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 moreAfter thirty eight years of impunity, the process of identifying the assassins and those who sent them is reopened. People again speak of the “Argentine Connection”. Some days before the canonisation which took place on 14 October in Rome, a march was held ending in front of the Palace of Justice in San Salvador. The…
Read moreBishops and priests threatened with death. Churches profaned. Nevertheless, the Church has become a sign of hope and strength for many. They broke down the door of the presbytery to get in, those six hooded and heavily armed men. They held Father Alfredo Garcia, parish priest of San Cristobal in Managua, at gunpoint while shouting…
Read moreOn the theme: “America on a Mission, the Gospel is joy”, the Fifth American Missionary Congress was held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia). A moment of encounter, of reflection on the challenges to be found in the society and Church of the American Continent today. How can the Church strengthen its identity and…
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“What we would like to achieve when we talk about peace. Peace means self-determination. Peace means biological conservation. Peace means revitalization of our culture and…
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At that time Viracocha, the creator God, looked down upon the earth. He saw it was bare, shrouded in impenetrable darkness, for daylight did not yet…
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“Young Africans are playing an active role in bringing social change in the continent. They are contributing daily to the benefit of their communities and nations…
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