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TOPIC: pope francis

This Happened

This Happened - March 13: Pope Francis Is Elected

Pope Francis was elected on this day in 2013, becoming the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

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China-Russia Summit, Pope Calls For Ceasefire, Battle Of Oranges

👋 Allo!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where Vladimir Putin meets with China’s top diplomat in Moscow, Japan and China have their first formal security talks in four years and Starbucks launches a new drinks flavor for Italian palates. Meanwhile, we look at how Russia’s war propaganda machine has backfired and actually left Moscow itself as the prime victim of its own lies.

[*Seychellois Creole]

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Minerals And Violence: A Papal Condemnation Of African Exploitation, Circa 2023

Before heading to South Sudan to continue his highly anticipated trip to Africa, the pontiff was in the Democratic Republic of Congo where he delivered a powerful speech, in a country where 40 million Catholics live.

-Analysis-

PARIS — You may know the famous Joseph Stalin quote: “The Pope? How many divisions has he got?” Pope Francis still has no military divisions to his name, but he uses his voice, and he does so wisely — sometimes speaking up when no one else would dare.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (the former Belgian Congo, a region plundered and martyred, before and after its independence in 1960), Francis has chosen to speak loudly. Congo is a country with 110 million inhabitants, immensely rich in minerals, but populated by poor people and victims of brutal wars.

That land is essential to the planetary ecosystem, and yet for too long, the world has not seen it for its true value.

The words of this 86-year-old pope, who now moves around in a wheelchair, deserve our attention. He undoubtedly said what a billion Africans are thinking: "Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa: It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered!"

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Germany OKs Tanks For Ukraine, Peru Protests Reignite, 90 Seconds To Armageddon

👋 Yumalundi!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where Germany finally confirms it will be sending combat tanks to Ukraine, North Korea orders a five-day lockdown in Pyongyang over an “unspecified respiratory illness,” and Justin Bieber sells his music rights for a hefty sum. Meanwhile, we look at why the MeToo movement has repeatedly failed to take off in Italy.

[*Ngunnawal, New South Wales and ACT, Australia]

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In The News
Renate Mattar, Bertrand Hauger and Anne-Sophie Goninet

Putin’s Hypersonic Missiles, Pope Benedict’s Funeral, Will & Harry’s Brawl

👋 ¡Ola!*

Welcome to Thursday, where Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly deploys hypersonic missiles, the funeral for Pope Benedict is held in Rome, and Prince Harry accuses his brother William of a physical attack. Meanwhile, Stephane Frachet in business daily Les Echos has everything you knead to know about France’s baguette battle.

[*Galician, Spain]

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In The News
Bertrand Hauger, Laure Gautherin and Hugo Perrin

Kyiv Claims Strike Killed 400 Russians, Lula Sworn In, Farewell Kuna

👋 Aluu!*

Welcome to Monday, and happy new year from the Worldcrunch crew! 🎊

Ukraine claims 400 Russian forces were killed in a missile strike in the Donetsk region, Lula is sworn in as Brazil bids adeus to Pelé. Meanwhile, Hong Kong-based The Initium focuses on the very particular situation of China’s Catholics, caught between Xi Jinping and Pope Francis.

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Society
Jieyi Zheng

Between Xi Jinping And Pope Francis, China's Catholics Are Still Stuck In Limbo

An agreement between the Vatican and Beijing was quietly renewed recently. However, China still views Catholicism with a mix of deep suspicion and general distraction. Meanwhile the faithful and pastors are caught between two very different worlds.

At a mass on the Assumption of Mary, the Italian priest broke the bread and gave half of it to Liu, an underground priest from China. This simple and solemn rite symbolizes communion with Jesus and the unity of the Catholic Church. But it was only when Liu left his country that he could undertake the rite with a foreign priest, who was also not allowed to preach in China.

The atheist Chinese Communist Party considers religion to be a spiritual opium, and accuses Catholicism in particular of being an accomplice of Western imperialism. The Beijing-backed Catholic Patriotic Association began electing and consecrating its own bishops since 1958, attempting to satisfy the desire of the faithful while severing the link between Chinese Catholics and the Pope.

