Strengthening KAAD's Cooperation with Universities and Alumni in Latin America

In October 2025, Dr Mirjam Rossa travelled to Argentina and Uruguay to continue existing KAAD partnerships in Latin America and explore new forms of cooperation in the field of science and the church. The trip took her to Córdoba, Santa Fé, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The aim was to meet with long-standing partner institutions, KAAD alumnae and alumni and to take part in the XV International and Interdisciplinary Alumni Seminar of the Scholarship Organization Latin America-Germany (ICALA).

The seminar in Córdoba, entitled "Synodality, Democracy and Gender Justice" ("Sinodalidad, Democracia y Género"), was dedicated to questions of church participation and social responsibility. It brought together specialist lectures and interdisciplinary debates that dealt with the challenges of shaping synodality, democracy and gender justice in church and society today - in Latin America, Germany and worldwide. The focus was on questions of living together, the common path and the inclusion of marginalized groups - especially women and young people. The topic was not the relevance of the church as an institution, but the question of how Christians can contribute to democratic and inclusive renewal.

The event was opened by Professor Margit Eckholt, Professor of Dogmatics and Fundamental Theology at the University of Osnabrück, Chair of ICALA and a long-standing member of the KAAD Academic Committee. In her contribution "Synodality and participation - in search of a communicative church model", she developed the idea of a dialogical, learning church and thus opened up the theological framework of the seminar. This idea was taken further from different perspectives: Fr Dr Carlos Ignacio Man Ching SJ, KAAD alumnus and Rector of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador in Quito since October 2025, combined synodal thinking with institutional commitment in the prevention of abuse in the church. Professor Vicente Durán SJ, former member of the KAAD partner committee in Colombia and currently Rector of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, focused on the question of how church structures shape democratic cultures in Latin America and are simultaneously challenged by them.

Feminist theological perspectives from various Latin American countries deepened the discussion on power, participation and gender justice. Questions about the role of women in church decision-making processes, intersectional approaches and theological responsibility in contemporary synodal processes were addressed and taken further.

The ICALA program for the promotion of women working in academia, which is led by Professor Virginia Azcuy (Universidad Católica Argentina), set a special focus. It networks female academics from Latin America who conduct research on issues of theology, church and society and strengthens their presence in academic and church discourses. In this context, Catalina Cerda-Planas (Chile) presented a study project by ICALA and KAAD that highlights the global perspectives on the German synodal path.

The second part of the seminar focused on the history and future of ICALA's work in Latin America. Here, Mirjam Rossa contributed the perspective of KAAD in the panel "Proyecto de Cooperación ICALA-KAAD". She showed that education, research and international partnership make synodal action concrete – between continents, in joint reflection on responsibility and in the networking of people who help shape the church and society from their respective realities of life. The talks in Córdoba were also the prelude to further meetings in Argentina and Uruguay, which focused on expanding academic partnerships and dialog with alumni. 

Following the seminar, Mirjam Rossa discussed prospects for future academic and cultural cooperation with representatives of the Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) in Santa Fé. At the university, she was received at the Instituto de Estudios Avanzados del Litoral (IEA Litoral) by Vice Rector Professor Larisa Carrera. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Universidad Católica de Santa Fé, the Instituto de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales del Litoral (IHUCSO) and UNL teaching staff and researchers. The meeting was organized by KAAD alumna Dr Ana María Bonet who is involved in several projects at the IEA Litoral. The institute, which is characterized by its interdisciplinary, international and inter-institutional orientation, provided the framework for a lively discourse on perspectives in research and teaching.

The discussions focused on the question of how German and Latin American universities can take on common tasks in the face of global challenges and prepare young talents for a future in this awareness. Mirjam Rossa presented the work of KAAD and emphasized the importance of international educational cooperation. UNL emphasized the close connection between Latin American and German universities, which is particularly evident in the projects and exchange formats of the IEA Litoral. Professor Gonzalo Sozzo, Scientific Director of the institute, also emphasized its interdisciplinary character and openness to international cooperation. The visit to Santa Fe underlined the KAAD's commitment to further deepening academic links between Germany and Argentina. 

On this basis, Mirjam Rossa built on existing partnerships and visited the Universidad Católica de Santa Fé (UCSF). In the meeting with KAAD alumnus and Vice Rector Professor Guillermo Kerz with Rector Martín de Palma and other representatives of the university, new perspectives for academic cooperation and the promotion of young researchers were explored.

A subsequent exchange meeting brought KAAD alumnae and alumni from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay together digitally and on site and made it clear how strong the connection between KAAD and its alumni is across national and generational boundaries: based on shared values, academic curiosity and the desire to actively shape societies.

Another highlight of the trip was the visit to the Catholic Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires. In cooperation with the ICALA Advisory Board Buenos Aires, an intensive academic exchange took place there, which brought theology and contemporary issues into a lively dialog. As part of the event, Dr Federico Tavelli (Catholic University of Buenos Aires), Professor Michael Seewald (University of Münster, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Leibniz Prize winner), Professor Martin Kirschner (Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) and Margit Eckholt gave specialist lectures that opened up different perspectives on current theological issues. The contributions highlighted the tension between tradition and renewal in the church, the importance of theology in social discourse and the need for international cooperation in research and teaching, also with a view to the work of ICALA e. V. over the last thirty years.

Following the presentations, Mirjam Rossa met with representatives of the ICALA Buenos Aires Advisory Board to discuss current and future opportunities for cooperation. In particular, the focus was on the question of how young researchers can be more closely integrated into international networks and how joint initiatives to promote theological education and social responsibility can be further developed.

The trip ended with a visit to the Faculty of Theology at the Catholic University of Uruguay in Montevideo. Here, Mirjam Rossa met with representatives of the ICALA advisory board in Uruguay, including Professor Susana Monreal Cataldi, to discuss the further development of cooperation between KAAD, ICALA and the university.

The meeting was marked by a shared interest in theologically sound and socially relevant research that addresses current social challenges. ICALA scholarship holders presented their highly interesting research projects, which showed how closely academic work and pastoral practice are linked. One focus was on pastoral work in Uruguayan prisons – a subject area that highlights the question of dignity, justice and church presence in the margins of society in a special way.

Further discussions focused on the future of scholarship work in Uruguay and KAAD's commitment in the region. It became clear how important it is to provide targeted support for young academics who deal with the challenges of their society from a theological and social perspective. The KAAD sees this work as a contribution to strengthening church and academic networks in Latin America and to sustainably deepening the dialog between science, church and society.