Gathered at the XX Latin American and Caribbean Congress of Cáritas, which is being held in Puerto Rico, from June 1 to 4, the representatives of the Region work on the topics that will be the guidelines for the next four years.

The dynamic has occurred by analyzing reality based on three elements: synodality, solidarity and hope. It is in this framework that during the second day of work, there was a presentation by Ricardo Calle, secretary of the Populorum Progressio Fund of Celam, on: "Synodality, together listening to the Holy Spirit and the poor." In his presentation, Calle pointed out that synodality is "a concrete way of living ecclesial communion" and called for seeing it from the perspective of walking together listening to the Holy Spirit and the poor.

Then, it was the turn of José García, executive secretary of Cáritas Ecuador, who presented the topic: "Solidarity, living brotherhood with Jesus in the peripheries. Where is your brother? Under this, Fr. García helped reflect on solidarity as a fundamental value of our identity and the role of our work as the social pastoral care of the church alongside the most vulnerable.

Finally, the President of SELACC, Mons. José Luis Azuaje, spoke about “Dreaming new times for Latin America and the Caribbean, something new is emerging.”

The great themes of the communities of life

The participants of the Congress have joined the communities of life that work on the themes of: “Ecological synodality, networks for the care of the Common Home; Encourage transformative charity in communities; Human Rights, peace and reconciliation; Older people: towards a society of all ages; Migration, refuge and trafficking; Strengthening the Identity and Management of Selacc; Walking alongside resilient communities and Cáritas Joven.”

In light of the contributions received in the various presentations presented during the meeting, the different communities are advancing in the definition of their challenges and proposals for the actions that are sought to be carried out in the next four years.