Pope Leo XIV urged respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty and human rights on Sunday, saying he had been following events of the last two days with deep concern after the U.S. ousted dictator Nicolas Maduro. The pope called for peace and justice, while Venezuelan bishops expressed solidarity with victims and prayed for national unity.
Read MoreMany Venezuelans, including Christians at home and abroad, expressed cautious hope after U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro. While rejecting violence, they welcome the possibility of justice after years of repression. Church leaders now see the moment as a difficult beginning toward rebuilding peace.
Read MoreAs President Nicolás Maduro is being transferred to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking and terrorism crimes, after having been captured early this morning by U.S. forces on the orders of President Donald Trump, a series of calls to prayer have been issued by evangelical leaders and church organizations in response to the situation the country is experiencing.
Read MoreMientras el presidente Nicolás Maduro es trasladado a Nueva York para enfrentar un juicio por delitos de narcotráfico y terrorismo, tras haber sido capturado en horas de la madrugada por fuerzas estadounidenses por orden del presidente Donald Trump, una serie de llamados a la oración han sido emitidos por líderes evangélicos y organizaciones eclesiales ante la situación que vive el país.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With 2025 now behind us, it was a year filled with significant developments in religion, faith and spirituality — and 2026 is likely to be just as eventful. Here are five key religion-related issues and trends to watch for over the next 12 months in the U.S. and throughout the world.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a region known for its tumultuous change, one idea remained remarkably consistent for centuries: Latin America is Catholic. The region’s 500-year transformation into a Catholic stronghold seemed capped in 2013, when Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected as the first Latin American pope. Once a missionary outpost, Latin America is now the heart of the Catholic Church.
Read MoreBroadly, the three nations persistently harass religious communities through surveillance, threats of imprisonment, arbitrary detentions and arrests, control of religious messages including sermons and public attacks. The nations enact laws that unjustly restrict the activities and legal status of religious groups; practice favoritism in attempts to control messaging and deny religious freedom to prisoners.
Read MoreIt’s been occupied twice by military forces; it’s been expanded to house Franciscan friars, and these days, it’s part museum, part sacred space. The Church of San Francisco’s building tells the history of its host city, La Paz. Founded in 1549, the church is best known by the name of the founder of the Franciscans, which was one of the first orders to arrive with the Spanish conquerors.
Read MoreLa Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, fundados en el siglo XVI, son un símbolo fundamental de la identidad paceña. Reconstruida tras el colapso de su primera estructura, la actual iglesia barroca mestiza se erigió entre 1743 y 1800. A lo largo de la historia, el complejo fue ocupado por fuerzas independentistas y remodelado varias veces, siendo declarado monumento nacional en 1967.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Bad Bunny is more than a global music phenomenon; he’s a bona fide symbol of Puerto Rico. The church choir boy turned “King of Latin Trap” has songs, style and swagger that reflect the island’s mix of pride, pain and creative resilience.
Read More(EXPLAINER) When a life-size skeleton dressed like the Grim Reaper first appeared on a street altar in Tepito, Mexico City, in 2001, many passersby instinctively crossed themselves. The figure was La Santa Muerte — or Holy Death — a female folk saint cloaked in mystery and controversy.
Read MoreA leading religious freedom advocacy group joined Christians in southern Mexico Oct. 17 demanding answers after the latest murder of a Catholic priest in the region torn by drug cartels.
Read MoreLa derrota del socialismo en la primera vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales de Bolivia, el 17 de agosto, marcó un punto de inflexión para la Iglesia Católica.
Read MoreThe history of San Francisco Church in Valparaíso is so intertwined with the Chilean port city that when a fire burned down the building in 2013, one neighbor felt like she was losing a friend. The city owes its nickname “Pancho” to the church (men named “Francisco” are often called “Pancho” in Latin America).
Read MoreLa historia de la Iglesia San Francisco en Valparaíso está tan entrelazada con la ciudad portuaria chilena que, cuando un incendio destruyó el edificio en 2013, una vecina sintió que estaba perdiendo a un amigo.
Read MoreA new study by the Pew Research Center released Thursday reveals that many religiously unaffiliated adults — often referred to as “nones” — still hold beliefs commonly associated with religion, such as belief in life after death, a spiritual realm or even God. The study surveyed adults in 22 countries with large populations of religiously unaffiliated individuals.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a moment of both theological significance and pastoral clarity, Pope Leo XIV made his most consequential intervention yet on the church’s role in the Amazon. In a recent message, the pope struck a firm tone to 90 South American bishops meeting in Bogota, Colombia — affirming the Catholic Church’s mission and offering a course correction from the recent past.
Read MoreAt a time when more than three billion people worldwide live without access to a local church, International Cooperating Ministries is inviting Christians to help bridge that gap. The Virginia-based missions organization, which has helped construct more than 13,600 permanent church buildings in 110 countries, recently launched its new Community Impact Partners program.
Read MoreThis regular school day at the Professor Humberto González School Center would have been impossible four years ago. The neighborhood surrounding the campus used to be the grounds of a turf war between the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs. The student body, which once numbered 1,200, dropped to about 50
Read MoreA recent concert for peace in Gaza brought together Jews and Palestinians at a Catholic church in Santiago. Some 500 people attended the concert for cello, flute and classical guitar, with two female voices, organized by the Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Fernando Chomalí. The archbishop, who organized the event, is a descendant of Palestinian immigrants.
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