Few believed the initial official figures that said 64 people died in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, a stunningly low statistic that officials released shortly after what is considered one of the island’s worst natural disasters on record. After many disputed the official number, Puerto Rican officials commissioned a... Read More
THE NEWS SITE YOU’LL HAVE FAITH IN
Puerto Rico’s Catholic bishops have called on their fellow Catholics, ‘our brothers and sisters’ from other creeds and ‘all people of goodwill’ to ‘assume discernment’ in facing the general election on 8th November. The bishops made the comments on 6th October in a 10-page statement about the election in light of the island’s current economic... Read More
Catholic Extension plans to expand its outreach in the Caribbean region, funding church reconstruction in Cuba and expanding its century-long involvement in Puerto Rico in response to the island’s ongoing debt crisis. The effort will cement long-standing relationships among American, Cuban and Puerto Rican Catholics in response to Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy plea to... Read More
Melva Arbelo, director of the Santa Teresita of the Child Jesus Children’s Home in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, has been named the winner of the 2016-17 Lumen Christi Award given annually since 1978 by American fundraising organisation Catholic Extension. Arbelo and her team help 24 children ages 3-7 who were removed from their homes after being... Read More
Mistrust of local government and federal agencies has caused doubt among Puerto Ricans about reports the Zika epidemic poses a grave situation to the island. Local residents saw the first Zika detection last December as just another mosquito scare. Given the island’s year-round tropical climate, and the current rainy season, mosquitoes are considered a normal... Read More
Puerto Rico got the legislation it had sought for months when the U.S. Senate adopted a bill that would allow the island’s political and financial leaders to restructure billions of dollars in debt and avoid defaulting on loan payments. Voting on 29th June, the Senate passed the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act,... Read More
A Puerto Rican bishop celebrating an outdoor Mass in Sabana Grande welcomed members of an unrecognised Marian organisation, but remained silent about the group’s ecclesial status. Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio of Mayaguez came to the southwestern municipality on 22nd May, after skipping his traditional Mass in the city for the feast of St. Isidore... Read More
Members of several Catholic groups joined representatives of more than 30 organisations for a march to “raise awareness and call to immediate action” to prepare for climate changes “that have started already” in this Caribbean island. Despite light rain and a severe weather forecast, thousands of marchers gathered on 30th April at Cosme Beitia Coliseum... Read More
