Colombia: A Young Church Among Water, Forest, War, and Coca
The Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Leguízamo–Solano was established only two years ago. Monsignor Joaquín Humberto Pinzόn sent us some impressions. The Vicariate covers an immense territory of 64,912 square km, inhabited by 56,000 people, almost all Catholics. It is located in the south of Colombia on the border with Peru and Ecuador, and is crossed […]
Myanmar: Tattoo, Not Taboo
Throughout Burma’s history, the tattoo has been an important part of Burmese culture, occupying a space between art and mysticism. An old Burmese saying goes: “Getting married, building a pagoda and getting a tattoo are the three things that once undertaken can only be altered afterwards with great difficulty”. Despite this, tattoos are once again […]
Uruguay: Mate, the Herb of Friendship
Visitors aren’t truly immersed in Uruguay until they try their first round of mate. It is the supreme proof of friendship, rooted in the history of the Southern Horn of Latin America. Not everyone enjoys the initiation. But once they overcome their reluctance to sharing the same pot with others and digesting a hot, bitter infusion, mate […]
The Macua People in Mozambique: Living in Harmony
The Macua are the largest ethnic group in Mozambique, and the following describes some of their cultural traits. The region inhabited by the Macua overlooks the Indian Ocean to the east, with more than 600 km of coastline, and it covers an area of about 200,000 sq km. It is bordered to the north, towards Tanzania, […]
The Street Children of New Delhi, India: In Search of their Future
The train station is their small city; the street is their home; friends are their family. These are the stories of the street children of New Delhi. Tajdar is 12 years old, and he cannot even remember when he started to live on the street. He arrived in New Delhi with his cousin Dakshi, who […]
The Catholic Church in Nepal: Committed to the Poor
The tiny Nepalese Catholic Church is organised into 8 parishes with 39 churches, 16 local priests, 60 religious, and 165 sisters — all in a single vicariate. The total Catholic community comprises around eight thousand people. Since the arrival of the Portuguese Jesuit João Cabral at the Nepalese court in 1628, the Church of Nepal has […]
South Sudan: A Real Maban Wedding
The Maban people are a Nilotic group of about 700,000 people. They live in 15,000 sq km in the Sudanese region of Malakal, near the Ethiopian border. This community makes its living working in the fields. The Maban divide the year into two semesters, rather than 12 months. The rainy season lasts from April to […]
Thailand: The Christians of Chiang Mai
In the north of Thailand, a small Christian community proclaims its faith among the great majority of Buddhists. This is the testimony of Monsignor Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, Bishop of Chiang Mai. The fifty-eight-year-old Bishop said: “Chiang Mai means ‘new city’ in the local language. It is the capital of the province with the same […]
Girl Soldiers in Uganda: Rebirth is Possible
After their childhood have been marked by unspeakable cruelty, former child soldiers find hospitality at the school run by Sister Rosemary, where they learn a trade and learn to be loved. Restoring dignity and confidence to former child soldiers is a difficult task, but Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe has no doubt that it is a challenge […]
UN Report: Eritrean Leaders Should Be Tried for Crimes against Humanity
U.N. rights investigators have accused Eritrean leaders of crimes against humanity, including torture, rape, and murder, and called on the Security Council to impose sanctions and refer the case to the International Criminal Court. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea has said atrocities in the country – which include an indefinite military national service programme that […]