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May 14, 2025

The Latino Catholic Voice in a Divided Nation

Directions Forward in Challenging Times

Two women and teenager girl hold a big American flag at a protest in Los Angeles, California

Latinos are a major force in the U.S. Catholic Church that will define the direction of U.S. Catholicism for generations. At the same time, in the midst of deepening polarization, the role of Latinos in shaping U.S. culture and politics is complex and evolving. 

This dialogue explored what it means to engage in public life as Latinos/as and Catholics in a society shaped by ideological, political, and social fragmentation. As the Church weighs how to engage the country in defense of immigrants, in support of poor children and families, to prevent the destruction of the environment, and to protect the life and dignity of all, Latino Catholic ministry, media, education, and intellectual life can offer distinctive ways forward.

Focusing on the ecclesial and cultural institutions built and sustained by Latino Catholics in the United States, this conversation explored a vision for the future of Latino pastoral and political action, considering how Latinos can guide the Catholic Church into a new era of engagement in U.S. political life. 

Christian Soenen, projects manager of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, moderated the dialogue.

Resources

View articles and other resources from this Latino Leader Gathering.

This gathering was co-sponsored by Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry.

Participants

Claudia Avila Cosnahan

Claudia Avila Cosnahan

Claudia Avila Cosnahan is the mission and partnerships director at Commonweal Magazine and an instructor and consultant for the archdiocese of Los Angeles. She is a contributing author of Faith and Spiritual Life of Young Adult Catholics in a Rising Hispanic Church (2022).

Amirah Orozco

Amirah Orozco

Amirah Orozco is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, with a focus on systematic theology and a minor in gender studies. Her doctoral research examines feminist movements in the Catholic Church and how they relate to social movements outside of the Church. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, Texas.

Hosffman Ospino

Hosffman Ospino

Hosffman Ospino is a professor of Hispanic ministry at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College and the director of Nuevo Momento, an effort to provide high-quality and culturally-appropriate professional resources for ministerial organizations serving Hispanic Catholics. His research explores the dialogue between faith and culture and the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, catechesis, and ministry.

Santiago Ramos

Santiago Ramos

Santiago Ramos is the executive editor of Wisdom of Crowds, a project of the Aspen Institute’s Philosophy and Society Initiative, and a contributor to Commonweal and Plough magazines.