Representatives of the main territorial ecclesial networks in Latin America committed to integral ecology met in Rome with the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development. The opportunity was taken to discuss the realities faced by the communities and the territories affected by extractivism, particularly in light of the increase in violence, threats, and persecution against those who defend life and their territories.
Ally in the challenges of extractivism
In an interview with ADN Celam, Father Dário Bossi explained that the territorial ecclesial networks in Latin America recognize the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development as “a historical ally” in the defense of integral ecology and the communities.
As he explained, these networks work to defend “the right of communities to live in their territories according to the Gospel and the social doctrine of the Church”. On that path, he highlighted the position that the Dicastery has taken regarding extractivism in different parts of the world, with particular references to Latin America.
Father Bossi also recalled the publication, in October of last year, of a document prepared by the Dicastery based on research and a prolonged listening process. It is about Catholic Approaches to Mining (Catholic Vision of Mining), which he described as “a very brave, very precise document” and which, in his opinion, “supports communities quite a bit.”
The priest also mentioned a recent theological reflection published by Cardinal Michael Czerny, who was the prefect of the Dicastery, about the martyrdom of people in Latin America who defend their territories. Among them, he highlighted Juan López, whose memory is honored two years after his assassination in Honduras, which occurred while he was defending his community and the land against mining activity. “So, our presence alongside the Dicastery was to celebrate this clear position, to give thanks, and to continue requesting support”, the priest explained.
Ecclesial networks as new synodal subjects
The presence of the networks in Rome also had another purpose: to highlight the value of these experiences as new forms of ecclesial organization directly linked to the territories.
Father Bossi emphasized “the prophetic and innovative value of the existence of these networks as new ecclesial subjects”, which he also defined as “synodal subjects.” Its particularity, he explained, lies in a way of organizing by territories and biomes, facilitating the Church's relationship with the communities and its capacity for dialogue with local realities.
This territorial dimension takes on special relevance in the face of the socio-environmental conflicts that traverse Latin America, where the expansion of extractive activities has direct consequences for indigenous, farming, and other groups defending their territories.
“The main listening is due to the victims”
For Father Bossi, the current context is marked by a rise in violence related to extractivism both in Latin America and in other continents. He linked this expansion to the security agendas of the northern global states, which seek to ensure access to the raw materials necessary for their own development processes.
He also pointed out the relationship between these dynamics and the military and energy transition agendas, as well as with the development of artificial intelligence. These are processes that, he warned, have a strong impact on the so-called “sacrifice zones of the global south.” “Many times it is forgotten that they have a very violent impact in the sacrifice zones of the global south”, he said.
In the face of this scenario of increasing threats and the murders of defenders of the territories, among them numerous Christians and leaders of the local Churches, P. Bossi proposed as a priority to listen to the victims: “We understand that the main listening is due to the victims.”
“The Church continues to maintain an evangelical option for the impoverished”
From the experience of territorial ecclesial networks, he explained that it is not sufficient to seek solutions through dialogues established solely between companies and States. He warned that in many cases there are corporate and state alliances that end up favoring business capital “to the detriment and suffering of the communities”.
He questioned that the Church assumes a role of neutrality in the face of these conflicts: “The Church cannot be a neutral actor that simply positions itself as an arbiter of conflicts between extractive corporations and communities”.
The alternative, as he explained, involves maintaining the evangelical option for the impoverished and giving prominence to those who directly suffer the consequences of these models: “The Church continues to maintain an evangelical option for the impoverished and continues to choose the listening and prominence of the victims”. For Fr. Bossi, this perspective must also open the search for alternatives capable of generating transformations in the face of a system that he described as “oppressive and violent”.
Listen, investigate, and communicate in service of the local Churches
The dialogue with the Dicastery was also related to the need to build a joint path that starts from the communities and can translate into support for the local Churches. Father Dário recalled that the strategy of the Dicastery contemplates three dimensions: “listening, research, and communication as restitution”, understood in service of the local Churches.
He explained that the Dicastery can act as an instance that listens to “the cry” and the hopes, proposals, and initiatives that arise in local Churches. “From Latin America we continue to count on the Dicastery as a great institutional ally for guidelines for the transformation of this system of which we have denounced the violence”, he stated.
One of the tasks he expects from this process is for the Dicastery to continue training and encouraging local Churches to maintain their option for the victims and for impoverished people. At the same time, he believes that the institution can play a relevant role in political advocacy, due to the weight that the Vatican holds before States.
Escazú, United Nations, and the defense of territories
Father Bossi cited as an example the need for Latin American States to ratify the Escazú Agreement and other instruments related to environmental rights. He also pointed out the importance of the support of the Vatican at the United Nations for the approval of a binding treaty on businesses and human rights, as well as to promote positions that respect “the cry of the peoples” in the debates on climate change and in the processes of the United Nations conferences on climate change.
In this sense, he considered that the institutional role of the Dicastery can extend to supporting local Churches when they participate in advocacy processes before States and international organizations. “There is also this institutional role of the Dicastery that can continue to support, helping to local Churches”, he noted.
For Father Bossi, this accompaniment has a particular meaning: that the institutional structures of the Church can be put at the service of the voices that usually have less power. The priest summarized this perspective pointing out that the Dicastery can act as an interlocutor that “in fact gives authority back to the small”.
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