International
The pope proclaims Father Manuel Ruiz López and six other Spanish Franciscans saints
Pope Francis proclaimed saints this Sunday the Spanish Manuel Ruiz López and seven other Franciscan friars, six of them Spanish, murdered in Syria in 1860, during a year of persecution and massacres against Christians.
Francis used the Latin formula as usual to proclaim his holiness and ask that they be inscribed in the books of the saints of the Church.
“We continue the work of Jesus in the world. In this light we can remember the disciples of the Gospel who are canonized today. Throughout the eventful history of humanity they were faithful servants, men and women who served in martyrdom and joy, like Brother Manuel Ruiz López and his companions,” said the pope at the canonization ceremony in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, in the presence of faithful.
Manuel Ruiz (Burgos, 1804) was murdered in the city of Damascus in 1860, when Christians in Syria and Lebanon suffered massacres by members of the Druse community.
At that time he was superior to the convent of San Pablo and was the victim of the fury of a multitude of Druss who on the night of July 9, 1860 broke into the Christian mud of Damascus. A few 30,000 people lived there, thousands of them were massacred and some took refuge in the monastery of Ruiz and the rest of the minor friars.
With him they beheaded seven Franciscans today also canonized, including the Spaniards Carmelo Bolta, Nicanor Ascansio, Nicolás María Alberca, Pedro Nolasco Soler, Francisco Piñazo Peñalver and Juan Fernández, and the Austrian Engelbert Kolland.
The religious received a proposal from the Ottoman governor of the time to take refuge in his residence, but they rejected it when they did not want to leave the people who sought to protect themselves in the convent alone.
Other canonized
The Maronite lay Francesco Massabki, Mooti Massabki and Raffaele Massabki were also canonized at the ceremony. They were three brothers from Damascus closely linked to the community of the Franciscans who were in the convent of St. Paul along with the rest of the friars, where they also died murdered in the same massacre.
This Sunday, the Italian priest Giuseppe Allamano (1851-1926), founder of the Institute of the Missionaries of Consolata and the Missionary Sisters of Consolata, was also proclaimed saints, the Italian Elena Guerra (1835-1914), founder of the Congregation of Oblates of the Holy Spirit – known as the Sisters of Santa Zita-, and the Canadian Marie-Léonie Paradis (1840-1912), founder of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family.
Among those attending the ceremony were authorities such as Félix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Spanish Government’s Courts.
International
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.
On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.
According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”
International
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.
“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.
“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.
International
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.
Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.
“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.
The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”
Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.
Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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