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Gary joins from Guatemala, where he has been meeting with Humanistas Guatemala and learning about the growing influence of American evangelical Christianity and the fascinating tradition of Catholic-Mayan syncretism. Leon meanwhile shares updates including cautious optimism around the Hungarian election result, ongoing tensions in Iran and the Middle East, the worrying composition of the newly elected UN Committee on NGOs, and welcome news that UN High Commissioner has endorsed the codification of gender apartheid as an international crime.

This week's guest is Janalee Morris, Executive Director of Humanist Canada, which is co-hosting the 2026 World Humanist Congress in Ottawa this August. Janalee gives a wide-ranging overview of Humanist Canada's work — from training officiants and chaplains to advocacy on the census religion question, publicly funded Catholic schools, and Alberta's restrictions on gender-affirming care and medical assistance in dying. She also shares her excitement about the Congress and what it means to bring the global humanist movement together at this critical moment.

In this episode we cover

• Evangelical Christian growth in Guatemala and Catholic-Mayan syncretism
• Cautious optimism on Hungary's election result
• Endorsements for codification of gender apartheid as an international crime
• Humanist Canada Campaigns, Advocacy and Activities
• Humanist ceremonies, officiants and the provincial licensing challenge
• Why Attend The World Humanist Congress 2026

Further reading and references

• Humanist Canada: https://www.humanistcanada.ca
  • Humanist Canada chaplaincy programme: https://www.humanistcanada.ca/programs/chaplaincy/
  • Humanist Canada Choice Chat podcast on reproductive rights: https://www.humanistcanada.ca/programs/podcast/choice-chat-podcast/
• Humanistas Guatemala: https://www.facebook.com/HumanistasGuatemala
• Volker Türk supports codification of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity — OHCHR: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/turk-urges-ambition-crimes-against-humanity-treaty

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🎶Music: Horizon by Simon Folwar

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.