Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who served as head of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 until his surprise resignation in 2013, was a theologian known for his writings and defense of traditional values to counter the increased secularization of the West.
Read More“Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art,” a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, explores the role of religion in Classic Maya society with developments from the past few decades. It presents the culture as one where gods are deeply interwoven with everyday life.
Read MoreThe soccer star, a practicing Catholic, didn’t hide his feelings after Argentina’s World Cup victory on Sunday at the 89,000-seat Lusail Stadium outside Qatar’s capital Doha. It was a final loaded with ups and downs. Argentina twice squandered a lead — but triumphed in the end on penalties after the game ended 3-3.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The World Cup in Qatar continues to roll along into the semifinals. So far, the premier soccer tournament — and arguably the planet’s biggest sporting event — has showcased skill, drama and even some upsets. Aside from all that, what the World Cup has also generated are plenty of different kinds of storylines to focus on.
Read MoreThe Argentina versus England quarterfinal matchup at the 1986 World Cup will forever be remembered as the game where Diego Maradona scored twice, one of them a controversial goal he later dubbed the “Hand of God.” The game, a mix of political tension and faith, cemented Maradona’s place as one of soccer’s greatest players.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pope Francis decided to divide the church’s Synod of Bishops into two sessions, one next October and a second in October 2024, in order to “help everyone to live it as the journey of brothers and sisters who proclaim the joy of the Gospel.” What does it mean for the future of Catholicism?
Read More(REVIEW) Historian John McGreevy’s new book “Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis,” covering a period of 230 years, can only be defined as ambitious. Extremely well researched and skillfully put together, McGreevy’s book is a must-read for anyone interested in the planet’s largest Christian denomination.
Read MoreLike many others, 66-year-old Mayan Rosalina Tuyuc has been scarred by Guatemala’s decades-long civil conflict that officially ended in 1996, but from which the country has yet to recover. Raised Catholic, she has now learned to also look to her ancestors’ Indigenous spirituality for healing and answers.
Read More(OPINION) On June 2, the U.S. State Department delivered its annual report to Congress on international religious freedom. The report identifies the numerous challenges to the right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized some of the main findings of this in-depth research into the situation around the world.
Read MorePastor Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization with more than 42,000 churches in the U.S., responded to recent mass shootings in America by preaching a message of hope and insisting that Christians “pray with actions.”
Read MoreOn tropical Ambergis Caye in Belize, Islam is a family affair. The island's largest town, San Pedro, has a population of just over 13,000, of whom some 200 are Muslims. This small yet vibrant Muslim community was launched by a single adventurous Lebanese family — the Harmouches.
Read MoreNamed La’eeb — which FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, said is “an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player” — the World Cup mascot triggered plenty of confusion and scorn on social media. But the mascot was primarily an homage to Arab garments known as the “keffiyeh” and “thawb.”
Read MoreMaria Martin, an independent journalist based in Guatemala, offers this remembrance of the late Sister Dianna Ortiz, a remarkable woman who used her horrific experience as a torture survivor in Guatemala in the 1980s to fight for human rights and educate about the use of torture globally — even while suffering the trauma of her experience until her death in February 2021.
Read MoreOn July 11, 2021, in Cuba, thousands of people of all kinds took to the streets in the greatest display of the power of civil society ever seen in this totalitarian country. Since then, a persecution has been unleashed against some pastors that has contributed to an increasing number of religious leaders and churches questioning speaking out.
Read MoreSince “11J,” the name given to the July 11, 2021, widespread protests in Cuba, state persecution of Protestant pastors spiked. Today, an increasing number of religious leaders and churches are questioning police repression or speaking out against the Cuban government.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As 2021 comes to a close, everyone is looking toward 2022. The news cycle over the last two years has been dominated by COVID-19, and that doesn’t seem to be subsiding given the rash of recent omicron infections. The Catholic world, meanwhile, had in 2021 one of its busiest years. Expect 2022 to be just as busy.
Read More
