Francis’ visit comes amid strong challenges to the church in the southern state, including huge inroads by evangelical Protestants and grinding poverty in a region rich with coffee, Mayan ruins, pine-covered hills and jungles. [...] The challenges have always included the church’s relations with indigenous communities who have struggled for centuries to maintain their traditions and independence, sometimes embracing and sometimes clashing with the hierarchy.

A handful of young immigrants who were brought illegally to the United States from México as children will now have the opportunity to travel to reconnect with their roots, improve their Spanish proficiency and learn about their homeland.
 

The final online discussion to inform the upcoming White Paper on culture is underway. ‘The Cultural Diplomacy Challenge’ invites the public to suggest measures to support cultural exchanges, partnerships and collaborations between the UK and other countries.

As the last year has demonstrated, America’s struggle to defend its national interests cannot be won by military force alone. Even as the campaigns against the Islamic State group and the Taliban have faltered, American diplomats have made remarkable progress across a number of fronts, from climate change to checking Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
 

Jon Cohen, who covers HIV/AIDS for Science magazine, and photographer Malcolm Linton have been documenting the lives of HIV-infected people in Tijuana for two years. In their new book, Tomorrow Is A Long Time, they tell stories of the people in El Bordo as well as the Zona Norte (the red light district) and La Mesa prison.

But cultural policy is not just about preservation and artistic education. What Henestrosa offered is a new approach that emphasizes the potential of culture to boost economic and social development, and the potential of culture in diplomacy.