International
The pope presided over the Vigil and remembered the peoples destroyed by evil and injustice
Pope Francis presided over the Mass of the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica this Saturday, after renouncing the Via Crucis of the Colosseum to take care of his health, and in the homily he asked “that despair be removed” for “the peoples destroyed by evil and beaten by injustice.”
In this long celebration of more than two hours, in which the wait for the resurrection of Jesus is commemorated, the pope participated in all the rites and read in a good voice, after this Friday he decided at the last minute not to go to the Colosseum for the Way of the Cross.
In the homily he referred to “that sometimes we feel that a tombstone has been placed heavily in the entrance of our heart, suffocating life, extinguishing trust, enclosing ourselves in the tomb of fears and bitterness.”
The pope called them the “pitfalls of death” and said that “they are all the experiences and situations that rob us of the enthusiasm and the strength to move forward.”
And among them he cited “the deaths of our loved ones, which leave in us voids impossible to fill; in failures,” “the walls of selfishness and indifference, which repel the commitment to build cities and societies more just and dignified for man” and “all the longings for peace broken by the cruelty of hatred and the ferocity of war.”
The pope then assured that “Jesus is our Easter, the one who makes us move from darkness to light, who has joined us forever and saves us from the abyss of sin and death, drawing us towards the luminous impetus of forgiveness and eternal life.
Francis then went to the “peoples destroyed by evil and beaten by injustice, landless peoples, martyr peoples” to move away “this night the singers of despair.”
The ceremony, one of the longest in the tradition and full of symbolism, began with the blessing of the fire in the atrium of the basilica and the lighting of the Easter candle. The pope marked the candle with the inscription of the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet – alpha and omega – that symbolize that God is the beginning and the end in a totally dark basilica.
Then the traditional procession took place with the entry of the concelebrants in total silence and in the dark and only with the candles lit to represent the absence of light after the death of Jesus Christ.
Only after the deacon pronounced the phrase ‘Lumen Christi’ (The light of Christ) three times did the lights of the basilica turn on and the mass began before 6,000 faithful.
This long ceremony follows the tradition of the first years of the Church, that of the catechumens, the adults who aspired to convert to Christianity and, therefore, the blessing of water was also celebrated, and Francis baptized eight adults of different nationalities: four Italians, two Koreans, one Japanese and an Albanian.
In this Vatican Holy Week, it has not been possible to enjoy the presence behind the altar of the imposing baldaquin of San Pedro by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, since it remains covered since a restoration is being carried out in view of next year’s Jubilee.
The pope decided this Friday at the last minute not to go to the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum to “safeguard his health” since in recent days he has been suffering from respiratory problems while both today’s ceremony and Sunday’s Resurrection Mass were confirmed.
International
Marco Rubio warns of China’s threat and criticizes Venezuela and Cuba in Senate hearing
Marco Rubio, selected by Donald Trump as the head of diplomacy in his future cabinet, stated on Wednesday that Venezuela is “governed by a drug trafficking organization” and Cuba is “literally collapsing.” He made these remarks during a Senate hearing that focused on China, which he described as the “most dangerous adversary” of the United States.
In the United States, the Constitution requires that ministerial and other high-level appointments be confirmed by a Senate vote following a hearing in the relevant committee.
Rubio emphasized that China is “the most powerful and dangerous adversary” the U.S. has ever faced because it possesses “elements that the Soviet Union never had.”
“We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into this world order. They took full advantage of its benefits but ignored all its obligations and responsibilities,” he added. “They have lied, cheated, hacked, and stolen their way to global superpower status at our expense,” the Republican asserted.
He rejected one of the key principles of outgoing President Joe Biden: prioritizing a “liberal world order” based on rules and led by the United States.
Instead, he defended Trump’s “America First” motto.
The post-war global order, he argued, “is now a weapon being used against us,” he said during a speech interrupted several times by protesters.
“If we continue down the current path, in less than 10 years, virtually everything that matters to us will depend on whether China allows it or not,” Rubio warned.
To deter China from invading Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory, Rubio believes Washington must demonstrate that the cost would be “too high.”
International
Biden warns “Soul of America” still at stake ahead of farewell address
The “soul of America” remains at stake, outgoing President Joe Biden warned ahead of delivering his farewell address to the nation on Wednesday, just days before Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The 82-year-old Democrat will give his speech at 8:00 PM (01:00 GMT Thursday) during prime time from the Oval Office.
In advance, he released a letter to the American people, indirectly criticizing the 78-year-old Republican without naming him directly.
“I ran for president because I believed the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was on the line. And that remains true today,” Biden wrote. “History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The idea of America is in your hands. We just have to keep the faith and remember who we are,” he added.
Biden claimed that the United States is stronger now than it was four years ago, citing what he described as its recovery from Trump’s first term, the COVID-19 pandemic, and “the worst attack on democracy since the Civil War.”
Biden took office just days after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters attempting to overturn his electoral defeat.
While Biden did not mention Trump by name, his remarks echoed themes from previous speeches, where he stated that he ran in the 2020 election because America’s “soul” was in danger due to Trump and his followers.
International
Canadian business leaders meet with president Sheinbaum to boost investments in Mexico
Canadian business leaders met with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday to express strong interest in increasing their investments in the country. This initiative aligns with a joint effort to strengthen the region under the framework of the North American trade agreement (USMCA).
Francisco Cervantes, President of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), highlighted the participation of the top 10 Canadian entrepreneurs, who discussed strategies to boost key sectors.
He also emphasized that Mexico is fostering an unprecedented climate of trust to attract foreign investment, with better-paid jobs as one of the main objectives.
“The government, led by the president, is doing exceptional work to establish Mexico as an attractive destination for investors,” Cervantes stated. “We are working together to develop a tariff plan with the United States to ensure that negotiations are favorable for all parties involved,” added the CCE president.
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