Funeral for Pope Francis Held in Vatican City

Roman Catholic Church officials and foreign dignitaries gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City Saturday to bid farewell to Pope Francis, who died at 88 this past week after suffering a stroke.

Francis was the first pope born outside Europe since 741.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, emphasized in his homily Pope Francis’s legacy as a bridge-builder and advocate for the marginalized. He recalled Francis’s repeated exhortation to “build bridges, not walls,” and his unwavering commitment to social justice, peace, and dialogue across divides.

Notable people in attendance included current US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (with whom Trump met while in Rome), and Argentinian President Javier Milei.

Pope Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936 into an Italian Argentinian family. He was the eldest of five children. As part of his schooling, he earned a chemical technician’s diploma, working in a laboratory. He also worked as a janitor and as a bouncer.

In his twenties, he entered seminary and joined the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. By 1998, he had become the archbishop of the Diocese of Buenos Aires, and he was made a cardinal in 2001.

Bergoglio was considered a contender for the papacy in the 2006 conclave to replace the late John Paul II, in which German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected and became Benedict XVI. When Benedict stepped down from the papacy in 2013, Bergoglio was elected and chose Francis as his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who inspired his dedication to serving the needs of the poor.

 

Emmanuel Macron Wins Reelection as French President

 

Credit: Nathanael Mergui 

French President Emmanuel Macron won reelection as president of France this past week, defeating his right-wing Eurosceptic rival Marine Le Pen in a rematch of the 2017 election. Macron led Le Pen 59% to 41%.

Macron and Le Pen had finished first and second respectively in the first round of the presidential election earlier this month, defeating a wide array of other rivals. The third-place finisher, Jean-Luc Melanchon, did not endorse either candidate, but encouraged his voters not to vote for Le Pen.

While Macron’s victory will prevent any marked change in France’s involvement in the European Union, Le Pen’s performance marked a highest level of support for her right-wing to far-right party in French presidential elections.

 

 

Coronavirus Cases Surge as US, Europe Face Likely Second Wave

The coronavirus pandemic has again shifted into another phase of heightened infection rates, with the United States reporting record case numbers, with Wednesday seeing over 80,000 new reported infections. While the US has remained the country with the most cases throughout most of the pandemic, European countries are experiencing what is being described as the ‘second wave’ of the epidemic, leading to a new series of restrictions and lockdowns. French President Emmanuel Marcon has announced a new one-month lockdown, and Germany’s federal and state governments have closed bars, restaurants, and most forms of public entertainment.