Since 1972, monks and nuns in Latin America living according to the Rule of Saint Benedict have gathered every three or four years for the Encuentro Monástico Latinoamericano (EMLA), a forum combining fraternal exchange, shared formation and reflection on monastic life in the region.

The 2025 meeting took place from 3 to 10 November in Salvador de Bahía, bringing together Benedictine, Cistercian and Trappist communities representing different parts of South America. Participants came from the regional monastic associations ABECCA, SURCO and CIMBRA and were hosted by the Brazilian Conference of Monastic Exchanges (CIMBRA).

The programme centred on the theme of fraternity, explored through conferences and workshops addressing monastic communities as schools of fraternal life, the foundations of fraternity in the Rule of Saint Benedict and the witness of monastic life as a sign of hope for the Church and the wider world.

Father Abbot Dom Bernard Lorent Tayart OSB, President of the AIM, took part in the encounter, highlighting its significance for monastic cooperation and mutual support across the continent.

The participants entrusted all the brothers and sisters present to prayer, asking that the Holy Spirit continue to guide the monastic communities of Latin America in living and deepening their vocation to fraternity.