With the miners came violence and diseases like malaria, to which the relatively isolated Indians had no resistance. In one village, no one survived. In others, as many as one-third of the villagers succumbed, some to disease and others to malnutrition.
Latin America
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
‘They put a gun to my head,’ says Honduran mother of six
Maribel’s plight highlights the despair and desperation of many migrants, who flee violence, poverty and, increasingly, drought and the early effects of climate change in Central America.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Who gets to be Brazil’s patron of education under Bolsonaro? Paulo Freire or a Jesuit saint?
Allies of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro want to strip Paulo Freire of his patronage of Brazilian education in favor of a Jesuit saint. But he did not count on one thing: the opposition of Brazilian Jesuits.
Posted inFaith, News
Vatican questions use of term ‘viri probati’
While the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Amazon aims to highlight the damage wrought by climate change and exploitation, the possibility of ordaining married men to minister in remote areas of the rain forest continues to garner more attention.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Vatican will discuss ordaining married men as priests in Amazon region
While this proposal may draw most media attention, it should not be allowed to eclipse other significant aspects in the document, including the church’s strong commitment to work for justice for indigenous people and the protection of the environment.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Chilean bishop resigns before ordination over controversial comments
His renunciation did not come as a total surprise given the controversy that erupted in Chile following the priest’s controversial statements after his nomination.
Posted inFaith, Features
Is Francis our first charismatic pope?
Francis may not pray in tongues, writes Austen Ivereigh, but no pope has ever identified as closely with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, nor been so keen to move it front and center of the church.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Can El Salvador face its future without confronting its past?
Salvadorans have high hopes for the new president’s leadership. El Salvador suffers one of the world’s highest murder rates, and a third of its population lives below the poverty line.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis to judges: ‘There is no justice when there is inequality’
In a speech to some 100 judges from north, central and south America, Pope Francis emphasized the crucial role of judges in protecting the social, economic and cultural rights of people.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
How a Brussels church became a home for Latin American refugees
In a country where the Hispanic community is dispersed and Latin American restaurants and organizations are few, Notre Dame aux Riches Claires is the go-to gathering place for migrants and refugees who want to be reminded of home.