English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For April 22/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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22.25.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary
Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons
Mark 16/09-20/When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he
appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She
went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not
believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while
they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest;
but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they
were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal
to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And
these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out
demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their
hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they
will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord
Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right
hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord
worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on April 21-22/2025
The Passing of His Holiness Pope Francis: A Lover of Lebanon Who
Carried Its Pain and the Suffering of Its People with Deep Faith/Elias Bejjani/April
21/2025
Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen! We are witnesses to His Resurrection./Elias
Bejjani/April 20/2025
Text & Video: The Delusions and Insanity of Naim Qassem, Wafiq Safa, Mahmoud
Qmati, Qassem Qasir, and the Rest of the Iranian Puppet Choir/Elias Bejjani/April
19, 2025
Link to a video report by journalist Ali Hamadeh,
Netanyahu Warns of "Expanded Israeli Response”, says "Lebanon Will Not Be
Spared"
Lebanon lowers flag at Baabda Palace in mourning for Pope Francis
Timeline for Hezbollah disarmament: Is there an external green light to bypass
the timeframe issue?
Israel eyes deeper Lebanon incursions: Israeli report calls Lebanese Army's
response a 'game-changer'
IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings: Lebanon hopes to turn positive signals into
IMF agreement
From ceasefire to daily strikes: Hezbollah disarmament debate coincides with
renewed Israeli aggression
Haykal: We Will Do All That Is Required to Preserve Lebanon
Berri Backs Closed-List System to Ensure Parity in Beirut Municipal Council
Lebanese Army Arrests 16 Individuals for Various Crimes
Southern Lebanon: Is Israel Answering Qassem with Fire?
Maronite Patriarch Rai Injured During Resurrection Mass, Undergoes Successful
Surgery
Lebanese President Says Disarmament Decision Has Been Taken
'No-Reform' Banking Bill: Where Is the Responsibility of the Defaulting State?
Iran’s Nuclear Standoff: Two Decades of Tactical Delay
Lebanon Grieves Deeply After Shocking Death of Pope Francis
Pope Francis: "Providence Will Never Forsake Lebanon"
Proposal of Merging Hezbollah Fighters with Lebanese Army Collides with Reality
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on April 21-22/2025
Trump says US had very good meetings with Iran
Iran says Israel wants to ‘undermine’ nuclear talks with US: FM spokesman
French MPs call on Macron to intervene after Israel cancels visas
US airstrikes killed 12 people in Yemen’s capital, the Houthi rebels say
Putin says he is open to direct peace talks with Ukraine
Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Sending Delegation to London Talks on Settling War
Kremlin Says US Position Ruling Out NATO Membership for Ukraine Gives
Satisfaction
Harvard sues Trump administration to stop the freeze of more than $2 billion in
grants
Trump Stands behind Hegseth after Attack Plans Shared in Second Signal Chat,
White House Says
Trump Administration Orders Thousands of Afghans to Leave Within 1 Week
Vance and Modi Meet in New Delhi to Discuss Trade Deal and Avoid US Tariffs
Trump Stands behind Hegseth after Attack Plans Shared in Second Signal Chat,
White House Says
Gaza's Christians 'Heartbroken' for Pope Who Phoned them Nightly
Who might succeed Pope Francis? Nine possible candidates
Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff Who Ministered with a Charming,
Humble Style, Dies at 88
Global Tributes Pour in to Honor Pope Francis after His Death
Pope's frequent calls to a Catholic church made him a revered figure in
war-battered Gaza
Pope Francis used final Easter address to call for Gaza ceasefire
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming,
humble style, dies at 88
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sourceson
on April 21-22/2025
The Iran-Hamas Plan to Unleash More Terrorism Against Israel/Khaled Abu
Toameh/Gatestone Institute/April 21, 2025
The Ugly Truth behind Pete Hegseth’s Kafir Tattoo/Raymond Ibrahim/The
Stream/April 21/2025
Saudi Arabia and the Architecture of Regional De-escalation/Mamoun Fandy/Asharq
Al Awsat/April 21/2025
The Man Who Does Not Tire of Killing/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/April
21/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on April 21-22/2025
The Passing of His Holiness Pope Francis: A Lover of Lebanon Who
Carried Its Pain and the Suffering of Its People with Deep Faith
Elias Bejjani/April 21/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142564/
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that
we shall also live with Him."(Romans 06:08)
With deep sorrow and a heavy heart, we bid farewell to His Holiness Pope
Francis, a shepherd of peace, a champion of the poor, and a tireless messenger
of God's mercy. At a time when humanity yearns for moral clarity and spiritual
hope, his passing marks a painful loss.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he made history in 2013
by becoming the first Jesuit pope, the first from Latin America, and the first
to bear the name of Francis — in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the humble
servant of the poor. Throughout his papacy, he led with simplicity and
compassion, reminding the world that true greatness lies in service, not in
power.
Pope Francis held a special place in his heart for my beloved homeland, Lebanon.
