Latin America and the Caribbbean: not just geography, but also a family:
525. The dignity of recognizing ourselves as a family of Latin American and Caribbean peoples involves a singular experience of closeness, fellowship, and solidarity. We are not merely a continent, simply a geographical fact with an unintelligible mosaic of contents. Nor are we a totality of peoples and ethnic groups in juxtaposition. One and plural, Latin America is the common house, the great homeland of brothers and sisters “of peoples,” whom, as His Holiness John Paul II said in Santo Domingo “the same geography, Christian faith, language and culture have joined together definitively in the course of history”(John Paul II, Opening Address at Fourth General Conference of Latin American Bishops No. 12 October 12, 1992.) It is a unity that is very far from being reduced to uniformity, but rather it is enriched with many local, national and cultural diversities.
An important reminder that uniformity is not a prerequisite or a feature of unity. Unity is both a human choice and a grace from God.
For deeper examination, check an English translation of the 2007 document from the Aparecida Conference.
Catholic Sensibility 