International

The spiritual and social legacy in Peru of Pope Leo XIV

In addition to being simple and close, the new Pope Leo XIV stood out in his previous stage as bishop of Peru for his management capacity and being a social actor. Among his legacy, the oxygen plant he managed to install in the middle of the pandemic or his effort to declare a small town in the Diocese as a Eucharistic capital will be remembered.

It seems that in sunny Chiclayo, the Peruvian town where he was bishop for eight years, everyone met Robert Prevost. Neighbors show proud photos with him at a holiday, in church or in educational institutions, and all are good words towards him.

But beyond being known among citizens, and his taste for local food, León XIV led numerous initiatives and projects that last today in Peru.

From the headquarters of Cáritas Chiclayo, its general secretary, José Alejandro Castillo, reminds EFE of some milestones of the American’s passage through this diocese, which show how he knew how to move between public and private entities and even the Armed Forces to help the most needy.

“During the covid-19 pandemic, one of his concerns was the lack of oxygen and he made a very large campaign, in such a way that he not only got an oxygen plant, but two plants,” Castillo says next to said infrastructure.

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He says that for months many people died in Peru due to the lack of oxygen in hospitals, which raised its price to the stars, something that disturbed Prevost and so he began a virtual fundraising campaign to get an oxygen plant and install it in Caritas for those who needed it.

He details that the lines were very long throughout the day due to the enormous demand, but his plan could save the lives of Chiclayanos desperate to get oxygen.

Castillo also remembers how León XIV knew how to get funds and help from the Armed Forces to build housing modules for people who had lost their homes due to the great floods caused by the El Niño Phenomenon in 2017.

In fact, a photo of Prevost with rubber boots in the middle of an infinite brown puddle formed by the floods that destroyed part of northern Peru has gone viral.

He also highlighted the line of work promoted by the then bishop to help Venezuelan migration that arrives from the northern border of the country, both to people who are passing through, and those who settle in the city.

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“They are helped with the procedures so that they can regularize their situation here in this country, and above all, they can get work for their own support,” says the priest, adding that his concern for migrants was outstanding.

A few kilometers south of the city, a small and humble town called Eten could change its destiny thanks to the action of Leo XIV, because in 2019 he brought to Pope Francis the request to declare it as ‘Eucharistic capital’, for a miracle that occurred in 1649.

The Parish of Santa María Magdalena worships the Divine Child of the Miracle, where neighbors and visitors come with fervor and more than 20,000 handwritten testimonies of faith accumulate, which Prevost taught to the previous pope.

While a woman leaves next to the colorful image of the Child Jesus the photo of her sick son, Noemí Ñiquen, a member of the parish, tells EFE that Bishop Prevost visited this peculiar church and its community many times.

“I visited our town a lot, I knew the people and their problems. She knows that this town is full of faith, of religious tradition, that’s why we love him very much here and we are sure that his first visit to Peru will be to recognize Eten as a Eucharistic city,” she said enthusiastically.

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International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.