International

From email to marriage: the day Pope Francis married a Uruguayan couple

The unexpected recovery of little Sara after being sprayed with holy water while hospitalized was the kick-off of the email exchange that made it possible for Pope Francis to marry Uruguayans Noelia Franco and Omar Caballero by surprise, in the Vatican and in front of his daughters.

September 19, 2018 was not just another day for the Caballero Franco family, who, to this day, are not clear why the Supreme Pontiff decided, responding to an email, to receive them in the private audience in which, unexpectedly, he officiated his marriage by the church and shared with them “the secret of the happy and lasting marriage”.

This is assured in dialogue with EFE by the mother of five daughters who dates back to 2014, when, shortly after being born, Sara – the youngest – had to be admitted to an Intensive Treatment Center for the VRS virus and applied a few drops of water blessed by Francis that a friend had brought from the Vatican.

“With my husband we said that we were going to put it on and that if he was saved we were going to go to the Vatican to thank him and it was like that. We put the droplets on her and automatically she entered the exit curve and came out,” says who, before the little girl turned two years old, traveled with her to Rome to thank her in person.

From that meeting he returned with “a lot of holy water” and rosaries, but also with the earring that his husband and other daughters knew him; so he let his secretary know in an email in which he mentioned that he wanted him to bless his 24-year marriage, because they had never been able to officiate him for the church because he did not have money “even for the rings.”

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“They answered our email and we started in Rome. It was all crazy, because we only had an email, which could have been someone’s joke: ‘I’ll wait for you at eight on September 19 9:15 at Casa Santa Marta’,” he says about the answer by which, after going through security checks, they ended up waiting for him in a room.

“At one point they make us stop, priests begin to pass and he appears with his arms like this – raised -, he shouts ‘Uruguayans!’ and there we loosened (the nerves) (…) He was a grandfather sitting with the family, talking about things about Uruguay, about Argentina,” he recalls the talk that gave rise to the unexpected question about whether they wanted to be married by him.

“We were tough and a great joke was sent. He said ‘the hare must be grabbed when it is locked up’ (…) and there he married us,” says who explains that, after his general audience, he talked again and dismissed them with some words that they still cherish: “He grabs our hand and tells us ‘I’m going to tell you the secret of happy and lasting marriage: with you, bread and onion’ and there he left.”

Marked both by that message, which they interpret as a reminder of being together “in good times and in bad times” and by the closeness of a Francisco whom they last saw last September, when he blessed the marriage of another of his daughters, the Caballero Francos only have left, to “comply with him”, “thank him”.

“He was a pope who was not of this world. He already did what he had to do, he faced what he had to face and leaves us with a new world now to debate what we can solve,” Franco emphasizes about the first Latin American pontiff, whose death, far from crying, his family took with happiness because, he says, “he is today on the side of Jesus.”

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Without being clear why he was so generous, to the point of giving his approval to the giant mandala of tribute to the Abrahamic religions that today the family builds on the land of its tourist enterprise, also designed in honor of the Argentine, Franco insists that all that remains is to “tell the story”.

“We know we have to tell their story, our story. Not only to Catholics, to Christians, but to the people who approach us to listen. Many people come to tell them this and it’s what we have left to do,” he concludes.

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.