With a firm commitment to transition from protocols to a true culture of care, this Thursday, September 3 the IV Meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Culture of Care was closed. During the final days at the Casa Dom Luciano Mendes de Almeida, in Brasília, Brazil, the delegates followed the dialogue spaces by regions and organizations (Caribbean, CAMEX, Bolivarian countries, and Southern Cone), focused on articulating concrete actions to strengthen the network on the continent.
At the end of sessions, the network facilitator, Fr. Pedro Brasseco officially announced that the Central America and Mexico (Camex) region will host the V Meeting of the network, in September 2027, and the chosen country to be the host was Honduras, which was celebrated by all present.
Mons. Diquattro: prevention as a test of the ecclesial mission
Mons. Giambattista Diquattro, Apostolic Nuncio in Brazil, participated in the last day of the meeting and presented a message highlighting that this meeting reflects on a responsibility that is at the center of the ecclesial mission.
The pontifical representative emphasized that "the prevention of abuse tests the way we announce the Gospel, exercise authority, and care for the people entrusted to our communities".
Mons. Diquattro reviewed the historical evolution of protection from Roman law to the current doctrine of the Church and insisted that the decisive change requires correcting the idea that dangers come solely from isolated individuals. Referring to the V Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate, he emphasized that the Document of Aparecida “demands a priority action from the Church, the family, and the State in favor of children, and mentions poverty, domestic violence, sexual abuse, child labor, life on the streets, pornography, and forced prostitution.”
The archbishop, in his intervention, warned that safeguarding is a response integrated into a broader plan. “It acts beforehand, through prevention and training; during the occurrence of the case, with listening and the appropriate procedures; and afterwards, through follow-up, reparation, and risk reduction.”.
The vulnerabilities of the digital ecosystem
A central axis of the Vatican diplomat's intervention was dedicated to the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, by Pope Leo XIV and the vulnerabilities of the digital ecosystem, defining it not as an isolated space, but as the everyday environment where vulnerable minors and adults also educate and interact.
Reaffirming that the person comes before the device, the Nuncio emphasized that the limit remains clear. “The machine processes data, identifies correlations and generates responses; it has no consciousness, does not experience pain, nor does it have moral responsibility for the consequences. A person's judgment cannot be delegated to it.”
In its conclusions, Mons. Diquattro proposed five minimum and verifiable criteria to promote a culture of care: to guarantee listening channels with responses within defined timeframes; to ensure mandatory and periodic training for the clergy, religious life, staff, and volunteers of the ecclesiastical bodies; to delineate in writing the canonical investigation of pastoral accompaniment and civil collaboration; to audit annually the digital policies with external experts and to structure interdiocesan networks with universities, professionals, and public agencies that support communities with fewer technical and human resources.
Mons Ulloa: "responsibility is not delegated"
At the closing of the meeting, Mons. José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, archbishop of Panama and second vice president of the Latin American Episcopal Council (Celam) emphasized the co-responsibility of the entire Church with the culture of care, but made a direct and demanding call to the bishops.
"This responsibility is not delegated. We can and must rely on professionals, committees, and teams prepared, but the ultimate pastoral responsibility belongs to us. It is not enough to approve protocols or receive reports. We must get involved, listen, accompany, supervise, and make decisions."
The call to the bishops, according to Mons. Ulloa, is that the teams need to have the support of their pastors and that the faith communities need to perceive that this is a pastoral need. For him, “the episcopal commitment must be translated into concrete actions: ongoing formation, effective structures, responsible listening, transparency, follow-up, and accountability.”
"Your pain matters to us"
The archbishop of Panama addressed the survivors and victims of abuse with special deference, humbly stating: "Your pain matters to us, your word challenges us, and your story commits us. We do not want you to walk alone. Thank you to those who have had the courage to speak and have helped us recognize realities that many times we did not know or did not want to see.". Likewise, he emphasized that pastoral leadership must be translated into transparency, accountability, and the courage to correct mistakes.
By calling on the delegates to return to their dioceses with the commitment to turn the reflections into concrete actions, the vice president of Celam concluded by reminding that the authority of the pastors finds its evangelical meaning in the service to human dignity. The path of the regional network will continue its work of ongoing articulation in view of the upcoming continental meeting in Honduran territory.
With the collaboration of the Care and Safeguarding Core of the Ecclesial Network of Communication of Latin America and the Caribbean (Reclac).
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