In my four decades of research, travel, and living in Mexico I have seen hundreds of street and roadside shrines across the country. As you might imagine in a country that is 77% Catholic, the great majority of the shrines are dedicated to Catholic saints, especially the Virgin of Guadalupe, Saint Jude, Patron of Lost Causes, and various advocations of the Christ Child. However, since the folk saint of death, Santa Muerte, is the fastest growing new religious movement in... Read more
By Guest Contributor Judika Illes* Can’t find your purse? Lost your keys? You’ve misplaced something crucial. You know it’s around here somewhere, but you can’t find it. Who can help you? Saint Anthony, that’s who. Among the most beloved of all saints, Anthony of Padua celebrates his feast on June 13, smack in the heart of Gemini season, the zodiac sign symbolized by twins, and so perhaps it is appropriate that Anthony is a saint possessing a dual nature. There... Read more
Practically unknown in Mexico before the 1980s, Saint Jude Thaddeus has catapulted to the top position among Catholic saints in the country with the world’s second largest Catholic population, which will soon surpass Brazil for the top spot. No other Catholic saint rivals the popularity of San Judas. Only the Virgin of Guadalupe and folk saint Santa Muerte can compete with St. Jude for Mexican souls. And over the past two decades, competition between the nation’s number one Catholic saint... Read more
By Guest Contributor Walter Walgraeve, Bishop Emeritus* In recent years, Santa Muerte, the “Saint of Death,” has grown into a popular and powerful figure, especially in Mexico. People often turn to her when they seek help with health, love, or even protection in dangerous situations. But where did this mysterious figure come from? One recent publication, a booklet by Father Robert Nixon, Doña Sebastiana: The Original Santa Muerte, makes an intriguing but bogus claim: it suggests that the roots of... Read more
The declining popularity of Pope Francis in both Latin America and the United States, as revealed by the Pew Research Center survey, can be attributed to several significant factors. Although the pope remains widely popular among Catholics, his favorability ratings have decreased notably since the beginning of his papacy in 2013. This decline in popularity is largely influenced by his stances on issues related to contraception, the priesthood, and sexuality—topics that divide opinion among Catholics across different countries. Analyzing these... Read more
By Guest Contributor Rogue Art Historian* Buonamico Buffalmacco’s The Dance of Death (Il Trionfo della Morte) at the Camposanto Monumentale in Pisa is one of the most striking and haunting frescoes of the medieval period. Painted in the 14th century, the work exemplifies the era’s preoccupation with mortality and the afterlife, likely reflecting the social, religious, and political context of the time. This fresco also illustrates the artistic evolution of Buffalmacco, a painter known for his contribution to the progression... Read more
One of the disturbing new trends on the diverse religious landscape of Brazil is Pentecostal intolerance and even persecution of its religious rivals. Over the past five decades Pentecostalism has mushroomed in the South American giant to the point that Brazil is now not only home to the largest Catholic population on the planet but also the most numerous Pentecostal one. Before the Pentecostal boom, it was the monopolistic Catholic Church that persecuted both Protestants and followers of Umbanda and... Read more
With Mexican elections less than two weeks away, the Electoral Tribunal of the Judicial Branch of the Federation (TEPJF) rejected the challenge presented by the National Action Party (PAN) against the ruling party, Morena’s use of a t-shirt with the image of Santa Muerte and the phrase “Real men don’t not speak badly of López Obrador.” The TEPJF determined that said action did not violate the principle of separation of church and state, did not constitute electoral propaganda with religious... Read more
This morning Mexican president Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) became the first Mexican president to speak positively of Santa Muerte, the New Religious Movement which went public in Mexico City in 2001. Previous presidents had either ignored the skeletal folk saint or in the case of Felipe Calderon actually declared war on her as religious enemy number one of the Mexican state in its battle against the drug cartels. The Mexican president stated in his morning address to... Read more
On April 8, 2024, I hosted Professor Diana Pasulka of University of North Carolina, Wilmington, for a riveting talk titled “Contemporary Ascent Narratives: From Catholic UFOs to New Religious Movements.” Dr. Pasulka spoke as part of my annual Catholic Studies lecture series at Virginia Commonwealth University where I hold a Chair in Catholic Studies and am Professor of Religious Studies. Listen to Professor Pasulka’s talk here and follow her on Instagram and me on X and Instagram. In collaboration with... Read more
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