Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
Community | Diaspora mobilizes to join storm relief effort Teolinda Gersão | Narrative talent transcending literary boundaries Social Media | Parliament proposes bill requiring parental consent for minors Update | Persistent severe downpouring forces evacuations Election’26 | Diaspora vote count shows strong support for André Ventura
 

Community | Diaspora mobilizes to join storm relief effort – Portugal

The Portuguese American communities across the United States are mobilizing in solidarity with families and municipalities in Portugal, affected by a succession of severe rainstorms that have caused fatalities, widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and displacement across several regions.  Relief authorities in Portugal report significant impacts on housing, local businesses, agriculture, and public infrastructure, underscoring the […]

Teolinda Gersão | Narrative talent transcending literary boundaries – Interview

By Maria Duran On the 29th of October, 2025, Portuguese writer Teolinda Gersão became a second-time winner of the APE-DGLAB Romance and Novel Grand Prize. Autobiografia não escrita de Martha Freud (2024), [The Unwritten Autobiography of Martha Freud], published by Porto Editora, earned her the 43rd edition of the award, organized by the Portuguese Writers […]

Social Media | Parliament proposes bill requiring parental consent for minors – Portugal

Portugal’s parliament has approved legislation that would restrict minors’ access to social media platforms by requiring parental authorization for users under the age of 16, making it one of Europe’s most concrete legislative steps toward regulating youth activity online. The proposal, introduced by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), mandates explicit, verified parental consent for minors […]

Update | Persistent severe downpouring forces evacuations – Portugal

Heavy and persistent rainfall continues to affect mainland Portugal as successive Atlantic systems prolong saturated ground conditions and heighten flood risk across several regions, forcing evacuations. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro described the extreme weather episodes as a “devastating crisis” affecting communities across the country while emphasizing that emergency coordination and recovery efforts continue nationwide. Mário […]

Election’26 | Diaspora vote count shows strong support for André Ventura – Portugal

Portugal’s presidential runoff election provisional vote count indicates that Chega candidate André Ventura secured the largest share of votes cast by Portuguese citizens living abroad. As final counts are still being compiled from abroad, Ventura has received approximately 51.88% of the diaspora vote, compared with 48.12% for Seguro. These figures reflect global voting and remain […]

May 5th: World Portuguese Language Day celebrated by many countries – Portugal

05 May 2020

The Lusophone world is celebrating May 5th as the international day of the Portuguese language and culture.  Previously celebrated as “Portuguese Language Day” for the first time May 5th is celebrated as the “World Portuguese Language Day” by UNESCO. The ceremony, which took place in Paris, France, was acknowledged in about five dozen countries. Portugal […]

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Posted in Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal, World

COVID’19: Cautiously lifting lockdowns – Portugal

03 May 2020

By Len Port It’s looking like a positive turning point for Portugal in the coronavirus trauma. From this Monday, the Portuguese authorities will be closely monitoring the lifting of some emergency lockdowns with a view to extending them if all goes well.  The government’s cautious plan for an economic recovery is starting with small shops […]

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

Phone call: President Trump congratulates President Rebelo de Sousa – Portugal

01 May 2020

The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, received a phone call this Friday, from President Donald Trump, praising the Portuguese government performance in battling the COVID19 epidemic, the office of the Portuguese President reported. During the call, President Trump congratulated Portugal and offered “all the useful help necessary and considered useful.” Bilateral issues of […]

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Posted in Community, Featured, Organizations, People, Portugal, World

Book: ‘The Christian Century in Japan 1549-1650’ by Charles R. Boxer – Editor’s Note

25 April 2020

The first known appearance of organized Christianity in Japan was the arrival of the Portuguese Catholics in 1549. Spanish missionary Francis Xavier arrived in Japan with three Japanese Catholic converts intending to start a church in Japan. The local Japanese people initially assumed that the foreigners were from India and that Christianity was a new […]

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

Today in History: “Dia da Liberdade” celebrated under duress – Portugal

25 April 2020

Since 1974 the Portuguese nation has been celebrating “Dia da Liberdade” [Freedom Day], with a national holiday on 25th April Revolution, to mark the bloodless military coup which brought democracy and civil liberties to modern Portugal. This year, due to the COVID19 epidemic, the celebrations have been simplified to a shorter non-public ceremony in the […]

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

Postponed: Pope Francis cancelling World Youth Day in Lisbon – Portugal

20 April 2020

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, Pope Francis has cancelled his pastoral visit to Lisbon, Portugal, in 2022, to preside to the World Youth Day – the Vatican announced this Monday. The event was postponed to August 2023. According to the announcement, “given the current health situation and its consequences, the Holy Father decided to postpone […]

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Posted in Featured, Organizations, People, Portugal, Religion, World