Church leaders in Latin America and Caribbean discuss challenges

By Kaelanne Jordan

mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org

The Apostolic Nuncio to Trinidad and Tobago and the Apostolic Delegate to the Antilles has raised concerns about the growing pressures facing the Catholic Church in the Caribbean, as bishops and Church leaders gathered in Trinidad for a major regional meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM).

Archbishop Santiago de Wit Guzmán made the remarks during the opening Mass of the CELAM Caribbean Regional Meeting last Monday at the Seminary of St John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs, Mount St Benedict.

“I know how much difficult the mission can become. Not big communities, difficulties in terms of social degradation, economic, politics, the lack of understanding, in many times the new generation not coming, the difficulties to preach….”

Archbishop de Wit Guzmán pointed to deeper social and pastoral challenges affecting the Church’s work.

“Sometimes it’s not that easy because after all these difficulties… we would like to find and to check and to experience like a real support. Like a real word of hope, like a real big hug or a confirmation that we are doing the right thing and the Lord is happy with us.”

He added, “and I was wondering that sometimes it’s not that easy to accept the silence of the Lord, His presence in our lives.”

The Nuncio encouraged Church leaders to remain rooted in faith despite these difficulties. “So, we are invited to rest in the Lord and to allow Him to shape us.”

Quoting Pope Francis, he also issued a call for authenticity and witness, particularly among the faithful.

“The Pope says, ‘I want to entrust all of you the mission to be truly human. Yes, be human men and women of flesh and blood, not mere appearances, but trustworthy faces.’”

The homily set the tone for the meeting, which ran from June 8–12, bringing together bishops and delegates from the Episcopal Conferences of Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, as well as across the Caribbean and Latin America.

President of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, in his welcome, said the gathering aims at discerning how the Church responds to the realities facing the region.

“As we gather over these days, our task is not merely to exchange information or reports. We come as missionary disciples seeking to discern the voice of God in the realities of our peoples.”

He pointed to ongoing challenges affecting Caribbean societies.

“The Caribbean today faces many challenges: migration, economic vulnerability, environmental threats, social fragmentation, violence, and the search for hope among our young people.”

He underscored that the Caribbean is “a unique gift to the Church.” He explained that unlike many episcopal conferences that serve a single nation, the AEC embraces “a remarkable diversity of people, culture, language, and territories across islands and mainland regions.”

This diversity, he stressed, is not a challenge to be overcome. “It is a grace to be celebrated. It teaches us that unity does not require uniformity and that communion is strengthened when differences are welcomed as gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

But he also highlighted signs of hope. “Yet we also witness signs of grace, resilience, creativity, faith, and solidarity.”