The first in-person meeting of the Network of Women Leaders Afro-descendants of the Americas united by faith, Lacam, which takes place in Limón, Costa Rica, has become a space to recognize the challenges that Afro-descendant women face and, at the same time, project new forms of pastoral articulation on the continent.
En este contexto, el padre Francisco Hernández, del Centro de Programas y Redes de Acción Pastoral (Ceprar) del Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño (Celam), explicó que la consolidación de esta red no es el resultado de un único encuentro, se trata más bien de un proceso que comenzó hace aproximadamente dos años con reuniones y espacios de trabajo, particularmente en el Encuentro Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Pastoral Afro.
“It is very important to be clear that the process of designing a network and strengthening and encouraging the various organizations and people that make it up is really that, it is a process”, he pointed out.
A network that belongs to its protagonists
For the priest, Lacam is now in a new stage of a more formal institutionalization, but without losing the participatory character that has accompanied its birth. The network is part of what Celam calls the “cultural dream”, in connection with other initiatives linked to indigenous peoples, education, and the Global Educational Pact, among others.
One of the emphases raised by Father Hernández during the meeting was the need for networks to maintain their autonomy and be protagonists of their own processes. “This network is not Celam's, it belongs to you”, he reminded the participants. From his perspective, the role of Celam should be inspired by the way Jesus accompanies: to be present, walk alongside people and help them discover their abilities, without taking over their processes. “Accompany, but do not monopolize. Walk alongside, but do not take ownership. Present them with the entire horizon for their life, but do not force them. Do not diminish their freedom. On the contrary, empower them to exercise being free and lose the fear of freedom.”, he emphasized.
The priest spoke about the risk of building paternalistic relationships in which an institution ends up solving everything for the organizations. The bet, on the other hand, is to accompany “sovereign” networks, capable of recognizing themselves as subjects of their stories, their decisions, and their evangelizing mission. “The protagonists are them”, he stated, explaining that the networks themselves can also challenge the Church and provoke processes of conversion in their pastoral practices.
Pastoral woven among networks
The reflections from the meeting also brought to the table challenges such as the impact of artificial intelligence on Afro-descendant populations, the climate crisis, and the care of our common home. For Hernández, these issues show that realities cannot be addressed in isolation.
“The reality is tremendously connected”, he stated, raising the need to link Lacam's work with other networks and organizations of Celam, including those spaces dedicated to integral ecology and human rights, peace, and democracy. This articulation, he explained, requires a pastoral capable of building “harmonies” without erasing the particularities of each organization, culture, charism, or ministry.
The horizon is to build a true “warp” of networks, in tune with the four dreams of the exhortation Dear Amazon: cultural, social, ecological, and spiritual. “All those dreams are a total integrity that implies an integration of the diverse ways in which we are responding to the challenges of reality to bring the Gospel to all corners”, it was expressed.
Rights, integral ecology, and training
Based on the work that Afro-descendant women are doing in Limón to develop the network protocol, Father Hernández identified four major pastoral challenges. The first is the personal and organizational strengthening, understanding that building linkages between different organizations requires time, patience, and the ability to also navigate the misunderstandings. On this path, he noted, the goal is to achieve a harmony similar to a “great symphony,” as proposed by the final document of the Synod on Synodality.
The second challenge is the social transformation in the face of a reality that confronts inequality, the concentration of wealth and power, and the violation of rights. In this scenario, the defense of human rights, the strengthening of democracy, and the fight against organized crime are tasks that require the active participation of Afro-descendant women.
The third challenge is the integral ecology. For the priest, caring for the common home also means caring for humanity and recognizing the interdependence between people and the territory. At this point, he related the reflections of the meeting to the proposal of Pope Leo XIV regarding the dignity and greatness of humanity: “We are one humanity and that humanity is magnificent, it is wonderful”. For Father Hernández, that humanity needs a common home that must be protected. The fourth challenge is formation, understood as a transversal task for the life of the Church and for all territories and pastoral realities.
Communicating the good and making hope visible
Father Francisco added a fifth challenge: communication. “The Gospel is meant to be communicated. The good must be communicated because it produces more good”, he said. In his view, this aspect can be incorporated more strongly into the Lacam protocol and also allow for a more articulated accompaniment by the different areas of Celam.
The priest insisted that the networks do not belong to Ceprap or to a single organization. Their accompaniment must involve the entire institution: the research and generation of knowledge, formation, pastoral accompaniment, and communication.
“The networks must be accompanied by Celam, by all of Celam”, he emphasized. This perspective places synodality at the center of pastoral accompaniment: a Church that listens, learns from the experiences that arise in its communities, and recognizes the networks as active subjects of evangelization.
For the director of Ceprap, Lacam's path is just beginning. The task ahead is to connect their dreams and abilities with other experiences from the continent, in a process that allows Afro-descendant women to continue building leadership, hope, and transformation from their own realities and from ecclesial communion.
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