International
A very heterogeneous and divided conclave will elect the new pope
Despite having been elected mostly by Pope Francis, who died this Monday at the age of 88, the 135 cardinals from 71 countries who will form the conclave that will elect their successor are a heterogeneous group that is not known and without a common idea about the future of the Church, which will make them present themselves in the Sistine Chapel strongly divided.
There are many differences with respect to the conclave that met twelve years ago to elect Jorge Bergoglio: one is the number of cardinal electors, that is, those who are under 80 years old on the day of the pope’s resignation or death, which is much greater than on other occasions, and another, the largest number of countries from which they come.
“Yes, I think that the fact that the 135 voters come from 71 countries could have weight in the conclave, since a candidate needs two-thirds of the votes to be elected. In 2013, that meant 77 votes. In the next conclave, based on the current number of voters, it would be 91. To date, 68 voters come from Europe and North America,” analyzes Irish journalist Gerard O’Connell in his book “The election of Pope Francis: an intimate account of the conclave that changed history.”
In addition, “the fact that many of the cardinals do not know each other so well, except those who participated in the synod, could create some difficulties, so they will depend more on the ‘makers of kings’, who are esteemed and influential cardinals, many of them over 80 years old,” says the also correspondent in Rome of the magazine of the Society of Jesus, America Magazine.
For the analyst of the newspaper ‘Corriere della Sera’ Massimo Franco and author of several books on the Vatican, the conclave that chose Bergoglio “was born with a strong anti-Italian prejudice, because it was a conclave following the resignation of Benedict XVI and if then the unwritten slogan was no to an Italian pope, this time it will be no to a South American pope, perhaps he will probably become a European.”
Franco assures that “the conservative minority are the ones who have expressed themselves the most, but in reality there is a wide and silent gray area that he has obeyed out of loyalty, although in reality he has disapproved of many of Pope Francis’ behaviors.”
“They come from 71 nations and this is a problem because they are cardinals who do not know each other, who come from peripheral realities not only from a geographical point of view, but also from a demographic and religious point of view,” adds the journalist of the Milanese newspaper.
For Franco, the curial model has failed and also the model of Casa Santa Marta (formed by the pope and his small group of collaborators), so “there will be a discontinuity”.
While Massimo Faggioli, professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Villanova (USA), assures that with respect to 2013, “today there is no factor of a candidate already examined in the previous conclave.”
“Similar to that of 2005 is the situation of division in the Church before the decisions of the pope, which however during the pontificate of Francis emerged harshly also on the part of cardinals and bishops, in a different way than Benedict XVI,” he says.
He emphasizes that “an essential difference is the international situation, much more complicated and dangerous than in 2013, especially because of what is happening in the US and consequently in the world.”
“There are several cardinals who have been very critical of Francis on certain issues, but have lost influence and voice in recent years. They have been cautious, but in the conclave they could find support among those who are surprised and tired of a pontificate with so much novelty and turbulence,” he emphasizes.
However, O’Donnel believes that “that most substantially share their vision and are committed to synodality.
After talking to many cardinals created by Francis, voters are more likely to vote for a candidate who substantially shares his vision.”
International
From the transfer of the coffin to the funeral, three days to say goodbye to Pope Francis
The public funeral of Pope Francis will begin this Wednesday, with the transfer of the coffin to St. Peter’s Basilica to receive the tribute of the faithful, who will have three days to say goodbye to the pontiff, until Saturday, when the funeral and the funeral of the pontiff will be held.
The coffin with the body of Francisco, who died this Monday at the age of 88 due to a stroke after months of suffering serious respiratory problems, has been veiled since his death in his residence of the Casa Santa Marta at the express request of the pope, who made some changes in the rules to simplify the funerals of the pontiffs.
From today, the faithful, with whom Francisco liked so much to surround themselves to feel his closeness and affection, will be able to go to the basilica to say goodbye during three intense days in which the temple will be open Wednesday and Thursday until midnight.
At 9.00, local time (10.00 GMT), and after a moment of prayer, chaired by the carmarlengo, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, “the translation” of the body will begin, as decided by the 60 cardinals participating this Tuesday in the first general congregation or preparatory meeting for the conclave.
