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.
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.”
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.”
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
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
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
-
International2 days agoMexico reports 64 dead, 65 missing after devastating central region floods
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemala arrests first escaped gang member after Barrio 18 prison break
-
International5 days agoMaría Corina Machado calls 2025 Nobel Peace prize a victory for venezuelan people
-
International2 days agoVenezuela calls for continued global pressure to secure ‘just peace’ for Palestine
-
International2 days agoPope Leo XIV to skip COP30 in Brazil but plans future visit, Lula confirms
-
International5 days agoNetanyahu says Trump deserved 2025 Nobel Peace prize
-
International4 days agoPeruvian president Jerí leads prison raids to tackle organized crime
-
International4 days agoVenezuela launches ‘Independence 200’ defense plan amid U.S. naval presence
-
Central America2 days agoFraijanes II prison in Guatemala reports gradual escape of 18th Street gang inmates
-
International15 hours agoSheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
-
International2 days agoHeavy rains leave dozens dead in Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz
-
International15 hours agoArmed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
-
International15 hours agoVenezuelan media faces fresh restrictions after reporting on opposition leader’s Nobel win
-
International15 hours agoCaracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win