V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry | 63 With regard to Hispanic/Latino youth and young adult ministries, a multifaceted approach with targeted responses to young people with particular needs or interests is required, as out- lined on pages 60 and 61. Many pastoral lead- ers, including priests and bishops, do not yet understand this and have become obstacles to a more inclusive ministry, despite their best intentions. Thosemembers of the hierarchy who have understood the vision of pastoral juvenil hispana must become its ambassadors to their peers at all levels in the Church. That will allow young Latinos to exercise their protagonism to restore the proper balance between evangeli- zation and catechesis in the ministry, giving pri- ority to the encounter with the living Christ in Scripture, sacrament, the community, and the outcast. Adult supervisors will also be able to fulfill their critical role in supporting the minis- tries of the young. Embrace and coordinate the diversity of ministries. At this point, a broad vision for accompanying and integrating Hispanics/ Latinos in the life and leadership of the Church has been outlined. The delegates also took time to describe some particular segments of either the Latino community or the Church’s pastoral ministries and institu- tions that deserve special mention. Among them were: Catholic schools and universities, immigrants—especially the undocumented and their families, military personnel and their families, and Hispanics/Latinos with dis- abilities and their families. In each of these instances, careful planning is required to ensure that Hispanic members of the commu- nity receive the pastoral care and accompani- ment that they need, and that they are wel- comed to share and develop their gifts in the community to the full extent of their poten- tial. By doing these things, Pope Francis’ vision for a Church whose pastoral ministry is conducted in a missionary key will come to fruition. Regional Session 2