International

Three missionaries are murdered in Haiti, including the daughter of a U.S. legislator

Three American missionaries were killed at the hands of armed bandits who attacked an orphanage that houses dozens of children in Lison 49, in Plaine, north of Port-au-au-Prince, under the control of armed gangs for several months, the Missions in Haiti organization confirmed on Friday.

Two of them are the daughter and son-in-law of the US state legislator of Missouri Ben Baker, as reported this Friday by the politician himself through social networks.

“My heart is broken into a thousand pieces. I had never felt this kind of pain,” the Republican, a member of the state’s local House of Representatives, wrote on Facebook.

Baker’s daughter, Natalie, and her husband, Davy Lloyd, were in the country serving as missionaries when they were attacked by an armed gang.

Haiti is experiencing a spiral of violence with killings, attacks, rapes and kidnappings at the hands of the powerful armed gangs, a situation that has been exacerbated since the end of last February.

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“They went to heaven together. Please pray for my family, we desperately need strength. And also pray for the Lloyd family. I don’t have any other words for now,” Baker added.

The news was shared through social networks by the former president and Republican pre-candidate for the presidency Donald Trump (2017-2021).

“God bless Davy and Natalie. What a tragedy. Haiti is totally out of control. Find the killers NOW!!!,” the Republican wrote in Truth Social.

In March, the U.S. State Department issued a travel notice urging Americans not to travel to Haiti due to its “unpredictable and dangerous” security conditions.

Natalie and Davy married in August 2022 and moved to Haiti three months later, according to the young woman’s Instagram account.

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On social networks you can see how they worked mainly with Haitian children for the NGO Missions in Haiti Inc., which was founded by Davy’s parents, David and Alicia Lloyd, in 2000.

The interim government of Haiti announced last Wednesday that it is extending the curfew for seven more days in the department of the West, where the capital is located and where the state of emergency also applies to try to curb the violence.

The curfew accompanies the state of emergency extended for a month between May 9 and June 8 with the aim of restoring order and taking appropriate measures to regain control of the situation in the face of the high levels of insecurity caused by the armed gangs that control much of Port-au-Prince and other areas.

In order to help stop the violence in Haiti, where insecurity caused about 8,000 deaths last year, a multinational security support mission, led by Kenya and approved by the UN, will arrive in this Caribbean country.

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International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.