Urban Christian News: South America Archives

Battling Cancer, Hugo Chavez Turns to Jesus Christ for Inspiration

By UCN on May 9, 2012 7:35 AM

In this July 4, 2011 file photo, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez kisses a crucifix as he greets supporters from a balcony in Miraflores presidential palace, after returning from Cuba where he underwent cancer surgery, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Ariana Cubillos, File/ Associated Press)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has spent much of his career praising the socialist ideas of famed atheists such as Karl Marx and Fidel Castro. Now in the thick of a prolonged battle against cancer, however, the leftist leader is drawing inspiration more than ever from a spiritual leader: Jesus Christ.

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El Salvador Goes 1 Day Without a Murder In Three Years

By UCN on April 16, 2012 4:07 AM

Members of the Mara 18 gang, attend a mass at a jail in Izalco, El Slavador, on April 13. They were giving thanks for the recent gang truce. (Jose Cabezas / AFP - Getty Images)

No one was murdered in El Salvador on Saturday, officials said, in what was the first homicide-free day in nearly three years for the Central American country plagued by violent drug gangs.

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Secret Service Agents, U. S. Military Members Caught In Embarrassing Prostitution Scandal

By UCN on April 14, 2012 4:51 PM

U.S. secret service agents walk around the Convention Center in Cartagena, Colombia, prior to the opening ceremony of the 6th Summit of the Americas at the Convention Center in Cartagena, Colombia, Saturday, April 14, 2012. (Fernando Llano / AP)

An embarrassing scandal involving prostitutes and Secret Service agents widened Saturday when the U.S. military confirmed five service members staying at the same hotel in Colombia may have been involved in misconduct as well. The allegations overshadowed President Barack Obama's diplomacy in Latin America and threatened to bruise America's image.

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Earthquake Shakes Mexico

By UCN on April 12, 2012 5:24 AM

A strong earthquake struck a sparsely populated area in the mountains of western Mexico on Wednesday, and caused tall buildings to sway more than 200 miles away in Mexico City. People evacuated some buildings in the capital, but the city government said helicopter flights detected no signs of damage.

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At Mass, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Asks God Not to Take Him Yet

By UCN on April 7, 2012 3:09 AM

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with his mother, Elena Frias, during a mass for his health Thursday (Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will fly to Cuba Saturday night to continue cancer treatment, he said Friday.

Continue reading At Mass, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Asks God Not to Take Him Yet.

Mexico's Senate Approves Reform Allowing Religion In Public

By UCN on April 2, 2012 6:19 PM

Pope Benedict XVI (C) is welcomed by children upon his arrival at Silao's international airport on March 24, 2012 in Guanajuato, Mexico. (Pool/Getty Images North America)

Mexico's Senate has approved a constitutional reform that guarantees people the right to celebrate religious events in public as long as they don't engage in electoral politics.

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Mexican Family Investigated for Sacrificing Humans to 'Saint Death'

By UCN on April 2, 2012 5:49 AM

In this April 9, 2009 file photo, a skeletal figure representing the folk saint known in Mexico as 'Santa Muerte' or 'Death Saint,' sits in a vendor's stall at a market in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)

It was a family people took pity on, one the government and church helped with free food, used clothes, and farm animals. The men were known as trash pickers. Some of the women were suspected of prostitution.

Continue reading Mexican Family Investigated for Sacrificing Humans to 'Saint Death'.

After Pope's Visit, Good Friday Becomes a Holiday In Cuba

By UCN on April 1, 2012 5:29 AM

Pope Benedict XVI gives communion during his mass at Havana's Revolution Square on the last day of his three day visit on March 28, 2012 in Havana, Cuba. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Cuba has declared next week's Good Friday as a holiday in recognition of a request by Pope Benedict and his "transcendental visit" to the island, state media said on Saturday.

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Chile Urged to Pass New Hate Crimes Laws After Killing of Homosexual Man

By UCN on March 30, 2012 10:13 AM

rupert-colville-UN-high-commissioner-for-human-rights.jpg

The U.N. human rights office is urging Chile to pass new laws against hate crimes and discrimination after the killing of a young gay man found beaten with swastikas carved into his body.

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Pope Says Cuba Needs Christian Love, Appeals for More Religious Freedom

By UCN on March 29, 2012 5:29 AM

Pope Benedict XVI arrives at Jose Marti airport on March 28, 2012 in Havana, Cuba. (Pool/Getty Images South America)

Pope Benedict XVI ended his three-day visit to Cuba on Wednesday (March 28) with an appeal for more religious freedom for the Catholic Church, ahead of a highly anticipated meeting with the island's historic leader, Fidel Castro.

Continue reading Pope Says Cuba Needs Christian Love, Appeals for More Religious Freedom.

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