On Thursday, March 20, the Kroc Institute hosted the Honorable Emilce Cuda as a speaker during the institute’s 26th “Annual Dialogues on Nonviolence, Religion, and Peace.” Cuda serves as the secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America at the Holy See and is known for her international lectures on social democracy, Catholicism and justice concerns. Her hourlong talk was followed by lunch and an open conversation, also hosted by the Kroc Institute.
During her dialogue session, Cuda spoke on diplomacy, interdisciplinary dialogue groups and the recognition of human dignity, with principles rooted in Pope Francis’ teachings on hope. Notably, she referenced Francis when discussing the harsh reality of social justice and politics.
“La vida pende de un hil. Life hangs by a thread,” Cuda said. “This is the name that CELAM, the Latin American Episcopal Conference, chose as its initiative for 2025 … [quoting Francis] The reason is that a lot of people are killing, doing diplomacy for their life. This system kills.”
In her analysis of systems, Cuda explained that diplomacy and socioeconomic principles built on exclusivity and inequality can, in essence, “kill” individuals, echoing Francis’ earlier sentiments. She emphasized that elitism is a primary temptation in the modern world.
“[Francis] taught [that] every election presents leaders with two possible paths: the path that leads to global core responsibility and solidarity based on justice,” Cuda said. “The [other] path leads to self-sufficiency, nationalism, protectionism, individualism and isolation, leaving out the poorest. However, if we want to stop the violence, we cannot continue ignoring this tragedy.”
Beyond highlighting political and social concerns, Cuda also called on individuals to develop communitarian organizations built on hope. While she addressed a variety of inequalities within society, she pointed to united communities as the solution for achieving the common good. In particular, she encouraged people to develop a new order based on solidarity through a religious lens, inviting those of different faiths to build community. Overall, she stressed the importance of unity within democracy and warned against equating religion with politics.
“Without a coordinated mode of communitarian diplomacy, this society remains disorganized. That is the chaotic moment of the system when religion occupies the place of politics,” Cuda said. “Better politics is coordination to act for the common good. The rest is bad politics. The better politics and the better theology are communitarian organizations.”
When discussing the role of Catholics in social work, Cuda emphasized the need for Christians to act as diplomats for life, translating hope into concrete action. This action, she noted, reflects a united effort to protect God’s creation. She also introduced the concept of “deus mortalis,” or “false gods,” referring to leaders and individuals who build systems rooted in exclusion, opposing the ideals of communitarian organizations.
“The question is, ‘Who organizes the hope of the people in the middle of structural economic violence?’” Cuda said. “Because whoever can do it becomes the new deus mortalis.”
To counteract these “false gods,” Cuda urged individuals to seek out hope and prioritize reality over ideology. She introduced the concept of political love, which focuses on social justice and the development of policies that guarantee peace. Throughout her proposals for solutions, the themes of community and connection emerged as central to fostering profound change and hope.
“A real diplomat is a poet. It is necessary to dream if we want to stop violence,” Cuda said. “As Pope Francis tells us, to dream means to hope, like a dynamo that can convert passion into community action.”
She concluded with a call to engagement for the audience.
“Let us not allow ourselves to be robots of hope,“ she said. “Let us recover our sovereign condition as communitarian diplomats of the Kingdom, as the people of God that we are.”
