From 5-9 November, the 8th Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Conference of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO) took place in Guadalajara, Jalisco, under the theme “Women Transforming Their Reality”.
The Conference was convened and led by María de Lourdes Espinoza, WUCWO Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, who described the gathering as “filled with joy and hope”. It was also attended by Mónica Santamarina, WUCWO’s President General, as well as regional Board members Isabel Giménez (Argentina) and Mercedes Padrón (Cuba).
The Conference brought together 54 women leaders from member organisations across the region. Over five days, they shared experiences, reflections, and commitments aimed at strengthening WUCWO’s solidarity and transformative action in the region’s current contexts.
The opening Eucharist was presided over by Bishop Manuel González Villaseñor, Auxiliary Bishop of Guadalajara, who invited participants to live this meeting as a time of communion, discernment, and hope.
Three themes
The gathering revolved around three main themes:
- Discerning reality through hope
- Woman, Church, and Society
- Building together opportunities and alternatives for transformation
The panel “Woman, Church, and Society”, considered the core of the conference, featured María Lía Zervino (former President General of WUCWO) and Karen Castillo Mayagoitia (Director of IMDOSOC), who offered a profound reflection on the prophetic role of women in the Church and their commitment to social transformation.
Specialist Rosa Inés Floriano Carrera, from the Inter-American Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (INPSyRE), accompanied the sessions of collective analysis and construction, fostering a critical, hopeful, and context-rooted perspective on Latin American reality.
The panel “Building Together Opportunities and Alternatives for Transformation” featured testimonies from Heidy Hochstatter (Good Shepherd International Foundation, Bolivia), Isabel Aguilar Umaña (Catholic Relief Services – LAC, Guatemala), and Sr Dolores Ramírez (RAHAMIM Community, Mexico), who shared inspiring projects for women’s empowerment and accompaniment.
Cultural visit
Among the most significant moments was a cultural visit to the Pueblo Mágico of Tlaquepaque, where participants met women of faith committed to social causes, and the Cultural Dinner, a space of fraternity and celebration of regional diversity.
The Conference concluded with the closing Eucharist and the signing of the Final Declaration, which outlines commitments and action lines for the next two years. The participants agreed to:
- Promote the formation and empowerment of women in synodality.
- Foster ecological conversion and response to the food crisis.
- Strengthen care and accompaniment for migrants and refugees, with a human and Christian approach.
The 8th Regional Conference reaffirmed WUCWO’s and its member organisations’ commitment to continue working together for a more just, solidary, and peaceful society, under the inspiration of the Spirit who calls us to “discern, act, and transform reality with hope”.
More photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCAbMz
