From January 11 to 16, Bishops presidents of 11 National Caritas of the region met in Mexico City to update their pastoral work in the face of new challenges in light of the Social Doctrine of the Church. The meeting called Pastoral Theological Update in Social Teaching of the Church coincides with the commemoration of the 70 years of mission of Cáritas in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The conference had the methodological facilitation of Professor César Kuzma, doctor in Theology and member of the Theological Advisory Commission of Cáritas LAC, and the participation of 18 speakers from different countries, with the aim of offering a high-level training and reflective space to strengthen the role of shepherding in their respective Cáritas.

Monsignor Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, archbishop of Yucatán and president of Cáritas LAC, highlighted the importance of this training space in which “current social issues that urgently require someone to guide us to have a better vision of what lies ahead” were presented.

The foundation of the event emphasizes that charity is not only a caring action, but one of the three inseparable tasks that define the nature of the Church, along with the proclamation of the Gospel and the celebration of the sacraments. "The Church is called to be a prophetic voice that denounces injustice and promotes the dignity of every person," highlights the central message of the training.

Experiences of communion and fraternity

Monsignor Arturo Fajardo, bishop of Salto and president of Cáritas Uruguay, was grateful for the opportunity to participate in this training and updating meeting. “I think it is sharing the joys, the difficulties and rekindling the gift that we have received, the gift of serving the Lord through these bodies that are Caritas and other church institutions, which become close to the suffering of the people and touching, as Pope Francis says, the wounds of so many of our brothers.”

Theologian César Kuzma, who accompanied the bishops throughout the week, considers that it has been a very enriching experience, especially in being able to listen to different realities and to be able to share a synodal collective theological construction, with a view to social work in favor of the poorest and neediest. “I believe that what we have experienced here was an experience of collective community construction in what corresponds to the mission of the Church, which is the construction of the common good.”

Recently acting as president of Cáritas in his country, Monsignor Reinaldo Sorto Martínez, military bishop of the Military Ordinariate of El Salvador, shares that it has been a very beautiful first experience. "I had expectations, but I think the expectations are small compared to the experience I have had. I have come to learn, I have been a disciple on this occasion so that later I can share with my brothers of the Savior my experience and the feelings we have had in these days here."

Martínez emphasizes: “I am very happy to be able to carry many elements in my heart, in my mind and in my notes, but above all I am happy because I have encountered Christ again through the announcements that have been given to us, through what the holy fathers have taught to this day and then by seeing the situations that are coming to us, the transformations, this change of era and everything else.”

An agenda focused on reality. regional

The topics selected by the Theological Advisory Commission of Cáritas LAC sought to strengthen episcopal competencies and offer a collegiate and synodal space for theological-pastoral updating of the Social Magisterium of the Church. In this way, we sought to address the social complexity and institutional challenges of the region, focusing on Comprehensive Human Development and synodality as guiding principles.

The meeting promoted a deep reflection on the roots of the social and environmental crisis, as developed by Pope Francis and projected by Pope Leo of a reading of Latin American reality, presenting megatrends of the current civilizational crisis. This foundation was crucial so that the analysis of the situation provides the necessary reality framework to apply the social Magisterium, answering the questions about the why and where of ecclesial action. Even on that first day, the bishops had the opportunity to participate in a panel on socio-environmental, urban and political-cultural challenges.

Tuesday the 13th was dedicated to deepening the Social Magisterium of the Church in light of the first apostolic exhortation of Pope Leo XIV, Dilexi Te, the encyclical Fratelli Tutti of Pope Francis, and the synodal process connecting it with the role of social pastoral care. During the afternoon of this day, the bishops approached the Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe, as pilgrims to celebrate the Eucharist and pray for the region with the people of God, later sharing a fraternal moment at the headquarters of the Mexican Episcopal Conference as a sign of collegiality.

The day of Wednesday the 14th addressed identity and pastoral mission. The morning block was dedicated to the theological-pastoral update, reviewing key documents of Pope Francis, such as Laudato Si', Laudate Deum, which underline the urgency of the common home; a shared one on the relationship between popular movements and the role of social pastoral care; and a reading "From Francisco to León" contextualizes the continuity of this Magisterium with the current mission of the Church. In the afternoon, the historical and ecclesiological anchorage of organized charity was established, with reflections on Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate, a rereading of Leo of artificial intelligence in social pastoral care.

The meeting culminated in the afternoon with conversation sessions in the Spirit to recapitulate what was shared and embrace the challenges that will animate charitable ministry in the respective countries.