Monsignor Lizardo Estrada Herrera, secretary general of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), called for the establishment of a continental prison ministry with a greater presence, better training, and greater capacity for coordination in response to the prison crisis in the region.
At the opening of this continental meeting of the Prison Ministry Facilitation Team in Bogotá—which is taking place from August 31 to September 4—the archbishop-elect of Cusco emphasized the importance of providing pastoral care to those who are incarcerated.
“You come from prisons, from courtyards, from visiting rooms; you come from the other side of our cities,” he said, acknowledging a mission that reflects a Church that “makes itself small so as not to leave anyone out of God’s embrace.”
In the face of the penitentiary crisis
The prelate highlighted the difficult conditions that persist in the region’s prison systems, including overcrowding, violence, deaths, and responses that are increasingly focused on punishment. He also noted that the Church is called to view this reality through the lens of mercy and as part of its preferential option for the poor.
“The call remains valid. And it continues to be the guiding principle of our CEPRAP: to look, discern, and act wherever the suffering face of the Lord awaits us behind the walls,” he said.
One of the main objectives of the meeting, which brings together national leaders and representatives of CELAM, is to establish a continental coordinating team that will coordinate national initiatives, strengthen training, and promote joint action in prison ministry.
A pastoral that builds networks and hope
Estrada proposed a prison ministry that is not limited to providing spiritual support to those deprived of their liberty, but that also helps create conditions of dignity, justice, and reconciliation. “You are, in Latin America and the Caribbean, the ministry that ‘goes beyond spiritual support within prisons,’” he asserted.
According to Monsignor Estrada, the path involves transforming closeness into an effective presence, training into processes that prepare agents, and communion into a true continental network. “Closeness that becomes a presence, formation that becomes a school, and communion that becomes a continental network,” he said, proposing a joint effort with Caritas, Cebitepal, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the episcopal conferences, and pastoral workers.
The meeting will address the reality of prisons, explore the identity of the Prison Ministry, strengthen the training of its staff, and develop guidelines for its organization. The process also includes agreeing on commitments and drawing up a continental plan through 2027, aimed at consolidating a coordinated ministry with the capacity to influence policy.
Estrada concluded his remarks with a message of hope for those who accompany people deprived of their liberty. “Even from the ‘hard soil’ of sin and suffering, ‘wonderful flowers’ can bloom,” he said, before urging the pastoral workers: “Keep sowing. Keep believing.”
Photo: ADN Celam
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