International

Lula da Silva: Bolsonaro “will know that in this country the law is for everyone”

Former President Jair Bolsonaro “must prove his innocence” and, if he committed a crime, “he will know that in this country the law is for everyone,” said the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Thursday in statements to a local radio station in Rio de Janeiro.

“They will have the right to defend themselves and say it’s a lie. But if it is proven (the complaint filed by the Prosecutor’s Office) there is no other final solution than the condemnation,” he said in his interview on Rádio Tupi FM.

Lula repeated that “he is not going to speak for Justice,” although he described the complaint filed this Tuesday by the Prosecutor’s Office against the far-right leader and 33 other people as a “serious” act.

“The Workers’ Party was persecuted for almost 50 years without having done even 10% of what the team of the former president (Jair Bolsonaro) tried to do in this country,” said the progressive president.

Lula said he finds it “funny” that the accused for the attempted coup d’état of January 8, 2023, when thousands of extreme right-wing radicals violently invaded the headquarters of the Presidency, the Supreme Court and the Parliament, appeal for an amnesty.

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“What I find funny is that those people are condemning themselves asking for amnesty before being tried. The first thing they have to do is defend their innocence. They are saying that they are guilty asking for amnesty before being tried, and with that they deserve to be condemned,” he said.

“When the former president (Jair Bolsonaro) spends his time asking for amnesty, he is proving that he is guilty, he is proving that he committed a crime,” he said in the face of the efforts of conservative allies to present an amnesty project in the National Congress, which have become stronger after the complaint.

For the invasion of January 8, the Supreme Court has already convicted about 400 people for crimes similar to those that the former president may face.

In his first speech this Wednesday after the complaint, Lula had opted for a more moderate tone towards Bolsonaro, although in the same line.

In a press conference with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, the president of Brazil commented that “if they prove that they did not try to strike a coup and that they did not try to kill the president, the vice president and a judge of the Supreme Court,” as the complaint says, “they will be free and will be able to travel throughout the country.”

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Even so, he stressed that “if the judges came to the conclusion that they are guilty, they will have to pay for the mistakes they made.”

Bolsonaro is one step away from sitting on the bench for five crimes, including “attempt to violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law”, “coup d’état” and “armed organization to commit crimes,” for which he can receive a 40-year prison sentence.

The defenses of the far-right leader and the other 33 accused of participating in the coup attempt now have a period of two weeks to present allegations.

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.