(ANALYSIS) During his time in the South American nation, Pope Leo XIV lived alongside his parishioners through a bloody civil war, a decade-long dictatorship and an unstable post-dictatorship period that has so far led to three former presidents being handed prison sentences.
Read More(REVIEW) “Vote of Faith” combines ethnographic storytelling with academic analysis. Readers might find the engaging stories and conversations captivating, like a great novel. However, some sections filled with jargon and less common vocabulary may slow down the reading pace. Overall, the book is well-researched and intriguing, providing valuable insights into the relationship between religion and politics.
Read MoreEl nuevo papa León XIV saludó en su primer discurso como jefe de la Iglesia Católica Romana a la diócesis de Chiclayo, donde ejerció como misionero y arzobispo emérito en el norte del Perú, país donde ha realizado gran parte de su ministerio religioso.
Read MoreIn his first address as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV offered a special greeting to the Diocese of Chiclayo in northern Peru, where he once served as a missionary and Archbishop Emeritus. Peru is celebrating his election as a historic milestone, as he becomes the first pope with dual citizenship — American by birth and Peruvian by naturalization.
Read MoreThe wooden churches of Chiloé stand as a landmark of this archipelago in this southern Latin American nation. Built in the 18th, 19th and early 20th century, they survive amid restoration challenges and fewer faithful attending Mass. In 2000, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization declared 16 of these churches as World Heritage Sites.
Read MoreBelief in the supernatural — including life after death and the idea that animals and nature can possess spirits — is common across diverse cultures and religions, with younger and older generations sharing similar views, a new survey reveals. The findings paint a nuanced picture of global spirituality, suggesting that beliefs in the unseen are deeply rooted in human cultures and persist even as traditional faith fades.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion and Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program, along with Gallup and the Center for Open Science, released on Wednesday the first findings of their ongoing worldwide survey examining what makes for human flourishing.
Read MoreEl escritor peruano Mario Vargas Llosa, laureado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura en 2010, falleció en Lima el 13 de abril. Críticos y seguidores han dedicado los últimos días y semanas a analizar la obra y el legado de este renombrado intelectual, político, novelista y ensayista —considerado por muchos como una de las figuras más importantes de la literatura mundial contemporánea.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, 2010 Nobel Laureate in Literature, died in Lima on April 13. His critics and followers have spent the last few days and weeks analyzing the work and legacy of this renowned intellectual, politician, novelist and essayist — arguably one of the most important figures in contemporary world literature. Vargas Llosa is often regarded as the last of the great writers from the Latin American “Boom of the 1960s.”
Read MoreAs always, the annual U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report focused on trends in nations known for bitter religious conflicts and the persecution of religious minorities, including Christians. The list of offenders of “particular concern” included China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and others. The commission pushed to add Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Vietnam to that list.
Read MoreMany stopped attending churches in January when the sensitive locations limitations were lifted on ICE arrests — impacting churches and schools. But the end of the humanitarian parole program, and the Temporary Protected Status program in August, will together inflict a multilayered wound upon churches, families and Gospel witness.
Read MoreConditions in Afghanistan and India continued to deteriorate and remained poor in Nigeria and Vietnam, USCIRF commissioners said March 25 in its 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom, calling out countries where Christian minorities face murder, torture and other ills either sanctioned by the government or with little governmental intervention.
Read MoreA medida que se acerca el Ramadán, una comunidad sufí en Chile enfrenta los desafíos de prepararse para el ayuno en un país no musulmán. Chile, de mayoría católica, sabe poco sobre el Ramadán, el mes sagrado en el calendario lunar islámico en el que los musulmanes ayunan desde antes del amanecer hasta la puesta del sol. También se abstienen de relaciones sexuales durante el ayuno y evitan maldecir, pelear o discutir.
Read MoreAs Ramadan approaches, a Sufi community in Chile is grappling with the challenges of preparing for fasting in a non-Muslim country. Catholic-majority Chile knows little about Ramadan, the holy month in the Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslims fast just before sunrise until the setting of the sun. They also abstain from sexual relations during the fast and avoid cursing, fighting or arguing.
Read MoreWinning souls for Christ in Nicaragua was tough, but in a country where faith is almost an assumption, church membership and attendance doesn’t seem to be a priority, said minister César Gadea. Now, the church they planted is planting new churches. Some surveys refer to the South American nation as one of the most religious in the world.
Read MoreThe United States has a “relatively low level of religious nationalism” compared to other countries, but its impact on politics and society is particularly notable among high-income nations. The Pew Research Study released on Tuesday examined the role of religion worldwide by surveying people across 36 countries.
Read MorePresident Donald Trump has halted for at least 90 days a refugee admissions program that resettled 100,000 individuals fleeing persecution in fiscal year 2024, including nearly 30,000 Christians. By an executive order Monday, Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program “until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests” of the nation.
Read MoreThe book, six years in the making, vividly recreates Pope Francis’ childhood in Buenos Aires and offers few new insights into his papacy. The book is enhanced by remarkable photographs, including private and unpublished material made personally available by Francis himself. He tackles a series of topics, including the future of the church, social policy, migration and the environmental crisis.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Could it possibly have been coincidence? The very day Congress certified Donald Trump’s election as the next U.S. president, the Vatican announced the transfer of San Diego’s Cardinal Robert McElroy to become the politically significant archbishop of Washington, D.C. There’s no doubt Pope Francis wants McElroy to keep an eye on Trump.
Read MoreUn nuevo museo de inmigrantes, cerca de las iglesias anglicanas y luteranas del siglo XIX y los cementerios católicos y protestantes, planea convertirse en el centro de la vida cultural de la atracción más visitada de Valparaíso, el Cerro Concepción. La antigua Escuela Alemana de Valparaíso está siendo renovada para convertirse en el Museo del Inmigrante.
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