More than 60 bishops, priests, religious and lay people attended the first Caribbean abuse prevention meeting in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with the aim of strengthening the culture of care within the Church.
The event, held April 19–22 at the Manresa Ignatian Spirituality Center, featured participants from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Haiti in addition to the Dominican hosts.
According to a statement from the Dominican Episcopate, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the prevention of abuse, taking into account its pastoral, psychological and legal dimensions.
Archbishop Hector Rafael Rodríguez of Santiago de los Caballeros, president of the Dominican Bishops’ Conference (CED, by its Spanish acronym), stressed that “as evangelists, we must ensure safe environments where every person, especially the most vulnerable, is respected.”
“Written protocols are not sufficient unless they are embedded in a concrete approach,” the bishop stressed.
Proceedings of the First Caribbean Abuse Prevention Meeting. | Credit: Dominican Bishops’ Conference
Furthermore, Auxiliary Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera of Cuzco, Peru, general secretary of the Council of Latin American and Caribbean Bishops (CELAM, by its Spanish acronym), stated that “Prevention of abuse in the Church is neither a strategy nor a choice; it is a gospel commitment.”
Therefore, the bishops said, “It is fundamental that we commit ourselves to working together on prevention and the protection of the most vulnerable.”
Auxiliary Bishop of Santo Domingo José Amabel Durán Tino, president of the Dominican Bishops’ National Commission for Pastoral Ministry for the Culture of Care, encouraged continued work in the field “applying the knowledge acquired under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
The Latin American and Caribbean Network for a Culture of Caring is composed of bishops and representatives from the offices, commissions and councils of bishops’ conferences, as well as other Latin American church bodies, the CED statement said.
It was formed during the first meeting held in Chile in 2023. Its second meeting was held in Colombia in 2024, and its third meeting was held in the Dominican Republic in 2025. The network serves as a vehicle for coordinating the prevention of abuse within the Church.
this story was first published By ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language affiliate of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
