lands.Raoni’s trip comes as the Amazon faces increasing threats from mining and farming lobbies who have found a champion in President Bolsonaro, a climate change sceptic.

from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2Xd4jdU