The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square and the Roman Protomartyrs Square and from the Arch of the Bells will exit to St. Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door.
Then on the Altar of Confession, under the canopy, the chamberlened cardinal will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, at the end of which the visit of the faithful will begin.
The funerals will be on Saturday, April 26 at 10.00, local time (8.00 GMT), in St. Peter’s Square, while tomorrow, Wednesday, the coffin will be transferred to the Vatican Basilica to receive the tribute of the faithful.
The ceremony, which is scheduled for the arrival of Heads of State from all over the world, will begin at 10.00 local time (8.00 GMT) and will be officiated by the dean of the college of cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re.
Then, the coffin will be transferred to the basilica of Santa María la Mayor to be buried, as the Argentine pontiff left in his will.
“Thank you for bringing me back to the Square,” Francisco said to his personal health assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, for encouraging him to make his last trip on the papamobile on Sunday, after the Urbi et Orbi blessing, touring St. Peter’s Square among the faithful.
These words, among the last of the pontiff, according to the Vatican media, show once again the importance that “the pope of the disadvantaged” gave to contact with people, even in their last hours.
“Around 5.30 in the morning the first symptoms appeared, with the prompt intervention of those who took care of him. More than an hour later, after greeting Strappetti, who was lying in bed in his apartment on the second floor of Casa Santa Marta, the pope fell into a coma. He didn’t suffer, everything happened quickly, says someone who was by his side in those last moments,” Vatican news revealed.
According to the date chosen for the funeral and the rules governing the process, the conclave must be held between May 5 and 15, since no more than 20 days should pass and the funerals, the so-called Novediales, in which suffrage masses are held by the late pontiff, cannot be called during the successive days.
Despite having been elected mostly by Pope Francis, the 135 cardinals from 71 countries who will form the conclave that will choose their successor are a heterogeneous group that is not known and without a common idea about the future of the Church, which will make them present themselves in the Sistine Chapel strongly divided.
There are many differences with respect to the conclave that met twelve years ago to elect Jorge Bergoglio: one is the number of cardinal electors, that is, those who are under 80 years old on the day of the pope’s resignation or death, which is much greater than on other occasions, and another, the largest number of countries from which they come.
International
Modi returns to India and shortens his visit to Saudi Arabia after a deadly attack in Kashmir
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortened his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi on Wednesday after the deadly terrorist attack with 28 dead in the Pahalgam region, in Indian Kashmir, one of the worst attacks against civilians in recent years.
Upon his arrival in the Indian capital, the prime minister immediately held a high-level information meeting at the airport to analyze the situation resulting from the deadly attack against a group of tourists, which occurred yesterday, according to images from the Government.
Modi, who had just started an official visit to Saudi Arabia, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, according to images of the meeting.
The attack in Pahalgam occurred yesterday when alleged militants attacked a group of tourists, killing 28 people and injuring more than 20.
Survivors of the attack, quoted by Indian media, told how the aggressors approached them in the meadow and began shooting at close range, pointing, according to reports, to individuals who claimed not to be Muslims.
The attack marks a serious escalation with respect to other recent incidents in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Previously, the deadliest attack in recent years took place in February 2019, when a suicide attack killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police officers.
As for attacks against civilians, a notable incident took place in March 2000, when an insurgent attack on a village in the south of the region killed at least 36 people.
The Kashmir region has been a long-standing point of conflict between India and Pakistan since its separation from the British Empire in 1947. Both nations have fought wars and other minor conflicts for the control of the territory.
Since 1989, the region has been the scene of an armed revolt against the New Delhi Government, a conflict that has caused the death of tens of thousands of people. India maintains that Pakistan supports the insurgency, a statement that Pakistan denies.
In response to the attack, the Indian Army and Kashmir Police have launched a search operation in the Baisran area, Pahalgam, in the Anantnag district, to arrest the perpetrators.
The attack on tourists in the Pahalgam area, in the Anantnag district, has caused widespread condemnation throughout the country. Several political leaders, including Modi and Interior Minister Amit Shah, have denounced the attack.
International leaders, such as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, also issued statements condemning the violence and expressing their solidarity with India.
Kashmir administered by India woke up this Wednesday paralyzed under strong security measures, even greater than usual in this heavily militarized region, while security forces try to find those responsible for the insurgent attack that killed 28 people yesterday.
