Pope rallies region
The week's news at a glance.
Aparecida, Brazil
In his first visit to Latin America, Pope Benedict XVI this week called for a return to conservative values as a way to stem the church’s decline in the region. Over the last two decades, the Catholic Church has been steadily losing members to Pentecostalism and other Protestant movements. In a major address to bishops, Benedict denounced abortion and contraception and called both Marxism and capitalism “systems that marginalize God.” Benedict also criticized liberation theology, the Latin American strain of Catholicism that advocates political action on behalf of the poor. On his five–day trip, Benedict canonized the first Brazilian saint, an 18th–century monk named Friar Galvao. Galvao can be a role model for “an age so full of hedonism,” said Benedict.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Magazine solutions - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Magazine printables - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Controversial GOP plan to sell millions of federal acres hits major roadblock
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republican Sen. Mike Lee says he'll revisit legislation to sell millions of acres of federally held land to create 'freedom zones' of single family homes