MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Next to a loyal army commander, there is nothing so important to a Latin American dictator as the blessing of the archbishop. Even when the Catholic Church is hostile — as it now is in many military regimes — no government actively
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The first man in the line gave noodles; the woman behind him, a pair of used shoes. Others brought cans of meat and powdered milk, sacks of flour, soup and clothes. Strange offerings, perhaps, in a traditional Latin American Catholic shrine
ASUNCION, Paraguay — Travel posters and guidebooks notwithstanding, Paraguay’s much-touted Jesuit missions are no place for a tourist. Not nowadays at least, with military checkpoints on every road and whole villages under siege. So frightened are the people in the region of the missions that
SANTIAGO, Chile — When 43 visiting bishops and priests were arrested in Ecuador last month, the Catholic Church was stunned. Though persecution of priests and nuns is becoming commonplace in Latin American countries, the arrest and expulsion of such high-ranking Churchmen, including four U.S. bishops,
ROME, Italy — A political-religious battle is under way in Europe that will shape the future of this continent as well as Latin America. U.S. interests in these countries also will be affected. Known in Europe as the “Catholic question,” the controversy started in 1972
