nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across the Americas: Chile's 'crisis of faith' after a series of scandals, Haiti's growing violence and isolation, and a possible side effect of a strike in Canada. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
Is Chile turning away from the Catholic Church?
Chile is currently suffering what some are calling “a crisis of faith.” Recently, many Chileans have begun to explore alternate expressions of spirituality, including as many as 400 applications to The Temple of Satan—not an officially recognized religion by the government. Similarly to the Church of Satan in the U.S., the temple offers community to those pursuing more secular ideology, which experts suggest is directly related to the disillusionment many are having with the Catholic Church.
A 2023 IPSOS study found that 59% of the Chilean population identified as Christian, with 4% identifying as part of other religions. The majority of those who identified as Christian identified as Catholic. However, the continued exposure of sexual abuse scandals from some of the Catholic Church’s prominent leaders is eroding the faith of many Chileans—in the church itself. The sexual abuse scandals in Chile range from priests abusing nuns to bishops abusing children. In 2018, Pope Francis admitted he and the Catholic Church had made “serious mistakes” in handling the bishops’ sexual abuse scandal. Yet, in 2023, Pope Francis selected Fernando Chomalí Garib as a new archbishop in Chile, which multiple Chilean people vehemently opposed, given how he was directly involved in mishandling some of the initial investigations around the bishops’ abuse.
Now, Chileans’ confidence in the church is declining; victims have not been given any justice, and previously devout people have begun refusing even to enter a church.
Haiti becomes more isolated from the world as violence increases
The Federal Aviation Administration placed a temporary ban on 12 November preventing U.S. flights from going to Haiti as gang violence in the country escalates, with gangs regularly firing on planes. The ban was intended to last 30 days, but on 20 November, the ban was slightly lifted to allow U.S. flights to travel to northern Haiti. Gang violence in Haiti continues to rise—as of 20 November 2024, 85% of Port–au–Prince is run by gangs—and this lawlessness is further isolating Haiti from the world, causing immense harm to Haiti’s most vulnerable. This ongoing humanitarian crisis is displacing thousands of people who are fleeing to other cities not overwhelmingly controlled by gangs. In many cases, orphans have been forced to flee their orphanages, while some who have been adopted are unable to leave Haiti to join their adoptive families. One adoptive mother in the U.S. worries that her son might never be reunited with his family, even if he can survive the ongoing violence.
Her fears are understandable, as there have been close to 4,000 recorded gang–related deaths in 2024 alone. Those who manage to survive have had to learn to accept violence as a daily part of life. One woman even admitted that she joined a gang with her child, now forced to kill others to ensure their survival.
Haiti’s isolation continues to increase—on 19 November, Doctors Without Borders announced they will suspend critical care in Port–au–Prince. The aid group shared that police in the capital have threatened their staff and attacked an ambulance, patients, and staff.
Will Santa still receive letters amid the Canada Post strike?
Canada Post workers went on strike on 15 November 2024 to protest unfair working conditions. The strike could dampen holiday spirits, as Canada Post’s Santa letter program could be at risk. Every year, postal workers help deliver letters from children worldwide to Santa. Although many are worried about the strike’s impact on the project, in Montreal, Canada Post workers are putting up boxes at their picket lines where children and parents can place their Santa letters for delivery instead of using mailboxes. Some parents are also collecting letters from the community to ensure everyone will be able to reach Santa.
The Santa letter project is just one way the Canada Post is vital to daily life, with the strike also impacting holiday gift delivery and regular business operations. However, the Canada Post is losing money, having lost C$490 million in the first half of 2024. Thanks to digital communications, the Canada Post must pivot to become more of a parcel delivery service. The company plans to challenge competitors in the industry by offering a seven–day delivery model and competitive pricing.
However, the loss in income has led to low wage increases, massive layoffs, and other unfair working conditions for the Canada Post workers. Although negotiations between the Canada Post and its workers are ongoing, the strike is already having a massive impact across Canada.
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Is Chile turning away from the Catholic Church?
Catedral San Mateo, Osorno, Chile. Photo by Gustavo Sánchez on Unsplash.
