Pope Francis expresses concern and dismay over alleged abuse by priests in Bolivia
La Paz, Bolivia AP Pope Francis expressed concern – and dismay – over the allegations of sexual abuse committed by priests in Bolivia in a letter sent Friday to President Luis Arce, as a paedophilia scandal involving priests continues to rock the the Andean country. The pontiff pledged “the full cooperation of the Church to […]
Essay: Events in Bolivia and Brazil may signal a turning point for the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis in Latin America
In an article first published on The Conversation, MATTHEW CASEY-PARISEAULT, of the University of Arizona, says that while changes have been slow in coming in terms of addressing the clerical sexual abuse crisis, recent circumstances in Brazil and Bolivia may indicate a new trend…
Bolivian Catholics unfazed by sex scandals as they gear up for massive festival
La Paz, Bolivia AP Catholic devotees in Bolivia prepared for one of the country’s biggest religious celebrations this weekend at a time when the church in this Andean country has been rocked by an increasing number of sex abuse scandals. The faithful who were gearing up for the Jesus of the Great Power festival Saturday […]
Another deceased Jesuit priest accused of sex abuse in Bolivia as paedophilia scandal grows
La Paz, Bolivia AP A Spanish Jesuit priest who died in 2012 has been accused of sexually abusing a minor in Bolivia three decades ago, the latest in a string of paedophilia cases that have shaken the Catholic Church in this Andean country. Jorge Vila Despujol, who died in Barcelona in 2012, was formally accused […]
Bolivian Jesuits apologise for alleged abuse by late priest
La Paz, Bolivia AP Bolivia’s Jesuit congregation apologised Tuesday and announced an investigation into a late Spanish priest who allegedly abused several minors in Bolivia dating back to the 1980s. “We apologise for the pain this has caused,” said Rev Bernardo Mercado, head of the Catholic religious order known as La Compañía de Jesús. He […]
Joyous Holy Week celebrations around the world
AP From dressing as Roman soldiers in Antigua, Guatemala, to carrying palm fronds on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, Christians around the world are celebrating Holy Week. Christians pause along the Via Dolorosa, a route that is believed to be the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion, on Good Friday in the Old City of […]
In Bolivia’s heartland, protests rattle lithium development push
La Paz, Bolivia Reuters Protesters in Bolivia’s lithium-rich region of Potosi are blockading a key processing plant, demanding legislation that guarantees better benefits for local communities and larger royalties from extraction of the electric battery metal. The protests are focused on a plant in Llipi, near the Uyuni salt flats, which hold one of the […]
StrangeSights: Musicians play Bolivian garbage dump; Turkish soccer fans throw toys for quake survivors; and, Ukraine’s Banksy gets stamp of approval
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Bird flu kills sea lions and thousands of pelicans in Peru’s protected areas
Reuters Bird flu has killed tens of thousands of birds, mostly pelicans, and at least 716 sea lions in protected areas across Peru, the authorities said, as the H5N1 strain spreads throughout the region. Peru recorded its first case of the virus in November in birds in the north of the country. Since then it […]
Hundreds of trucks snarl Bolivia farm region as blockades hit business
Pailon, Bolivia Reuters Hundreds of trucks lined highways in Bolivia’s farming region of Santa Cruz on Tuesday, as protesters blockaded routes out of the region following the arrest of the local governor, and hard-hit local businesses urged a return to order. Protests have gripped the lowland region since the 28th December arrest of right-wing local […]