03 Sep 2024 WACC laments closing of Latin America and Caribbean ecumenical communication agency

WACC has received with sadness the announcement of the closing of ALC News, the pioneering ecumenical communication agency for Latin America and the Caribbean based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

After 30 years of service to the ecumenical community, this innovative, full-service communication agency that published in Spanish, Portuguese, and English ceased publication on 30 August. Rafael Soares de Oliveira, a member of the ALC Board of Directors noted: “This is the end of an institution, but not the end of a bigger cause.”

In their statement, the ALC Board emphasized that, in a time when fundamentalisms of all types threaten peoples’ dignity, promote hatred, and seek to silence alternative narratives, many remain committed to lifting up the voices of silenced sectors of society to defend their rights. “But human constructs come and go,” ends the statement, “and we have to rebuild them.”

ALC began as a news agency in 1994, sharing with the world via fax and email the programs and activities of hundreds of ecumenical organizations and civil society groups throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Recognizing that many of these groups lacked experience and resources in communication, ALC gradually added a variety of training services in communication strategy and grassroots journalism. They introduced specialized training on communication and gender diversity, race, and ethnicity. ALC also built strategic alliances with like-minded institutions, creating spaces to explore issues ranging from climate justice to communication rights, from migration to digital citizenship.

As many church-related institutions in the region experienced major funding cuts and closed their communication programs in the 90s, ALC advocated for continuing to include communication as a core strategic element.

WACC-AL, WACC’s Latin America region, was a founding member of ALC News. The current ALC executive director, Rev. Leonardo Félix, also serves as president of WACC-AL. ALC’s editor, Claudia Florentín Mayer, has also been a longtime activist in WACC-AL specializing in communication and gender issues. Claudia served as ALC editor for 18 years.

In an interview, Rev. Félix described how ALC continued to offer communication services and broaden alliances while operating on a shoestring budget. Félix assumed the position of executive director in 2013. He introduced advertising on the ALC website and sold communication research and training services to ecumenical organizations and universities. For content, noted Felix, ALC mostly relied on citizen journalists and opinion columnists who shared ALC’s commitment to democratic communication.

Despite enjoying strong political alliances with many historic ecumenical institutions throughout the region, the precarious financial situation faced by most of these groups made direct financial support for ALC difficult.

Reflecting on ALC’s decades of service, Félix noted: “Most of the current leadership of ALC are in our 50s and 60s. We remember a time when respected ecumenical leaders in Latin America had a significant voice in regional and world affairs, advocating for peace and justice. They had a seat at the table.”

Now, he said, “the loudest religious voices seem to be coming from self-appointed fundamentalist leaders. Often these charismatic leaders use their media platforms to propose a return to an autocratic and repressive past.”

He added that the generation of leaders emerging now does not often use the channels of historic ecumenical institutions for their advocacy efforts but rather works through local civil society groups engaging people via social media.

“Yes, this project is dying, but it will be resurrected in new ways. The need remains for spaces to share what we are doing and how better to do it together. The need remains for people of faith and for all people of good will – especially the historically silenced – to lift their voices in an articulated and articulate way in defense of their dignity, promoting justice and peace.”

By Dennis A. Smith for WACC news

As part of their cessation of operations, ALC will hold a webinar on Friday, 27 September, at 19:30 ARG/BRA on “Future Communication Challenges Facing Ecumenism in Latin America and the Caribbean.” In addition, on Tuesday, 22 October, at 19:30 ARG/BRA, Rev. Gerardo Oberman will lead a closing liturgy for ALC where participants will have the opportunity to share testimonies and reflections rooted in these decades of service. Links for both events will be posted on the ALC website.

Photos: (top) participants of the ALC News continental assembly in 2018 in Sao Paulo, Brazil; (middle) ALC News continental assembly 2018; ALC Editor Claudia Florentín Mayer and ALC Executive Director Leonardo Félix. Credit: Leonardo Félix