November 28, 2024
Diplomatic Courier staff writer Stephanie Gull brings you three under–the–radar stories from the Americas this month: Chile's 'crisis of faith,' Haiti's isolation, and Santa letters in Canada.
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nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across the Americas: Chile's 'crisis of faith' after a series of scandals, Haiti's growing violence and isolation, and a possible side effect of a strike in Canada. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
Is Chile turning away from the Catholic Church?
Chile is currently suffering what some are calling “a crisis of faith.” Recently, many Chileans have begun to explore alternate expressions of spirituality, including as many as 400 applications to The Temple of Satan—not an officially recognized religion by the government. Similarly to the Church of Satan in the U.S., the temple offers community to those pursuing more secular ideology, which experts suggest is directly related to the disillusionment many are having with the Catholic Church.
A 2023 IPSOS study found that 59% of the Chilean population identified as Christian, with 4% identifying as part of other religions. The majority of those who identified as Christian identified as Catholic. However, the continued exposure of sexual abuse scandals from some of the Catholic Church’s prominent leaders is eroding the faith of many Chileans—in the church itself. The sexual abuse scandals in Chile range from priests abusing nuns to bishops abusing children. In 2018, Pope Francis admitted he and the Catholic Church had made “serious mistakes” in handling the bishops’ sexual abuse scandal. Yet, in 2023, Pope Francis selected Fernando Chomalí Garib as a new archbishop in Chile, which multiple Chilean people vehemently opposed, given how he was directly involved in mishandling some of the initial investigations around the bishops’ abuse.
Now, Chileans’ confidence in the church is declining; victims have not been given any justice, and previously devout people have begun refusing even to enter a church.
Haiti becomes more isolated from the world as violence increases
The Federal Aviation Administration placed a temporary ban on 12 November preventing U.S. flights from going to Haiti as gang violence in the country escalates, with gangs regularly firing on planes. The ban was intended to last 30 days, but on 20 November, the ban was slightly lifted to allow U.S. flights to travel to northern Haiti. Gang violence in Haiti continues to rise—as of 20 November 2024, 85% of Port–au–Prince is run by gangs—and this lawlessness is further isolating Haiti from the world, causing immense harm to Haiti’s most vulnerable. This ongoing humanitarian crisis is displacing thousands of people who are fleeing to other cities not overwhelmingly controlled by gangs. In many cases, orphans have been forced to flee their orphanages, while some who have been adopted are unable to leave Haiti to join their adoptive families. One adoptive mother in the U.S. worries that her son might never be reunited with his family, even if he can survive the ongoing violence.
Her fears are understandable, as there have been close to 4,000 recorded gang–related deaths in 2024 alone. Those who manage to survive have had to learn to accept violence as a daily part of life. One woman even admitted that she joined a gang with her child, now forced to kill others to ensure their survival.
Haiti’s isolation continues to increase—on 19 November, Doctors Without Borders announced they will suspend critical care in Port–au–Prince. The aid group shared that police in the capital have threatened their staff and attacked an ambulance, patients, and staff.
Will Santa still receive letters amid the Canada Post strike?
Canada Post workers went on strike on 15 November 2024 to protest unfair working conditions. The strike could dampen holiday spirits, as Canada Post’s Santa letter program could be at risk. Every year, postal workers help deliver letters from children worldwide to Santa. Although many are worried about the strike’s impact on the project, in Montreal, Canada Post workers are putting up boxes at their picket lines where children and parents can place their Santa letters for delivery instead of using mailboxes. Some parents are also collecting letters from the community to ensure everyone will be able to reach Santa.
The Santa letter project is just one way the Canada Post is vital to daily life, with the strike also impacting holiday gift delivery and regular business operations. However, the Canada Post is losing money, having lost C$490 million in the first half of 2024. Thanks to digital communications, the Canada Post must pivot to become more of a parcel delivery service. The company plans to challenge competitors in the industry by offering a seven–day delivery model and competitive pricing.
However, the loss in income has led to low wage increases, massive layoffs, and other unfair working conditions for the Canada Post workers. Although negotiations between the Canada Post and its workers are ongoing, the strike is already having a massive impact across Canada.