Hundreds of police and soldiers are deployed today in Srinagar, the main city of the region, and in other cities such as Pahalgam, the closest to the place of the attack, with patrols that go through every street making loud sirens sound, according to EFE.
The region also observes a total closure of its activity, called by several local religious and political leaders, in addition to the main commercial organizations.
All stores, commercial establishments and educational institutions are closed while university exams scheduled for today have been postponed.
The attack occurred yesterday about five kilometers from Pahalgam, in a meadow frequented by locals and visitors, when alleged insurgents attacked a group of tourists, causing the death of 28 people and injuring at least a dozen people.
Survivors of the attack, quoted by Indian media, told how the aggressors approached them in the meadow and began shooting at close range, pointing, according to reports, to individuals who claimed not to be Muslims.
The security forces have not notified the arrest of any person so far, while a police investigation is already underway.
“A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is expected to arrive in Pahalgam to take charge of the investigation of the incident,” an official from the Kashmir divisional commissioner’s office told EFE.
According to a source close to the investigation cited by The Indian Express, there were four insurgents involved in the attack.
International
Maradona’s house arrest is again a focus of tension in the trial for his death
The decision for Diego Armando Maradona to recover from his last operation in a home hospitalization was today the focus of a new hearing of the trial for his death, in which a revealing recording was known where one of the accused doctors urged another to modify the historic clinic of the former footballer so as not to be legally responsible for the decision of home hospitalization.
Tuesday’s hearing had the testimony of psychiatrist Ana Marcela Waisman Campos, who was in contact with Maradona’s medical team during his hospitalization at the Olivos Clinic, located on the outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires.
In that clinic, the Argentine idol was operated on on November 3, 2020 for a subdural hematoma on his head, and remained there until the 11th of the same month, when he was transferred to a home in Tigre (province of Buenos Aires) to travel there for the rest of his recovery.
Waisman Campos stated that he visited the star in the clinic but that he refused to be treated by her.
The doctor also referred to her contacts with Maradona’s psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov, and said that she was in contact with her during those days and that they discussed the case of the former soccer player.
During the hearing, in addition to making known conversations between the two on medical issues, an audio sent on November 10 by Cosachov to Maradona’s family doctor, Leopoldo Luque, was reproduced, in which she mentioned a recommendation by Waisman Campos to eliminate from the former footballer’s medical record the participation of both in the decision of home admission.
“This psychiatrist threw me some tips that I think are good regarding something that we have to put in the medical history before Diego leaves, that you can write because they put a lot of ‘family doctor, family doctor’ to be legally protected,” begins the recording, in which Cosachov is also heard warning Luque that the clinical history of the Olivos Clinic indicated that the decision of home hospitalization had been made jointly between the doctors and the family.
“So, she suggested to me, and the truth is that I respect her position very much in this, that legally it suited us, which is actually true, to make a last evaluation saying that the family, let’s say, in the face of the different therapeutic options, is the one who, understanding and understanding the risks of the options, agree and opt for home hospitalization, because legally we are more covered,” Cosachov adds in the recording.
The question of who chose to have Maradona recover in a home instead of in a clinic is one of the keys to the trial for his death.
The information provided by the witnesses who have testified so far indicates that, while the former footballer was recovering in the clinic, a meeting was held between relatives, doctors from the clinic, from the prepaid medicine company Swiss Medical and Luque and Cosachov in which two alternatives were considered: continue with the treatment in a rehabilitation clinic or do it in a home under the modality of home hospitalization.
Given Maradona’s pre-existing pathologies, the complaint states that the home hospitalization that was finally opted for was “a way to sentence him to death.”
Two of Maradona’s daughters, as well as their ex-partner Verónica Ojeda, declared in recent weeks that Luque was very clear in his recommendation that the former footballer recover in a house and flatly ruled out the option of admitting him – willfully or by force – to a clinic.
“We discussed the 3 options, it didn’t seem so bad because they promised us the same thing (in home hospitalization) as at the Olivos Clinic, and it never happened. They deceived us in the cruelest way,” said Dalma Maradona, one of the idol’s daughters, last Tuesday, who assured that the conditions of the house where their father was admitted did not fit what they had promised them.
