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
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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