No Lost Cause: Saint Jude, Mexico’s Top Catholic Saint

Last updated on: October 28, 2024 at 8:46 am By Andrew Chesnut

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

Catholic Friar Claims Santa Muerte Originated in Ecuador

Last updated on: October 22, 2024 at 1:59 pm By Andrew Chesnut

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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

Why is Pope Francis Increasingly Unpopular in the Americas?

Last updated on: September 29, 2024 at 11:07 am By Andrew Chesnut

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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

The Dance of the Black Death

Last updated on: September 10, 2024 at 1:25 pm By Andrew Chesnut

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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

Brazilian Pentecostal Crime Boss Peixão Ramps Up Holy War

Last updated on: July 12, 2024 at 7:13 am By Andrew Chesnut

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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

Mexican Tribunal Rules on Controversial Santa Muerte T-Shirt

Last updated on: May 23, 2024 at 10:53 am By Andrew Chesnut

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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

Mexican President AMLO Defends Santa Muerte

Last updated on: April 24, 2024 at 7:07 pm By Andrew Chesnut

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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

Catholic UFOs and New Religious Movements

Last updated on: April 12, 2024 at 2:09 pm By Andrew Chesnut

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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

Pastor Smashes Santa Muerte and Virgin of Guadalupe Statues

Last updated on: January 6, 2024 at 12:28 pm By Andrew Chesnut

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In a shocking incident that has gone viral in Mexico, an American Baptist pastor destroyed statues of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Santa Muerte with an ax, sparking widespread controversy and debate across the country. The extreme act of iconoclasm was performed by Pastor Kevin Wynne of Iglesia Bautista Fundamental Monte Sion in Mexico City during a recent service at his church. The axing of two of the three giants of the Mexican religious landscape has led to a storm... Read more

20 Differences Between Santa Muerte and San La Muerte

Last updated on: December 13, 2023 at 6:36 pm By Andrew Chesnut

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By guest contributor Dr. Alejandro Frigerio* The sanctification of death and the similarity of their imagery often leads to confusion between the Argentine and the Mexican skeleton saints. However, there are significant differences between the two, due to the very different social contexts in which they developed and the different roles that “death” plays in the social imaginary of each society. Although nowadays there may be some overlap between the two devotions through the internet and social media, where it’s... Read more

What kind of bird did Noah send out second from the ark?