Under the jubilee motto "The love of Christ urges us", the Caribbean Zone of Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean celebrates between April 25 and 27 the first zonal meeting called "Brasileritos". This three-day space represents the starting point of a process of synodal discernment that will culminate in the XXI Regional Congress of Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean, scheduled for February 2027 in Brasilia, Brazil. The meeting brings together delegates from the National Caritas of the Antilles, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo, who seek to identify the challenges and hopes of their territories. after 70 years of institutional history.

The name “Brasilerito” refers to the host country of the Congress, in the diminutive, a tradition since previous congresses and that motivates participants to enter into a more conscious, fraternal and close preparation.

Roadmap to the Regional Congress

The guiding subsidy defines a clear roadmap for these days of work, seeking that each zonal reflection becomes a fundamental input for the regional assembly. The main objective of this space is to:

promote a space for meeting, listening and synodal discernment at the zonal level that, based on the territorial reality and the grateful memory of our 70 years, identifies the challenges and hopes to renew the commitment of Cáritas with the preferential option for the poor and Comprehensive Human Development, serving as a fundamental input for the XXI Regional Congress.

As specific objectives, the Cáritas participants nationals must

1. Discern the signs of the times in the social, political and ecclesial reality of the Zone in the light of the Dilexi te exhortation, recognizing in our common history the fruits of the Spirit and the testimony of those who preceded us in the service of charity.
2. Propose guidelines towards the sustainability and improvement of the Regional Cooperation System, strengthening the articulation between the National Caritas and the Regional Teams projecting a mission prophetic, fraternal and effective in our actions towards 2031.

Reality, memory and operational synodality

During the conference, delegates are invited to an in-depth analysis of the "cries of the land and the poor", addressing critical realities such as food insecurity and the citizen security crisis that affects the region.

This exercise is complemented with a grateful memory for the 70 years of service, honoring the testimony of volunteers and pastoral agents who have defended human dignity in hostile contexts.

Finally, the meeting seeks to translate these reflections into an "operational synodality", defining sustainability models and joint strategies that allow Cáritas to continue being the "caress of the Church" and a prophetic voice in the face of each local reality.