Reggaeton speaks to me of God, in part because it awakened in me the tensions and longings of simply being human.
Latin America
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
As Mexico’s president attacks his critics and the press, Catholic leaders warn against the danger of polarization
Any source of criticism, whether a journalist, another politician or a member of civil society, can count on a barrage of invective from the president, senior members of his cabinet and often from among the millions of López Obrador’s online followers.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Ita, Maura, Dorothy, Jean: The legacy of 4 missionaries murdered in El Salvador 40 years ago
The four churchwomen chose to stay and to suffer, as St. Romero had once said, “the same fate as the poor.”
Posted inExplainer, Faith
The Church of Maradona: Understanding the left-wing saint of soccer
The passionate reaction to Maradona’s death was a sign of his transcendence and quasi-religious appeal.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Mexican church and civic leader cancel public Guadalupe celebrations
Mexican church and civic officials have canceled public feast celebrations for Mexico’s patroness at her shrine in Mexico City due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Carlo Acutis could become the first millennial saint. Here’s the story behind his first miracle.
Informally called “patron of the internet” for having published stories of Eucharistic miracles online, Blessed Carlo Acutis is now admired by thousands of Brazilians, young and old.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Hurricanes continue to batter Guatemala. Poverty (and poor government planning) are making things worse.
Guatemala’s vulnerability is natural disasters is compounded by climate change and historical inequities in land distribution—the poorest live in the most dangerous locations where many are threatened by mudslides.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
In Belize, death is a part of life. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.
During my first half-decade as a priest, I buried a total of three people. In the last two years here in Belize, that number is well over a hundred—and it has reminded me of love’s eternalness.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Crime rates in Mexico are higher than ever. Vigilante justice might make that worse.
In Mexico, where both organized and petty crime has exploded to unprecedented levels, vigilante justice has become increasingly common; citizens who gun down assailants during robbery attempts often make headlines as heroes.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Evo Morales says Pope Francis called him, pleaded for peace after Bolivia’s election
Evo Morales said Pope Francis called him to congratulate him on his party’s win after exit polls showed that the former Bolivian president’s top pick, Luis Arce, would win the general election.