Bishop Emeritus of Xingu, Erwin Krautler, traces the history of the Church in the Amazon. “With its feet on the ground”. The history of the Church in the Amazon differs greatly from the history of the Church in other parts of Brazil. Half of Brazil’s area was forgotten for centuries by the dioceses of central,…
Read more
A place where children find understanding and dignity. Comboni Missionary Father Saverio Paolillo explains. In the Marcos Moura quarter, in the outskirts of Santa Rita, a town in the state of Paraíba in north-east Brazil, an initiative called Project Legal is in action. A group of men and women take in children and maladjusted adolescents.…
Read moreOn last 27 April, in La Rioja, Bishop Angelelli, together with two priests and a layman, was beatified: all four were killed during the time of the dictatorship because of their preferential option for the poor. A bishop must always “turn one ear to the Gospel and the other to the people”. The Argentine Enrique…
Read more
In Brazil, where prisons are places of violence and the rate of re-offending is as high as 80%, there are also penitentiaries where the detainees succeed in changing. The secret? Trust, because nobody is beyond redemption. An experience born of a Christian context. Cleubert was born into a poor and afflicted family, of an alcoholic…
Read moreThe Church must accompany the indigenous peoples defending their culture. The importance of a change in the structure of the Church to respond to the real needs of the natives. We talk about it with Father Miguel Ángel, an Augustinian who has been living in Iquitos for 24 years and over the last twenty has…
Read moreThe cancellation of the effective reforms imposed during the decade in which the social-democrat government was in power, gave rise to serious public protests culminating in an armed revolt in 1960 that was led by a conspicuous group of military people who remained faithful to Arbenz. It was joined by workers, union groups, and students…
Read moreThe country has always been at the centre of tensions and troubles, provoking a sequence of dictatorships, foreign interventions, military coups and civil wars. Part of this situation is due to Guatemala’s geographical position in the area of Central America which, together with Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, acts as a hinge between the Southern…
Read moreIt was the Maya who, long ago, inhabited those territories that were later colonised by Spain. The Iberian penetration was accomplished around the years 1523-24, through the work of Pedro de Alvarado who was the founder of the old capital, Antigua, of Guatemala. With the passage of time, the Spanish possession became a Captaincy General…
Read moreIn December 2006, thanks to the support of the international community, a new truce was agreed that brought about an agreement signed by the United Nations and the Guatemalan government The purpose was to establish an independent Commission whose remit it was to assist the office of the Guatemalan Procurator, the national police and other…
Read moreWhen most people think of Mexican food, the first thing that comes to mind may be chili peppers and fiery hot dishes that threaten their taste buds. Although chilis are essential in Mexican cuisine throughout the country, they are not necessarily added for spiciness. More often than not they are used to enhance flavour. Many…
Read moreIllegal logging and deforestation for agriculture and livestock activities are destroying the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve. The Bosawas Biosphere Reserve in north-eastern Nicaragua, the largest forest reserve in Central America, covers an area of 2,420,000 hectares and constitutes a key element in the Mesoamerican biological corridor connecting protected areas of Belize, Costa Rica, Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,…
Read moreLiving with the street people. Evangelising the “inferno” of drugs. Experiencing “Mission Bethlehem”. It is just a small plywood house with a few bits of furniture, a chair or two and a wooden bed that is always covered with things. In a corner there is a small kitchen with a few cooking pots. There are…
Read more
He helped lead a sophisticated, global campaign to prevent the construction of Fonsalía Port, a massive recreational boat and ferry terminal that threatened a biodiverse…
Read more
A long time ago, on the island of Java, there were no rice plants. The people only grew cassava for their daily food, as rice was…
Read more
Three young Africans talk about their lives, and, above all, their dreams. Ghana. Francisca. “Resilience and loyalty” My name is Francisca Appiah and I am a nurse. I was…
Read more
