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The Media Project América Latina, New York, NY (2025)

07/25/2025

Could the flourishing history of journalism provide clues for enabling it to flourish in future? Why is society’s watchdog, the press, with its long and often honorable pedigree, going feral? Failing to bark at misrepresentation and fraud, while snarling at truth?

Why does journalism have the privileged position it does? As commercialization collides with the greatest communication revolution since Gutenberg, why are both revenues and media ethics in meltdown?

(EXCERPT) Could the flourishing history of journalism provide clues for enabling it to flourish in future? Why is society’s watchdog, the press, with its long and often honorable pedigree, going feral? Failing to bark at misrepresentation and fraud, while snarling at truth? Why does journalism hav...

12/18/2024

The number of countries who impose heavy government restrictions on religious freedom peaked in 2022, according to a new study released on Wednesday.

While the global median score on the Government Restrictions Index (based on several factors) held steady in 2022 at 3.0 out of 10, the number of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government restrictions on religion rose to 59, which accounts for 30% of the 198 countries and territories Pew Research Center studied.

While the global median score on the Government Restrictions Index (based on several factors) held steady in 2022 at 3.0 out of 10, the number of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government religious restrictions rose to 59, which accounts for 30% of the 198 countries and terri...

09/20/2024

The Vatican gave Catholics the go-ahead on Thursday to continue visiting the Bosnian village of Medjugorje, a place millions deem holy after children had reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary there decades ago.

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a statement that fell short of declaring the apparitions as “authentic” — but instead recognized the “positive fruits” for pilgrims stemming from the spiritual experience.

The Vatican note recognized what it called “abundant conversions” of people who had visited the site in the past — adding that a “desire awakened in the context of Medjugorje to give (pilgrims) deeply to the service of God in obedience to the church, or to give themselves with greater commitment to the life of faith in their home parish.”

The Vatican gave Catholics the green light to continue visiting the Bosnian village of Medjugorje, where children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary some four decades ago. The Vatican's doctrinal office released a statement that fell short of declaring the apparitions “authentic” — but...

09/05/2024

On a sunny day, Lucio Jimenez Ocampo accompanies us to his coffee plantations. Coffee here is hidden under the shade of trees that support its growth. Similar to many other farmers from the Sierra Mixe region in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, in 2015, he lost nearly all his coffee plants to coffee rust — a plague that thrives in hot and humid weather.

Today, his coffee plants are tall, healthy and abundant enough to support his entire family. Apart from the hard work Jimenez Ocampo does on the plantations, his family also performs rituals to help coffee grow.

“My parents do the rituals, and this way they secure good harvest,” said 40-year-old coffee producer. “We kill a turkey, bring tepache and mezcal to the plantation and eat there with the workers. We also perform the ritual after the harvest to give thanks and ask for permission to carry out all the following activities in the field without any danger."

The Mixe language continues to thrive. The Mixe people consider themselves never conquered, and turkey — an animal native to the Americas before colonization — is served at all significant events. Asking Mother Earth for permission and for the well-being of the plants does not only accompany cof...

07/30/2024

News audiences have been consumed by the onrush of the Donald Trump assassination attempt, Joe Biden’s extraordinary fall and Kamala Harris’s rise. But Catholics who follow religious events got other eye-popping news July 1 from CruxNow.com, an excellent and influential journalistic outlet on church events.

(ANALYSIS) Why rake muck? For one thing, it’s biblical. Recall Scripture’s narratives about the venerated King David’s adultery and homicide or St. Peter’s multiple denials of Jesus Christ. It encourages healthy reflection on the forgiveness of sins, the ways power is misused, the dangers of...

07/19/2024

On the night of June 18, 1983, 10 women, from a 57-year-old mother to a 17-year-old student, were held in Adel Abad Prison they were executed in Chowgan Square in Shiraz, Iran, on charges that they belonged to the Baha’i faith.

Even though the Ukrainian Orthodox Church tries to stay independent of Russian officials, agents have dressed in priestly robes to get information.

While Muslim athletes from other countries can wear hijabs during the upcoming Paris Olympics, athletes from France are banned from donning the head coverings.

These were just a few of the stark examples of religious intolerance that were discussed at the fourth annual Religious Liberty Summit at the University of Notre Dame from July 9-11.

The theme of the conference, which took place at the school’s campus in South Bend, Indiana, was “Depolarizing Religious Liberty,” which still depends too much on one's race, faith or nationality. The highlight of the summit was an awards program and gala where the Religious Liberty Clinic was...

07/11/2024

Dr. Nina Balmaceda just finished a years-long project focused on uncovering the sacred story of Peace and Hope International over its first 25 years, emphasizing the spiritual dimensions of social and political renewal in Peru and Latin America.

Her research has focused primarily on the organization's distinct spiritual understanding of love, deeply rooted in its Christian tradition, as not only an interpersonal commitment but a political and social responsibility as well.

Through qualitative interviews, focus groups, field visits and documentary reviews, Balmaceda, the associate director for the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity and national director for Peace and Hope International, has explored the ethical and spiritual foundations of Peace and Hope’s role in Latin America’s political and social renewal. Emphasizing theologically grounded love as the key to sociopolitical transformation, the work aims to make visible the invisible, showcasing the story of a spiritual movement in Latin America.

