Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
50th Anniversary | Regional leaders of Azores and Madeira call for broader powers FIFA’26 Fátima Book | Roots Stirred | By Cristóvão de Aguiar | Editor’s Note Heritage | Portugal one of the most peaceful nations
 

50th Anniversary | Regional leaders of Azores and Madeira call for broader powers – Portugal

Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic commemorated on Friday the 50th anniversary celebration of the constitutional autonomy of the Azores and Madeira archipelagos with a special solemn plenary session honoring one of the most significant democratic achievements of the 1976 Constitution. The anniversary also became a platform for renewed calls to deepen the autonomy of the […]

FIFA’26 – Cristiano Ronaldo makes World Cup History – Houston, TX

Portugal’s squad delivered a commanding response to its opening-match disappointment at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defeating Uzbekistan 5-0 today in Houston, Texas. The performance of captain Cristiano Ronaldo highlighted the match.  The milestone further cemented Ronaldo’s legacy as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and silenced critics who questioned […]

Fátima’27 | President António José Seguro invites Pope Leo XIV – Portugal

President António José Seguro has formally invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Portugal in 2027, a year that will carry exceptional religious, diplomatic, and historical significance for the country.  The invitation coincides with the 110th anniversary of the Marian apparitions at Fátima, the 500th anniversary of the formal establishment of the Apostolic Nunciature in Portugal, […]

Book | Roots Stirred | By Cristóvão de Aguiar | Editor’s Note

This richly woven, multi-voiced novel transports readers to a small village on São Miguel, the largest of Portugal’s Azores islands. Through the eyes of a young boy growing up in the 1940s and the stories shared by his beloved great-uncle, Tio Pascoal, the novel paints a vivid portrait of island life- its beauty, its hardships, […]

Heritage | Portugal one of the most peaceful nations – Global Peace Index

Portugal has once again been recognized as one of the safest and most peaceful nations on the planet, ranking 7th globally in the latest Global Peace Index (GPI), published by the Institute for Economics and Peace.  Portugal has consistently ranked among the world’s safest destinations for residents, visitors, and investors alike. The country previously reached […]

Euthanasia: Lawmakers vote in favor of medically assisted suicide – Portugal

30 January 2021

Portugal Parliament voted overwhelming, on Friday, 136-78 with four abstentions, in favor of euthanasia, allowing doctors to medically assist patients to commit suicide through lethal drugs. Although President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with 20 days to deliberate, has the power to approve, veto or send the law to the Constitutional Court for review, Parliament can […]

Read the full story

Posted in Azores, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, World

Corruption: Portugal dropped three places in the 2020 Corruption Perception Index – Transparency International

28 January 2021

Portugal dropped three places, to 33rd place with 61 points, in the 2020 Corruption Perception Index report, published on Thursday, by Transparency International. With the lowest score ever, Portugal is now “well below the average figures for Western Europe and the European Union, set at 66 points,” it was reported. Transparency International (TI), a non-governmental […]

Read the full story

Posted in Azores, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, World

Book: ‘Slave Trade and Abolition: Gender, Commerce’ by Vanessa S. Oliveira – Editor’s Note

26 January 2021

Well into the early nineteenth century, Luanda, the administrative capital of Portuguese Angola, was one of the most influential ports for the transatlantic slave trade. Between 1801 and 1850, it served as the point of embarkation for more than 535,000 enslaved Africans. In the history of this diverse, wealthy city, the gendered dynamics of the […]

Read the full story

Posted in Angola, Arts&Culture, Azores, Books, Brazil, Cape Verde, Featured, Guiné-Bissau, Heritage, Madeira, Mozambique, People, Portugal, São Tomé and Prince, World

Book: ‘Think Least of Death: Spinoza on How to Live and How to Die’- Editor’s Note

25 January 2021

From Pulitzer Prize-finalist Steven Nadler, an engaging guide to what Spinoza can teach us about life’s big questions. In 1656, after being excommunicated from Amsterdam’s Portuguese-Jewish community for “abominable heresies” and “monstrous deeds,” the young Baruch Spinoza abandoned his family’s import business to dedicate his life to philosophy. He quickly became notorious across Europe for […]

Read the full story

Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Heritage, People, Portugal, World

Elected: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa President with 61% of votes – Portugal

24 January 2021

Social Democrat  (PSD), 72, was reelected, on Sunday, for a second five-year mandate with 61% of votes above his 52% win in 2016. He takes office officially on March 9, 2021. Center-left Ana Gomes (PS/13%) won a distant second place while populist André Ventura (Chega/12%) won a third place. Other contenders included, Marisa Matias (Bloco […]

Read the full story

Posted in Azores, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Politics, Portugal, World

Opinion | Portugal’s presidential election in the time of pandemic – by Len Port

22 January 2021

A surge in Covid-19 to record levels in Portugal has already affected Sunday’s presidential election. Because of the strict lockdown measures throughout the country, and because there are no postal or electronic methods of voting in place, special arrangements were made for elderly citizens in quarantine and in care homes to cast their ballots well […]

Read the full story

Posted in Azores, Community, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, People, Politics, Portugal, World