The Latin American and Caribbean Bishops’ Council (CELAM) has begun its 40th Ordinary General Assembly. The meeting is being held in Rio de Janeiro, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the continent’s first bishops’ conference, which took place in 1955 in the city that was then the capital of Brazil.
Newsroom(31/05/2025 20:32, Gaudium Press) The opening Mass of the meeting was celebrated at the Immaculate Heart of Mary College in Copacabana. It was this school that hosted, 70 years ago, the meeting with Latin American bishops that started the continent’s Episcopal Council. The archbishop of Porto Alegre (RS) and president of the CNBB, Card. Jaime Spengler, presided over the Eucharist.
In his homily, Archbishop Jaime recalled that the existence of the council is “the realization of a dream, an ecclesial project of communion, participation and mission”. The president of the CNBB and Celam highlighted the pioneering spirit of the continent’s bishops, “responsible for vigorous initiatives to implement the guidelines of the Second Vatican Council”. He also recalled the Conferences of the Bishops of the continent, which “indicated paths, signposted routes, offered valuable guidelines for evangelization”, and inspired churches on other continents. Another highlight was the Ecclesial Assembly in 2022, which “offered valuable indications for the Synod of 2024” and “the active participation of so many was more than important”, he underlined.
After the Mass, a plaque commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first General Conference of the Latin American Bishops was unveiled and blessed.
The 40th Ordinary General Assembly of Celam began on May 26 and continues until Friday, May 30, at the Sumaré Study Center in Rio de Janeiro. The meeting aims to strengthen the spirit of collegiality and service of the bishops to the people, discerning the signs of the times, now in this new stage of the universal Church led by Pope Leo XIV, and the paths of communion that renew the presence and evangelizing mission of the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean, in the light of the 70th anniversary of the first General Conference of the Latin American Bishops.
The presidents and general secretaries of the continent’s 22 bishops are taking part in the Assembly with the aim of “strengthening the spirit of collegiality and service to our peoples”.
With information from the CNBB
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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