Cardinal expresses disapproval of Amazon Synods pagan ritual: Should be avoided CARACAS, October 21, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) Venezuelan cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, archbishop emeritus of Caracas, said that syncretism evident at a pagan ceremony witnessed by Pope Francis at the Vatican should have been avoided entirely. Syncretism is the incorporation of non-Christian rituals and beliefs into authentic Catholicism.