The Dom Luciano Mendes de Almeida House, in Brasilia (DF), Brazil, will host, from August 31 to September 3, 2026, the IV Meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Culture of Care. The initiative will bring together 102 participants from 17 countries, including those responsible for the prevention of abuse from episcopal conferences, religious congregations and Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil will have a delegation of 41 representatives designated by the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) and by the Conference of Religious of Brazil (CRB).

This year, the meeting has as its central theme “The culture of care in the Church of Latin America and the Caribbean: a perspective from the Magnifica Humanitas”. The reflections will place special emphasis on abuses of a non-sexual nature, such as abuses of power and conscience, and on the vulnerabilities that emerge or spread in social networks and in the digital environment.

Networking and co-responsibility

The need for articulated and permanent action is one of the pillars of the event. Bishop Wellington de Queiroz Vieira, bishop of Cristalândia (TO) and president of the Special Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults of the CNBB, emphasizes that confronting abuse cannot be an isolated action. For the bishop, comprehensive protection demands a collective commitment: “It requires a network, co-responsibility, training, vigilance, institutional humility and, above all, it demands pastoral conversion,” he states, highlighting that the exchange of experiences is essential for the advancement of protection structures in Brazil and Latin America.

For Consecrated Religious Life, the initiative reinforces the commitment to guarantee safe and welcoming spaces on all pastoral and social fronts. The president of the National CRB, Sr. Maria do Disterro Rocha Santos, highlights the union of efforts in favor of safeguarding:

We will be gathered to reflect, join forces and renew our commitment to the care and protection of children, adolescents and all people in vulnerable situations.

Prevention, reception and reparation

The coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Culture of Care, P. Pedro Brassesco explains that the initiative is based on three central axes: prevention, reception/attention to cases and reparation. According to the priest, the differential of this edition lies in the approach to non-sexual abuse and virtual risks, a theme inspired by the papal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

To qualify the debates, the event will have specialized international advice. "We will be accompanied by Father Antonio Carrón, a Spanish specialist in these issues, and we will have the participation of experts from the Pontifical Commission for the Guardianship of Minors, who begin their mandate this year, which will allow us to advance in the follow-up of the guidelines of the Holy See," he highlights.

In addition to technical training, the exchange between the delegations is one of the central points of the methodology. The meeting was structured to welcome the progress and concerns of each country over the last year, in addition to validating training materials and planning a permanent awareness campaign.

For the priest, listening and dialogue with the representatives of Brazil and the continent are essential: "We believe that the meeting will allow us, together with the delegates from the different regions of Brazil and other countries, to continue moving forward, strengthening ties and expanding awareness about the new perspectives that are opening up on this topic," concludes.

Methodology and continental articulation

The event program includes conferences, thematic panels, plenary sessions and works by geographic regions (Southern Cone, Bolivarian Region, Caribbean, Central America and Mexico and Central America - CAMEX). The objective is to strengthen international cooperation, exchange good practices and draw up joint guidelines for the continuity of safeguarding actions on the continent.

By Osnilda Lima