He consistently raised his voice in support of its people, particularly in times
of crisis. After the Beirut port explosion in 2020, he called for “a generous
and impartial commitment by all political and religious leaders to work for the
common good of Lebanon,” adding that “Lebanon cannot be abandoned in its
solitude.” In 2021, he invited Lebanese Christian leaders to the Vatican for a
day of prayer, affirming: “Lebanon is in crisis, and its stability must be a
concern of the international community. Let us pray that the Lord will give
light and strength to the Lebanese people.” His unwavering support was a beacon
of hope to many.
His Holiness was more than a pontiff — he was a living example of Christ’s love.
In every step he took, he called us to walk the narrow path of humility,
reconciliation, and justice. He reminded us that faith is not a theory but a way
of life.
And yet, even as we grieve, we find solace in the truth of our Christian faith —
that death is not the end but a holy transition. As St. Paul wrote, “For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with Him.” Death is but sleep for the faithful, until the trumpet
sounds and our Lord returns in glory. Pope Francis now rests in the peace of
Christ, awaiting the resurrection, his life a testimony to the hope that lies
beyond the grave.
May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may we honor his legacy by striving for
a world where love, truth, and justice prevail.
Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen! We are witnesses to His
Resurrection.
Elias Bejjani/April 20/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142519/
Our resurrection with the Lord Jesus Christ begins today and continues every day
of our lives, through the power of the Holy Spirit—just as it began in the lives
of the apostles on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon
them. This is what we experience and express through our diverse liturgical
celebrations, especially in the procession of the triumphant and redemptive
Cross, and in the Rite of Peace during the Feast of the Resurrection, the Feast
of Feasts.
The risen Christ is present in every word spoken by our tongues—for in the
beginning was the Word, and the Word is God, and God has granted us this Word so
that we may glorify Him. He is present in our freedom, our choices, our
decisions, and our actions—blessing all we do with divine purpose. Yet worldly
matters often tempt and mislead us, ensnaring us with our instincts and desires.
As a result, our faith weakens, our hope falters, and we drift from the
teachings of the Gospel. We begin to neglect our duties toward our Heavenly
Father and toward our fellow human beings.
Theologically, if we do not believe in the Resurrection, we are not truly
Christians. Our faith becomes void, for the central mystery of Christianity lies
in the incarnation, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus
Christ. The core of our belief is that Christ, who was crucified and died, has
truly risen and lives among us forever. He is alive in our conscience, in our
hearts, in our thoughts, and He constantly watches over us, guiding us.
The Resurrection of Christ from the dead is, in truth, the resurrection of all
humankind who seek new life. It is a fundamental truth: “He is not here; He has
risen.” (Luke 24:6)
We firmly believe that Christ rose from the dead and lives within us. Because no
one witnessed the exact moment of His resurrection, it remains a matter of
faith—a faith rooted in the witness of the holy apostles and passed down through
every generation of the Church. The Resurrection is not just a historical
event—it is a spiritual eruption, a volcano of faith igniting the heart, mind,
and soul of the believer. Through this faith, we are justified and emboldened to
walk steadfastly on the path of salvation.
When God raised Jesus from the dead, it was not simply a miraculous act for
Christ alone—it was for all people, so that they might believe in Him as the Son
of God and see God as a loving and forgiving Father. God offered His only Son to
redeem us. If our Heavenly Father did not withhold His Son but handed Him over
for our sake, should we not, in return, be grateful, devoted, and faithful?
Easter—the Feast of Hope, Life, and Renewal—calls us all to renew our faith in
the victorious Christ who triumphed through suffering, death, and resurrection.
It invites us to strengthen our trust in the Church and the successor of Saint
Peter. It invites us to sincere repentance through which we gain God’s grace and
to cultivate true brotherhood, without which we cannot attain dignity, peace, or
stability.
How urgently we need today to reflect on the deep meanings and mysteries of the
Resurrection. Our selfishness, greed, and shallow priorities have paralyzed us,
leading us to forget that we are children of God—created in His image and
likeness, our bodies temples for His Spirit. He gave His only Son to redeem us
and lead us out of the darkness of original sin.
Through His crucifixion and death, Christ conquered death, and on the third day,
He rose, lifting us with Him into new life—clothed in the renewed and purified
self, freed from burdens and sins. His Resurrection is ours, too. As Saint Paul
declared: “Christ lives in me.”
Through Christ’s Resurrection, we become the new human, reborn in baptism,
filled with love, forgiveness, peace, purity, gentleness, and respect for human
dignity and freedom.
Let us roll away the stone from our hearts—the stone of sin, corruption,
selfishness, hatred, and division—and cast out all that belongs to the Evil One.
Let us ask the victorious Christ to bless our beloved Lebanon and its
people—both in the homeland and across the world—so that they may live in peace
and well-being. Let us bear witness today to the truth of the Resurrection and
declare with a loud voice: “Christ is alive in us!”
Let us greet one another with the holy kiss of peace, in firm and unwavering
faith. We conclude with the words of Saint Paul to the Colossians (3:1–5):
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things
above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with
Christ in God.”
Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen! We are witnesses to His Resurrection.
