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Jan 16, 2025 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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.
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Oct 28, 2024 | 
patheos.com | 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.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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?
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Sep 29, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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.
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Sep 10, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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.
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Jul 12, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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.
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May 23, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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 doesn’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...
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Apr 10, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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.
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Jan 6, 2024 | 
patheos.com | Andrew Chesnut
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.
