Introduction: The Caribbean, Shaped by the Call for Justice and Peace

Over the past 40 or more years, the Roman Catholic bishops of the Caribbean—the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC)—have authored several pastoral statements, letters, guidelines, and press releases in response to the ecclesial, social, political, economic, and environmental issues impacting the Caribbean region. Their statements, addressed directly to Catholics in the English-, Dutch-, and French-speaking Caribbean (except Haiti), represent a rich but littlerecognized source of pastoral and ethical reflection from within the region. In speaking of the pastoral letters, Chevannes (1991) claims them as examples of what makes the Church one of the most forward-thinking and radical institutions in Jamaica (and certainly, by extension, the Caribbean). In addressing issues such as the increasing crime and violence, deterioration of family life, destruction of the environment, and mishandling of development, the AEC statements plumb the depths of the wider Catholic Social Teaching Tradition in order to give pastoral direction to the Catholic faithful and people of the region. This larger Social Teaching Tradition is oftentimes referred to as the Catholic Church’s best kept secret (DeBerri et al. 2003). Within the realms of such “secrets” is to be found the distinct teaching of the Antilles bishops, who most often do not mince words.