From 1846 to 1848, in the worst years of the potato famine in Ireland and during mass emigration to the United States, one of the toughest units of the Mexican armed forces battling the invaders from “El Norte” was the Saint Patrick Battalion, known in Mexico as the ‘San Patricios.’
Mexico
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
‘Stop blaming Trump’: Immigration advocates call on Biden to address the border crisis
Some things have changed on the southern border, but a lot of things remain the same, according to Catholic humanitarian groups on the ground.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Mexico’s Guadalupe celebrations move online to prevent a potential Covid-19 catastrophe
The massive “Guadalupana,” as the annual celebration of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is commonly known, would be a potential public health catastrophe.
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
Día de los Muertos is a celebration—even during a pandemic.
For those who have lost loved ones to Covid-19, celebrations will not be the same this year. But they will still remember the souls who have passed on to new life.
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 inNews, Politics & Society
Mexican president again asks pope for apology for 1521 conquest
Amid the tensions in Mexico — which include the president’s opponents camping out in the heart of the capital — the Archdiocese of Mexico City published an editorial Oct. 11, saying, “It appears the pope is speaking directly to Mexico when he says politics is being used as a mechanism to exasperate and polarize in many countries.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Mexican archdiocese says phony priests proliferate during pandemic
“Pandemics and disasters are like springtime for phony priests,” said Rodolfo Soriano-Núñez, a sociologist who studies the Mexican church.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy has thousands of asylum seekers still stuck at the border
“Asylum on the border is pretty much impossible,” a legal advocate with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said. “Covid is being used as an excuse to close the border.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
At Mexican camp near U.S. border, asylum-seekers grow more desperate
Sister Norma Pimentel says that migrants that come for help ask for safety as well as sustenance.