A Colombian bishop exorcised an entire city plagued by violence, drug smuggling and poverty last weekend, sprinkling holy water from a helicopter. Before he began the mass exorcism, Monsignor Rubén Darío Jaramillo Montoya, the bishop of Buenaventura, said he would say a prayer intended to purge the area of demonic infestation. He decided to carry Read more
Pope Francis condemned “verbal and physical violence towards women” and called for “respect” for them at a Mass he was celebrating during his visit to Columbia last week. Colombia’s mainly Catholic population is known for its macho culture and high levels of gender violence. During his homily that was repeatedly interrupted by applause, Francis asked Read more
Pope Francis has brought a message of unity to Colombia and the hope he can build bridges between its people during his five-day visit. After a five-decade war between the nation’s government and rebel guerilla forces, the country has been divided by a peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels. (The FARC are the Revlutionary Armed Read more
The Vatican says the Pope’s upcoming visit to Colombia is about about renewing the Catholic faith of Colombians so violence may be fought at its root. It is not about making a political statement. Read more
Nearly two dozen Colombian young people have displayed convulsions and other odd behaviours after playing the Ouija-type game “Charlie Charlie”. The game consists of a pair of pencils or pens, a piece of paper and the invocation of a demonic spirit named “Charlie”. The demon supposedly answers “yes” or “no” to questions put to him. Read more
A Colombian mariner adrift at sea for two months thanked God and his rescuers after his deliverance in the Pacific Ocean. The 29-year-old had survived by eating fish and gulls. He was one of four sailors who left Colombia in a skiff two months ago. At some point their engine failed and they were left Read more
A Colombian bishop who linked same-sex orientation with one of Jesus’ disciples and Mary Magdalene has apologised for his use of words. In a conference at a Colombian university, Bishop Juan Vicente Córdoba of Fontibón said there is no explicit rejection of homosexuality in the Bible. “We don’t know if one of Jesus’ disciples” had Read more
He recites the liturgy of the Mass from memory with all the appropriate gestures. He even gives homilies. And he’s only three years old. Samuel Jaramillo, an orphan who lives with his grandmother and aunt in the city of Medellin, Colombia, has become an Internet hit since family members posted YouTube videos showing him pretending Read more