Critics call out Pope over Amazon synod in Rome As a kind of counter-event to Pope Francis's synod on the Amazon, several critics of the religious leader meet in Rome, accusing him of following the progressive principles of Liberation Theology that propagates "hate" and "lies. A conference entitled "Voices of the Amazon: Land, People, and Religions" is being held in Rome, two days before the opening of a synod on the Amazon by Pope Francis, and in the presence of various indigenous leaders who have come to alert the world on their living conditions and the risks associated with the policies of Jair Bolsonaro, the new Brazilian president. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES