Latin America seeing changes in faith and media

Once solidly Roman Catholic, Latin America is seeing tremendous shifts in its religious environment, with consequences for communications and public policy, said WACC President Dennis Smith. He spoke at the first Communication Consultation hosted from Jan. 19 to 20 by the Singapore-based Council for World Mission.

Speaking from personal experience, Smith noted he first arrived in the region in 1974 as a volunteer in Guatemala. In that decade, “rising military dictatorships were being challenged by emerging insurgencies and grassroots social movements,” and media outlets were controlled by private interests or government.