International
The pope celebrates a mass in the capital of East Timor for 600,000 people, half of the country’s inhabitants
The pope celebrated a mass on Tuesday on the esplanade of Taci Tolu, in Dili, on his second day of visit to East Timor, in which 600,000 faithful participated, half of the 1.3 million inhabitants of the country considered the most Catholic in the world, not counting the Vatican.
The country’s authorities reported that on the esplanade and in the adjacent areas the presence of about 600,000 people was calculated in one of the most massive events of the pontificate of Francis in proportion to the number of inhabitants.
Already from this Monday, the inhabitants of Dili and Timorese arrived from all over the country concentrated in this natural space where St. John Paul II also celebrated a mass in 1989, when East Timor was still a province invaded by Indonesia and that put the world’s demands for independence in the spotlight.
Francis was greeted by a tide of yellow and white umbrellas, the colors of the Vatican, in a totally festive and euphoric atmosphere in this place, where the guerrillas were buried in mass graves and independence was proclaimed after 25 years of war and the 1999 referendum.
To Taci Tolu arrived not only the inhabitants of the capital but from all parts of the country and also some pilgrims from Indonesia, from nearby West Timor and Australia, most of them dressed in commemorative T-shirts of the trip and that could be observed throughout the city, for which it has become one of the great events in the history of the young nation.
Upon arrival, the pope was tealed with traditional dances and greeted some of those present before the mass.
Due to the heat, he walked on the esplanade on a mobile to greet the faithful only after the ceremony.
In the homily, in Spanish and translated into tetum, Francisco spoke of the joy of the birth of a child and said that in East Timor “it is wonderful what happens when a baby is born” and that here in this country “there are many children” and it is “a young country in which in every corner life feels throbbing and bubbling.”
He also pointed out that “making room for the little ones, welcoming them, taking care of them, and also making all of us little before God and before the brothers, are precisely the attitudes that open us to the action of the Lord.”
A call for the protection of minors, which he also referred to yesterday, in a country where a few years ago the scandal of the abuses committed by the Nobel Peace Prize Bishop in 1996, Carlos Ximenez Belo, broke out.
The pope continued his homily asking the faithful of one of the poorest countries in the world: “Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be afraid to make ourselves small before God and against each other; to lose our lives, to give our time (…) to welcome others.”
The pope will end his visit to East Timor this Tuesday with a meeting with young people and then fly to Singapore, the last stage of his tour of Asia and Oceania.
International
Missile attack hits Kharkiv homes, leaving 13 wounded
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that a Russian missile attack on residential buildings in the eastern city of Kharkiv has left at least 13 people injured, according to local authorities.
“A horrific Russian attack on Kharkiv,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, explaining that two missiles were fired, striking residential areas and causing “a number of casualties that is still being clarified.”
Local officials later confirmed that 13 people were injured in the attack, six of whom were hospitalized, including one woman in serious condition.
International
Sheinbaum evacuates National Palace after 6.5-magnitude earthquake hits Southern Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo evacuated the National Palace on Friday along with journalists and federal government staff after the seismic alert was activated during her morning press conference, triggered by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in the south of the country.
The alert sounded while the president was speaking from the Treasury Hall, forcing the immediate interruption of the event and the activation of established safety protocols.
“Oh, it’s shaking,” Sheinbaum said as she noticed the tremor, before urging those present to remain calm.
According to preliminary information, the earthquake struck the state of Guerrero, one of Mexico’s most seismically active regions. The National Seismological Service (SSN) reported that the quake occurred at 7:58 a.m. local time (13:58 GMT).
Sheinbaum led the orderly evacuation of the historic building, accompanied by reporters covering the briefing and federal government personnel. Images released afterward show the president waiting in the central courtyard of the National Palace as she awaited guidance from Civil Protection authorities on whether it was safe to resume activities.
International
Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney to join Ukraine peace talks in Paris
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday that he will take part in peace negotiations on Ukrainescheduled to be held in Paris on January 5 and 6.
In a statement, the Canadian government said the meeting will bring together countries belonging to the so-called Coalition of the Willing, and aims to “accelerate efforts toward a negotiated peace” in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, supported by robust security guarantees.
Carney said Canada is working closely with its allies to achieve a “just and lasting peace,” stressing that the Coalition of the Willing must both deter further aggression and reinforce security guarantees, while ensuring that Ukraine is able to rebuild, recover and lay the foundations for genuine prosperity.
The Coalition of the Willing is made up of around 30 countries, the vast majority of them European, all of which are allies of Kyiv.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a meeting of the Coalition, alongside other European leaders, will take place in Paris on January 6, focusing on security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a future peace agreement with Russia.
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