We’re holding a special week of prayer for Latin America during the week of 21 September 2015.

We’d love you to join us, maybe getting your church or small group involved, and see what miracles our awesome God will do when we lift Latin America up in prayer!

During the Latin America Week of Prayer we’ll send you a daily prayer update email, with links to free prayer resources.

Resources

Latin America Prayer Sheet

Latest news from Latin America

prayer points for LATIN AMERICA

Pray for: DEMOCRACY

Without robust democratic structures in place, human rights are often violated – not just as a one off, but regularly and systematically. Cuba’s totalitarian regime, and corruption in Colombia and Mexico, all mean that when Christians and others living in these countries experience religious freedom violations, they’re unable to get justice for what they’ve suffered.

• Pray that God would raise up leaders of integrity in these countries, as well as inspired grassroots activists, who would create a movement for change so that functioning, strong democratic systems can be established.
  

Pray for: Respect

Indigenous people – people groups who lived in the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans – are often the most marginalised communities in Mexico. Religious minorities within those communities are victimised twice over.

• Ask God to pour out a spirit of tolerance and respect for diversity in Mexico, so that the religious freedom of all Mexicans, including those in indigenous communities, is protected and upheld.
  

Pray for: Security

Criminal violence is a huge problem across the whole of Latin America. In 2014 more Roman Catholic priests were murdered or disappeared in Mexico than in any other country in the world. Church leaders in Colombia face threats from neo-paramilitary groups, as Christian principles directly conflict with the ethos of these groups.

• Ask God to protect church leaders under threat, and give them peace in their hearts as they stand up for the principles of their faith, even when it puts them and their families in great danger.
  

Pray for: Unity

Division and low levels of trust are typical in many Latin American countries with a history of conflict, such as Colombia, or of corruption, such as Mexico; or Cuba, under totalitarian rule which has a massive internal spying apparatus. These divisions and suspicion are unfortunately often reflected in the Church, between denominations and individual churches. This weakens the Church’s ability to overcome the challenges it faces in each situation.

• Pray that God would increase a spirit of brotherhood and unity between Christians of all denominations in each country.

Pray for: tolerance

Generally speaking, Latin America has shifted from a primarily Catholic continent to a more and more religiously diverse population – there’s also a strong wave of secularism. These shifts can lead to tensions. Registration laws in Peru, and problematic anti-sect laws in Argentina, all create tension between different religious groups.

• Ask God to pour out a spirit of peace and tolerance on the religiously diverse populations in Latin America, and stronger laws to protect religious freedom.

Pray for: Justice

Truth, justice and reconciliation processes have brought some encouraging results. Last May, almost 30 years after six Christian men were massacred by the military in the highlands of Peru, justice was finally served. Peru’s National Criminal Court admitted that the state was responsible for this crime, and sentenced two of the attackers. This was a landmark case – the families of the victims had already forgiven those responsible, but it was highly significant that the state admitted responsibility.

But there are still many cases where victims of religious freedom violations haven’t yet received justice, and the Church will have a vital role to play in bringing the truth to light.

• Thank God for the positive example of the case in Peru, and pray that victims in other cases would receive justice.
  

Pray for: Courage

Father Omar Sotelo has been documenting attacks on priests in Mexico for years. His work – which puts him at great personal risk – is a vital tool for organisations such as CSW, who can use it to compile accurate statistics on violations of religious freedom.

• Thank God for these brave yet humble men and women who put themselves in the line of fire in order to defend human rights. Pray for their protection as they seek truth and justice.
  
  

Case study: the power of prayer