In order to resolve the plight of Chinese Catholics, after the efforts of three popes, the Vatican and Beijing signed a two-year Provisional Agreement on Nomination of Bishops in 2018. On Oct. 22, when the world’s eyes were focused on Xi Jinping’s groundbreaking third term as president, which is also the expiry date of the previous agreement, the Vatican immediately announced the renewal of the agreement for another two years.

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In The News
Emma Albright, Anne-Sophie Goninet and Bertrand Hauger

Putin Goes To Belarus, Thai Warship Sinks, World Cup Front Page

👋 Dumêlang!*

Welcome to Monday, where Vladimir Putin heads to Belarus amid reports the neighboring country may join Russia’s war against Ukraine, 31 are missing as a Thai warship sinks during a storm, and we see how Argentina’s World Cup victory looks on the front page. Meanwhile, also in Argentina, Agencias Presentes profiles Ana Belén Kim, a rising star in Latin America's electronic music club scene — daughter of conservative Korean immigrants.

[*Northern Sotho, South Africa]

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In The News
Sophia Constantino, Laure Gautherin, Anne-Sophie Goninet

North Korean Missiles Over Japan, Zelensky To Never Negotiate With Putin, Ian Toll Tops 100

👋 Shlamaloukh!*

Welcome to Tuesday, where North Korea reportedly fires a missile over Japan for the first time in five years, Ukrainian President Zelensky signs a decree vowing to never negotiate with Russia while Putin is in power, and a lottery win raises eyebrows in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Argentine daily Clarin looks at how the translation of a Bible in an indigenous language in Chile has sparked a debate over the links between language, colonialism and cultural imposition.

[*Assyrian, Syria]

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Ideas
Jeff Israely

What Exactly Does Pope Francis Think About The War In Ukraine?

Seven months after Russia’s invasion, the Pope finally called on Vladimir Putin directly to stop the war. But just days earlier, Francis had offered an elaborate theory on the causes of the war, which he blamed on competing “imperialisms” of Russia and the West, and the need to have wars to sell weapons.

-Analysis-

Pope Francis has not been particularly popular in Ukraine since the war began in February. Unlike other Western leaders, the pope didn’t condemn Vladimir Putin in the days and weeks after the invasion, largely limiting his remarks about the war to prayers for the victims and universal calls for peace.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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A Ukrainian colleague was furious that Francis wasn’t calling Putin out for his invasion. Having covered the Vatican for more than a decade in my prior job, I tried to explain that papal diplomacy tends not to point fingers or name names, partly in their hope of leaving church channels open for possible future negotiations.

Well, on Sunday, Francis finally pointed his finger at Putin, in what was perhaps his strongest call to date to stop the war. “My appeal goes above all to the president of the Russian Federation, begging him to stop this spiral of violence and death, even out of love for his own people,” the pope said.

In the same breath, he also urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be open to negotiations. The pope also warned against the rising threat of the use of nuclear weapons. This is what popes do in times of war: They call for peace and try to save lives, hoping the message seeps into the ears and hearts of political leaders and public opinion.

Still, there are other messages that Francis has been spreading about the war that are not so obvious.

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In The News
Cameron Manley, Irene Caselli, Bertrand Hauger, Lila Paulou, Chloe Touchard and Emma Albright

Mass Burial Site Discovered After Liberation Of Izium, 440 Feared Killed

Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said on Twitter that a mass burial of soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been discovered near the liberated town of Izyum, in the Kharkiv region.

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According to reports, as many as 440 bodies are thought to have been buried at the site.

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In The News
Anna Akage, Bertrand Hauger, Chloé Touchard, Lila Paulou, and Emma Albright

Zelensky Aims For "Victory" In Independence Day Speech

Ukraine is celebrating its Independence Day. Thirty one years ago, without a single shot being fired, the Soviet Union finally broke up and all of its republics set out to build their statehood.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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The collapse of such a huge totalitarian system unfolded so peacefully that for many of the now independent states, it seemed as if from then on there would be only peace and friendship among neighbors.

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