International

Pope Francis and Trump, a relationship of disagreements marked by migration

The relationship between the late Pope Francis and the US President, Donald Trump, has been marked by several disagreements, especially by the pontiff’s critical position on the Republican leader’s immigration policies.

Trump and his wife Melania will travel to Rome to attend Francisco’s funeral, which will take place this Saturday, a trip that the president himself confirmed, who conveyed his condolences yesterday.

“Rest in peace, Pope Francis! May God bless him and all those who loved him!” he wrote.

In addition, he signed an executive order for US flags to fly at half-mast until sunset on burial day.

The relationship, however, went through more low times than highs, even before Trump was elected for his first term.

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Thus, in February 2016, on the plane back from a trip to Mexico, Francisco regrets that Donald Trump, then a Republican candidate in the US primaries, is a person who “thinks about building walls.” “This is not Christian,” he said.

The pontiff thus answered the journalists’ question of whether a Catholic could vote for someone like Trump. And he added that he did not get involved in advising the vote, but he pointed out: “I just say: this man is not a Christian if he says this.”

On this occasion Trump came out dismissing as “shameful” that a pontiff questions a person’s faith and recalled that the Vatican is surrounded by ‘scandalously high walls’. He later settled the controversy and described the pontiff as a “wonderful guy.”

In January 2017, Francisco congratulates Trump, newly elected president of the United States, and encourages him to maintain “his nation’s commitment to the protection of human dignity and freedom around the world.”

The US president responds that he is “very eager” to meet with Pope Francis, which happened in May of that year, when Trump comes out saying that the meeting has been “an honor.”

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In June 2019, on the occasion of the unexpected summit between President Trump and North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, Francis said, without referring to any: “In the last few hours we have witnessed in Korea a good example of the culture of the meeting. I greet the protagonists with prayer and may this significant gesture constitute another step on the path of peace not only in the (Korean) Peninsula but in favor of the whole world.”

On January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration as US president, Pope Francis, in reference to the plan of mass deportations of immigrants warns: “This, if it is true, will be a disgrace because it will make the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill of the imbalance. That’s not good, that’s not how things are solved.”

The following month in a letter to the bishops of the United States, and in a rare gesture, the pope speaks out against deportations and says: “I urgest all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to the narratives that discriminate and make our migrant brothers and refugees suffer unnecessarily.”

And not to mention Trump, he warned that “what is built on the basis of force, and not from the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and evil will end.”

The White House’s response was that same day by the Catholic Tom Homan, a border security advisor: “I want you to focus – in reference to the pope – on the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border surveillance to us.”

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And for history, the last international leader who visited Francis in the Vatican was the US Vice President, JD Vance, on Sunday, the eve of his death.

“I was happy to see him yesterday, although obviously he was very sick. But I will always remember him for the homily he gave in the first days of COVID. It was really beautiful. May God give him rest,” added Vance, a converted Catholic.

International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.