SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Within the framework of the IV Meeting of Synodal Cooperation for Latin America and the Caribbean, which takes place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from April 28 to 30, 2026, the closeness of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (PCAL) and the look at the reality of the Caribbean area, with the testimony of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The event has deepened the need to move from a merely welfare cooperation towards a "Samaritan cooperation" that recognizes the root of the structural problems and does not lose sight of its evangelizing horizon.

Monsignor Iannone: charity as an announcement of the Gospel

Monsignor Filippo Iannone, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for America Latina, recalled the task he has of succeeding the then Cardinal Robert Prevost, today Pope Leo XIV, and recalled his messages to this forum in previous years.

Taking a tour of the experience of Latin America, Iannone invited us to look at the way in which Saint Juan Diego fully embraced the gospel through Mary as the beginning of the religious and cultural synthesis that characterizes the entire continent until the present moment. He also mentioned the saints who touched this land, "the testimony of so many saints like Saint Juan Diego, like Saint Rose of Lima, like Saint Martín de Porres or like Saint Óscar Anulfo Romero" to move us to a deep reflection and help us in our own conversion.

The president of the PCAL recalled a message from Pope Leo baptized to give a response that as a church must correspond to the signs of the times from the heart of the gospel."

In this sense, the proposal that Monsignor Iannone makes to the cooperation agencies and organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean is 'that the Church is called to offer about God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the harmony of love that comes out of itself to offer itself to the world, walking in a synodal style and going out to meet within everyone to bring the joy of gospel.”

Emilce Cuda: “We are not a poor continent, we are an impoverished continent”

Emilce Cuda, secretary of the PCAL, offered an analysis to those present based on the work she does from the initiative Building Bridges, with the different agents in their mission to take care of the life and development of particular churches. of Latin America in a collaborative work with other dicasteries. According to Cuda, the current crisis is not a fatality, but the result of an extractivist cycle that drains the wealth of the continent.

With a reading of reality according to the method of Latin American philosophy and theology, Cuda affirms that "Latin America is a continent with many riches, therefore it is not a poor continent, but it is an impoverished continent. Extractivism turns our natural assets into income." that escapes as foreign currency and returns as unpayable public debt, cutting health and education budgets.

The Argentine theologian mentioned that fever is a symptom and not the cause. Therefore, she called on agencies to not only address the symptom. “I call on and ask international collaboration agencies to not only address the symptom, but also to have resources available to work on the causes. How? In the way that the Holy Father Leo XIV is repeatedly asking us, which is through dialogue, building bridges for dialogue. And for that, good will is needed more than money, as we all know.”, stated Cuda.

The PCAL Secretary directly linked this model to the increase in suicides due to lack of future, forced migration and youth hopelessness, urging agencies to “build bridges” that allow true participation in the global value chain.

Dominican Republic and Haiti: growth with a human face and synod

By landing these reflections on the local reality, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, two of the Caribbean countries that share the territory of the Island of Hispaniola, presented the reality, especially the work carried out by the national Caritas.

The national director of Cáritas Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel Díaz Parrondo presented the strategic priorities of the organization and the areas of action in the 12 dioceses and more than 700 parishes of country.

The testimony of the Haitian delegation, of Winter and Lumarque, moved the participants by describing a multidimensional crisis marked by gang violence and the fragility of the State. In this context, Cáritas Haiti stands as one of the few institutions that remains in the territory, focusing its efforts on youth training and housing to prevent young people from being recruited by organized crime.

One of the most notable points was the collaboration. effective cross-border communication between the dioceses of both countries Despite external political tensions, the Churches of the Dominican Republic and Haiti maintain permanent bridges of solidarity.