North American bishops meet in Cuernavaca

In brief

Bishops from Mexico, the United States, and Canada met in Cuernavaca, Mexico, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 4 to discuss ways to increase collaboration across North America. According to a joint statement, the leaders addressed shared challenges including migration, evangelization, human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence, and pastoral cooperation between the three nations.

The bishops noted that while the countries have different histories and realities, millions of Catholics across the region share a single faith and one Church. They stated that national borders should not become barriers between hearts. Migration was a primary topic of discussion, with the bishops identifying it as a common challenge for all three countries and discussing the experiences of migrants in countries of origin, transit, and destination.

The meeting included Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, president of the Mexican Bishops' Conference; Bishop Daniel E. Flores, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Bishop Pierre Goudreault, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Also attending were Bishop Óscar Cantú, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, and Bishop Eugenio Lira Rugarcía, who leads the human mobility ministry for the Mexican bishops.