The Pope asks Latin American and Caribbean bishops for "solutions according to the criteria of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium"

Not one mention of the Second Vatican Council or the New Springtime (and one mention of Synod) ; it will soon be winter if they carry on as they are, caught in some ghastly post-conciliar stasis of mismanaged decline.

Telegram to the 40th General Assembly celebrating its 70th anniversary

Faced with chronic decline across  Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pope asks CELAM for "solutions according to the criteria of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium"

The 40th Ordinary General Assembly of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) was held from May 26th to today, May 30th, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, held in the same city in 1955.

Since its founding in 1955, CELAM has been a key instrument for the pastoral co-ordination of the Episcopal conferences of the region. Throughout these seven decades, the Assembly has promoted communion among bishops and has played a leading role in decisive moments for the Church in Ibero-America, such as the conferences of Medellín (1968), Puebla (1979), Santo Domingo (1992), and Aparecida (2007). These meetings have addressed fundamental issues such as social justice, the preferential option for the poor, and pastoral renewal.

Medellin where it all started to go wrong. NB link informative but progressive!

 

This year's Assembly had the primary objective of strengthening the spirit of collegiality and service to the Ibero-American and Caribbean peoples. The participating bishops sought to discern the "signs of the times" and renew the evangelizing mission of the Church in the region. In addition, topics such as synodality, youth ministry, integral ecology, and the promotion of justice and peace were addressed.

Leo XIV sent them a telegram asking that their solutions be based on the criteria of Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium.

A Church in Clear Decline

It would certainly be appropriate for CELAM to follow the Holy Father's criteria, given the decline suffered by Catholicism over the past 70 years, and especially in recent decades.

The graph shows the evolution of the main religious affiliations in Latin America between 1955 and 2025:

Catholics (%)

1955: They dominated with an overwhelming 90% of the population.

1995: A moderate decline begins (80%).

2010: The decline accelerates (70%).

2025: It is estimated that only 58% identify as Catholic.

Evangelicals (%)

1955: They were marginal (5% or less).

1995: They grew to 15%.

2010: They exceeded 20%.

2025: They reach approximately 27%, consolidating their position as the second largest religious force.

No religion (%)

1955: Virtually nonexistent (1%).

1995: They begin to be noticeable (3%).

2010: They rise to 7%.

2025: They reach 12%, in line with the global trend of secularization.

This graph reflects a profound change in the region's religious landscape: Catholicism is losing its hegemony, while the number of evangelical Protestants and the number of people without religious affiliation are growing significantly.

Telegram from the Pope to Cardinal Spengler

Cardinal Jaime Spengler

Archbishop of Porto Alegre

President of CELAM

On the occasion of the 40th Ordinary General Assembly of CELAM, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the first conference of the Latin American episcopate and the creation of this episcopal council, I cordially greet all the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, gathered in a collegial spirit to discern together the challenges that the current times present to the Church in Latin America, and to seek, in affective and effective communion, pastoral initiatives that lead to solutions according to the criteria of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium.

I join in giving thanks to the Lord for the celebration of this happy anniversary, which reminds us how the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council is a sign of collegiality, as well as the body of contact, collaboration, and service of the episcopal conferences of Latin America in the task of evangelization and pastoral care for the holy, faithful people of God who pilgrimage on that beloved continent. 

In the current historical situation, in which a great number of men and women suffer the tribulation and poverty caused by the continuous crises on a continental and global scale, we have an urgent need to remember that it is the Risen Lord, present among us, who protects and guides the Church, rekindling her in hope through the love that "has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom 5:5), ardently imploring him to strengthen her in her mission to reach out to so many brothers and sisters, to proclaim to them the message of salvation of Christ Jesus and to make them sharers in the joy that comes from a personal encounter with Him.

Thanking CELAM for the service of missionary animation it carries out in these Latin American lands, I ask you to pray to the Good Shepherd for me, that I may always be faithful to the ministry for the universal Church that He has entrusted to me. At the same time, invoking the constant protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I cordially impart the Apostolic Blessing to you, as a pledge of abundant blessings.

Source