Dr. Nina Balmaceda recently finished a project focused on uncovering the story of Peace and Hope International over its first 25 years, emphasizing the spiritual dimensions of social and political renewal in Latin America. Her research has focused on the organization's spiritual understanding of lov

07/06/2024

Imagine a world where AI is omnipresent. It occupies your home, your car, your workplace, your pocket. Even your mind. Every aspect of your daily routine is seamlessly integrated with this sophisticated technology.

It anticipates your needs, completes your thoughts, deciphers your emotions, plays your favorite songs, drafts your emails and even suggests your next meal. It serves as your personal assistant, confidant, entertainment hub and your lover. Life becomes smooth, convenient and tailored to your every whim.

But something crucial is missing. A sense of unease begins to take root. Interactions feel hollow, conversations lack depth and relationships become superficial and transactional. The more we rely on AI, the more we find ourselves yearning for something it cannot provide: authenticity, meaning and opportunities to connect on a fundamentally human level.

(ANALYSIS) The more we rely on AI, the more we find ourselves yearning for something it cannot provide: authenticity, meaning and opportunities to connect on a fundamentally human level. This is where the church reenters the scene, not as a relic of the past, but as a symbol of the present, a sanctu

06/28/2024

Millions continue to suffer religious persecution globally, with wars and civil conflicts exacerbating already existing ills in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the U.S. State Department documented in its 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom.

The report on 199 countries and territories attempts to present a nonbiased overview of persecution by governments, extremists and members of society, relying on information from government officials, religious groups, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, academia, media and others.

Millions continue to suffer religious persecution globally, with wars and civil conflicts exacerbating already existing ills in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the U.S. State Department documented in its 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom. The report attempts to present an over

06/20/2024

The Great Supper is the name Christians in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba give to their annual gathering. And this year, the 25th Great Supper brought 120 believers, representing 14 Churches of Christ, to the city of Cajazeiras.

They shared more than a meal, said Mike Pruitt, a longtime missionary in Recife, a coastal city about 340 miles east of Cajazeiras.

Pruitt spoke on the event’s theme, “Hear and Obey,” using the story of Christ washing his disciples’ feet in John 13.

“Knowing he came from God and was returning to God, Jesus stooped to wash the disciples’ dirty feet,” Pruitt said, “leaving us an example of selfless service to follow.”

The event gave Pruitt and his wife, Aureni, the chance to catch up with Rivaldo Café, an evangelist who exemplifies Christ’s selfless service, the missionary said.

The Great Supper is the name Christians in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba give to their annual gathering. And this year, the 25th Great Supper brought 120 believers, representing 14 Churches of Christ, to the city of Cajazeiras. They shared more than a meal, said Mike Pruitt, a longtime mi...

06/04/2024

Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won a landslide victory on Sunday to become Mexico's first female Jewish president.

Sheinbaum, won the presidency with 58.3 percent of the vote, according to the latest results, to defeat opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez.

“For the first time in the 200 years of the republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum told supporters to chants of “president, president.”

Sheinbaum is also a Jew in a country that is 78 percent Catholic, making it the biggest in the Western Hemisphere. Mexico is also home to 40,000 Jews. The majority of them live in the capital Mexico City. While her faith remained a marginal aspect of the race — instead dominated by the country’s high crime rates and immigration — it nonetheless came up in good and bad ways.

Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won a landslide victory on Sunday to become Mexico's first female president. Sheinbaum, won the presidency with nearly 60 percent of the vote, defeating opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez. She is also Jewish in a country that i

05/30/2024

The Great Supper is the name Christians in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba give to their annual gathering. And this year, the 25th Great Supper brought 120 believers, representing 14 Churches of Christ, to the city of Cajazeiras.

They shared more than a meal, said Mike Pruitt, a longtime missionary in Recife, a coastal city about 340 miles east of Cajazeiras.

Pruitt spoke on the event’s theme, “Hear and Obey,” using the story of Christ washing his disciples’ feet in John 13.

“Knowing he came from God and was returning to God, Jesus stooped to wash the disciples’ dirty feet,” Pruitt said, “leaving us an example of selfless service to follow.”

The event gave Pruitt and his wife, Aureni, the chance to catch up with Rivaldo Café, an evangelist who exemplifies Christ’s selfless service, the missionary said.

“When I first met him at his conversion, he was a professional soccer player,” Pruitt said of Café. “God called him from winning games to winning souls.”

Café’s decision to leave futebol, as it’s called in Brazil, was unexpected, said his wife, Leila. When missionaries invited him to study at a Bible school in Recife in 1988, Café had just received an offer to play for a team in Portugal.

The Great Supper is the name Christians in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba give to their annual gathering. And this year, the 25th Great Supper brought 120 believers, representing 14 Churches of Christ, to the city of Cajazeiras. They shared more than a meal, said Mike Pruitt, a longtime mi...

The Media Project América Latina

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