Church in the Americas

A trade of false promises and economic illusions feed some migrants’ dreams
- Apr 10, 2021
Felipe Abrego, of El Salvador’s Diocese of Chalatenango, who has seen countless friends and family leave the agricultural region over the years, said that often townsfolk know of a point person, a “fixer” in town connected to what are commonly called “coyotes,” or smugglers.

By Rhina Guidos
Catholic investors pressure Brazilian government to protect Amazon
- Apr 10, 2021
Catholic organizations are trying to pressure Brazil’s government to do more to protect the South American country’s environment, especially in its Amazon region.

By Eduardo Campos Lima
Colombian church groups mobilize to help newest Venezuelan refugees
- Apr 9, 2021
Church groups in Colombia are mobilizing to support thousands of Venezuelan refugees who recently fled a military offensive and are stuck in a remote Colombian border town.

By Manuel Rueda

Canadian bishops: Assisted suicide law perilous for disabled, mentally ill
- Apr 9, 2021
Canada’s Catholic bishops said the possible pressures the country’s new assisted suicide law will place on Canadians with mental illness or disabilities are “all too real, perilous and potentially destructive.”

By Agnieszka Ruck

Mexican bishop announces run for political office, then backtracks
- Apr 7, 2021
A Mexican bishop announced his intentions to run as a candidate in the country’s upcoming elections, then backtracked — a decision creating confusion and reviving debate in Mexico over the role of priests and pastors in the country’s politics.

By David Agren
Smugglers, extortion and broken dreams: Migrants’ road to U.S. has perils
- Apr 6, 2021
Shelters like La 72, run by the Franciscans near the Guatemala border, offer a respite on a dangerous route for migrants to the U.S. border.

By David Agren
Brazilian Catholic Church cautious after judge lifts bans on public worship
- Apr 6, 2021
Catholic leaders in Brazil are still exercising caution after a supreme court justice authorized the celebration of in-person religious services for the whole country on April 3.

By Eduardo Campos Lima
Mexico Good Friday re-enactment another victim of pandemic
- Apr 3, 2021
The Cerro de Estrella was a barren hilltop of sun-faded grass with three towering but empty wooden crosses on Good Friday, a day when for nearly all of the past 176 years it would have been crowded with multitudes of people witnessing a reenactment of the Passion of Christ.

By Fabiola Sanchez