The People's Church: Bishop Samuel Ruiz of Mexico and Why He Matters

A sea change in what it means to be church is sweeping the Mexican state of Chiapas. Impoverished people are being empowered to take up their mats and walk.

The wind behind this movement is Bishop Samuel Ruiz. He has enraged cattle barons and land owners who resent his role in ending the exploitation of native peoples. He has angered Vatican officials who feel threatened by a model of church that they do not control. But the church is alive in Chiapas—and Gary MacEoin reveals the powerf…