On the housing conditions and the medical treatment that Maradona received there, two Swiss Medical workers told on Tuesday, who disconnected the prepaid medicine company from the failures in the care of the former footballer.
In addition to Luque, Cosachov, the doctor and coordinator of the Swiss Medical company, Nancy Forlini, the psychologist Carlos Díaz, the doctor Pedro Di Spagna, the coordinator of nurses Mariano Perroni and the nurse Ricardo Almirón are tried in this process.
Nurse Gisela Madrid is also on trial but will face a jury trial, as requested.
In this process, judges Maximiliano Savarino, Verónica Di Tommaso and Julieta Makintach must determine whether seven of the eight defendants are guilty of the crime of simple homicide with eventual malice, which has a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
From the transfer of the coffin to the funeral, three days to say goodbye to Pope Francis
A very heterogeneous and divided conclave will elect the new pope
Modi returns to India and shortens his visit to Saudi Arabia after a deadly attack in Kashmir
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
-
Central America5 days agoUN complaint filed against Costa Rica over detention of migrant children
-
Central America3 days agoSenator Van Hollen Meets with Deported MS-13 Member in El Salvador; Trump and Bukele React
-
International5 days agoACLU seeks emergency court order to stop venezuelan deportations under Wartime Law
-
Central America2 days agoCardinal Rodríguez to Attend Funeral of Pope Francis: “He Was Very Dear to Me”
-
Central America2 days agoNicaragua’s Ortega and Murillo Mourn Pope Francis, Acknowledge ‘Difficult’ Relationship
-
International4 days agoThousands rally nationwide against Trump’s threat to U.S. democracy
-
International3 days agoPope Francis Appears for Easter Blessing, Calls for Peace and Religious Freedom
-
International2 days agoDominican Republic Declares Three Days of Mourning for Pope Francis
-
International2 days agoDHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Purse Stolen in D.C. Restaurant Heist
-
International2 days agoPope Francis: The Quiet Architect Behind the U.S.-Cuba Thaw
-
International23 hours agoWithin Francis’ private wake: respect and prayer for the deceased pope
-
International23 hours agoPope Francis and Trump, a relationship of disagreements marked by migration
-
International23 hours agoTrump’s emissary will visit Russia this week for consultations on the arrangement in Ukraine
-
International23 hours agoThe pope last called the Gaza parish on Saturday and asked about the children
-
International23 hours agoAmerican universities and colleges sign a letter against Trump’s policy
-
International23 hours agoCardinal Becciu’s enigma: will he enter the conclave?
-
International23 hours agoBurma’s military junta extends ceasefire until April 30 due to the earthquake
-
International23 hours agoThe Government of Colombia presents twelve questions that it will propose in a popular consultation to promote its reforms
-
International23 hours agoA candidate for the Supreme Court denounces an unequal dispute in the judicial election of Mexico
-
International23 hours agoChurch charges ceased or resigned in the papacy of Francis for cases of pedophilia
-
International23 hours agoInternational leaders begin to confirm their presence at Pope Francis’ funeral
-
International23 hours agoRoyal quinoa, the superfood that grows in front of the largest salt flat in the world in Bolivia
-
International4 hours agoModi returns to India and shortens his visit to Saudi Arabia after a deadly attack in Kashmir
-
International4 hours agoFrom the transfer of the coffin to the funeral, three days to say goodbye to Pope Francis
-
International5 hours agoDonald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in mid-May
-
International4 hours agoThe president of the World Bank underlines his intention to lift his veto on nuclear energy
-
International4 hours agoEl Salvador formalizes the proposal for the exchange of Venezuelan deportees, according to Bukele
-
International4 hours agoMaradona’s house arrest is again a focus of tension in the trial for his death
-
International4 hours agoA judge orders the Trump Government to restore Voice of America services
-
International5 hours agoThe Peruvian Public Ministry denounces the former attorney general for an alleged corruption case
-
International5 hours agoMarco Rubio reorganizes the State Department to eliminate offices and jobs
-
International5 hours agoThe Brazilian Supreme Court opens trial against six others accused of leading the coup attempt
-
International5 hours agoA judge in the United States stops the deportation to El Salvador of a hundred Venezuelans