Lay Catholic movements unite in Mexico to promote peace and dialogue

With a call to “build bridges of dialogue and charity” in environments of violence in Mexico, various Catholic movements led and integrated by lay people met from October 10 to 12 in the country’s capital.

During the meeting, titled “Together for Mexico”, more than 40 representatives of 25 movements, associations and institutions such as the Vincentian Family, the Community of Sant Egidio, Regnum Christi, the Focolare, the Salesians, the Catholic Meeting of Bridegrooms and Lay Servants of the Word, reflected on the role of the laity in building peace, “in a national context marked by violence, polarization and social wear and tear.”

According to a statement shared by the organizers with ACI Prensa, one of the most important moments was the presentation of the first apostolic exhortation of Pope Leo XIV, published this October 9 under the title I loved you about love for the poor. Father Eduardo Corral, advisor to the Culture and Education Dimension of the Mexican Episcopate Conference, explained the main axes of the document.

Attendees reflected on the Holy Father’s proposal and were encouraged to “rediscover love for the poor as the essential core of the Gospel, not as a sociological response, but as a spiritual experience that reveals the face of Christ.”

The presentation also addressed the Catholic Church’s commitment to “integral human development, the authenticity of works of mercy and the urgency of concrete and prophetic charity in a wounded world.”

Another highlight was the presentation on artificial intelligence and digital evangelization, in which the challenges and opportunities posed by technology were analyzed in the face of the “risks of dehumanization, manipulation or displacement of the person.”

Pablo Pérez de la Vega, from the Regnum Christi movement, explained “how these impact the culture, spirituality and mission of the Church” and also warned, according to the statement, that artificial intelligence should not be seen only as a technical tool, “but as a field that ethically challenges humanity.”

During the meeting, examples of the pastoral use of AI in the translation of materials, accessibility for people with disabilities and support in training tasks were also presented, “always from a perspective focused on the dignity of the human person.”

Likewise, a dialogue table was held, where various initiatives aimed at dialogue, citizen participation and the urgent need to build a community from below were shared.

At the close of the assembly, the participants reaffirmed the mission of revitalizing the laity through their movements, considering it “a space to listen to each other and discern projects with social impact, with justice and the construction of peace in a democratic environment as a reference.”

The meeting concluded with a Mass in the Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe, presided over by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Primate Archbishop of Mexico, who sent the participants to continue their mission “as builders of peace in their communities.”