CATHOLICISM
Colombia’s Carnaval Is an Assault on the Senses
If you’ve been to a party anywhere, you already know what Carnaval is about—music, dancing, drinking, drugs, petty theft—but Barranquilla’s version is bigger, louder, more colorful, and goes on longer.
A Narco-Saint, a Death Cult, and a Lost-Cause Apostle Await the Pope in Mexico
As Mexico lavishly prepares for Pope Francis' first visit to the world's second most Catholic nation, the country's rapidly growing religious counterculture doesn't really care that he's coming.
Paczki Day Is a Celebration of Fried Dough and Booze
Paczki is Poland’s richer cousin of the jelly donut, eaten on Fat Tuesday and always with copious amounts of beer. In the Michigan town of Hamtramck, some shadier characters even head to the bar bathrooms to powder up a cocaine paczki.
What I Learned from Living with the Controversial Catholic Sect Opus Dei as a Queer Person
I spent a year living in an all-male religious commune run by an obscure Roman Catholic sect. Here's what that was like.
Eating and Praying on The Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City
The largest pilgrimage of Latin America—that of Our Lady of Guadalupe—takes place in Mexico City and is one of the best displays of the country’s tortas, tacos, gorditas, carnitas, tamales, atole, and pozole.
Can Pope Francis Bring Peace to the Central African Republic?
With the violence in the country largely occurring between Christian and Muslim armed groups, the pope is expected emphasize the need for improved relations between religions.
This Texan Jew Is Bringing Kosher Tacos to the Border
Some of the Crypto-Jews who were forcibly converted to Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition fled to the high desert reaches, including El Paso and Texas-Juárez.
Some Kenyans Want the Pope to Help Fight the 'Devil' of Corruption
Around 300,000 people braced rain and mud to see Pope Francis give his first official mass in Africa today. Kenya is the first stop in a three-country tour.
Religious Kids Are More Selfish Than Non-Religious Kids, Study Says
A new study finds that kids from religious households tend not to share as much as their nonreligious counterparts. Kids from religious households also tended to be more judgmental about people's actions and believed in harsher punishments.
California Has the Most Peaceful Bullfights on Earth
Here, the bullfighting is bloodless. Bulls wear a Velcro patch on their shoulders while men on horseback try to tag them with Velcro-tipped darts.
Bishops in the Vatican Finally Admit They Know Nothing About Sex
Because, you know, they don't have it.
Vietnam Is Pissed at US Over Report Claiming Its Record on Religious Freedom Sucks
Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said that a report issued by the US State Department made "unobjective assessments" and was "erroneous."