Text & Video: The
Delusions and Insanity of Naim Qassem, Wafiq Safa, Mahmoud Qmati, Qassem Qasir,
and the Rest of the Iranian Puppet Choir
Elias Bejjani/April 19, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142488/
To begin with, we must make it clear: Hezbollah is a terrorist, militant,
criminal, defeated, and foolish mafia-style gang. Its leaders and followers are
fully brainwashed by Iran’s Wilayat al-Faqih ideology. They are not a
resistance, not Lebanese, not Arabs, and not even part of normal, rational
humanity.
They are mercenaries and hired guns—slaves, servants, and soldiers for the
Iranian regime. Their behavior, speeches, and twisted thinking show they are
mentally ill and in need of professional treatment. They are completely
disconnected from reality, lost in delusions, hallucinations, and fantasy
dreams.
They are detached from all real military, financial, scientific, and healthcare
capabilities—both their own and Iran’s. What’s worse is their blind
underestimation of their enemies: Israel, the U.S., the West, Arab countries,
and 99% of the world.
Hezbollah’s core problem—among both leaders and members—is stupidity, ignorance,
and a complete lack of human emotion or compassion. Their terrorist actions show
no logic, no responsibility, and no foresight. They hate their own people, using
them as tools, shields, and sandbags—sacrificing them in insane, losing wars,
just like Hamas did in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Hezbollah, like all branches of political Islam—both Shiite and Sunni—is fully
detached from reality and trapped in outdated ideas dating back to the Stone
Age.
Its leaders and members are filled with arrogance and delusions of grandeur.
They blindly follow the orders of their Iranian masters without question. This
is a mental catastrophe for Hezbollah, and the same applies to all forms of
political Islam.
Any sane Lebanese who listens to the nonsense, lies, and disgusting talk of
Wafiq Safa, Mahmoud Qmati, Qassem Qasir, Naim Qassem, and the rest of their
mouthpieces will immediately realize that they are nothing but tools. Iran gives
the orders, and they obey like slaves—ready to fight to the last man and woman
from their Shiite community in particular, and the Lebanese population in
general—because their lives mean nothing to them or to their masters, the
Iranian mullahs.
In conclusion, Hezbollah’s leaders, members, propagandists, and their Iranian
masters, the mullahs, are not part of sane and rational humanity. No one can
deal with them in any way except through force, because that is the only
language they understand. This is the language Israel used in Gaza, leaving
behind only destruction. It used the same language in Lebanon, leaving most of
the South, the Bekaa, and the Dahieh in ruins, full of corpses. And surely,
Israel will continue using this method to eliminate Hezbollah and uproot what’s
left of its hijacked and suffering environment.
Tragically, Hezbollah is offering Israel every excuse to do so—because human
life means nothing to its leaders or to their Iranian masters.
In summary, the Lebanese government must take its responsibilities seriously. It
must act decisively, without tricks, excuses, Dhimmitude, or cowardice, to
confront Hezbollah’s criminal gang and implement all U.N. resolutions and
ceasefire accord with force. If they can’t—or won’t—the president and the
government must resign and make way for brave leaders with vision and
determination, who want to liberate Lebanon, not entrench Iran’s occupation
through its proxy party.
Link to a video report by
journalist Ali Hamadeh, discussing the issues and agenda of the Lebanese
delegation participating in the International Monetary Fund meetings in
Washington: an agenda hostile to the President of the Republic, the Governor of
the Central Bank, and the dominance of the banking sector.
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/04/142572/
1- Attempts to marginalize Central Bank Governor Karim Saeid.
2- Attempts to request appointments unrelated to the nature of the financial
delegation at the highest levels of the Foreign Ministry, all the way up to
Marco Rubio!
3- Attempts to strike a deal with the ATFL lobby to operate on a factional
basis.
4- A disunited delegation, while the international financial community demands
that Lebanon have a unified voice in international forums.
5- Very timid discussion of financial companies, the cash economy, and the soft
loan.
6- Suspicious neutralization and an attempt to divert attention from the issue
of weapons outside the legitimacy, which is the primary obstacle to any
financial, administrative, or political reform process.
7- Ignoring the seriousness of expanding the powers of the Ministry of Finance
(Article 3) of the draft banking secrecy law, by granting it the authority to
make decisions implementing the law. Consequently, the party emerges victorious
in the medium and long term!
Lebanon's decision-making capitals: No recovery, no reform, no reconstruction
before disarmament.
Netanyahu Warns of
"Expanded Israeli Response”, says "Lebanon Will Not Be Spared"
This is Beirut/21 April ,2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday issued a series of pointed
threats against Iran and its regional allies, warning of an “expanded Israeli
response” that could reach beyond the borders of Yemen. “Israel’s response will
not be confined to Yemen,” Netanyahu declared. “It will extend to Lebanon and
every other front.” He claimed that Israel has dealt blows to the Iranian axis
across multiple theaters, signaling a broader strategy to counter Tehran’s
regional influence. In his remarks, Netanyahu hailed recent Israeli military
operations against Iran-backed groups—including strikes in Yemen—as successful.
He praised coordination with the United States, noting that Houthi rebels have
been “taking heavy hits” from American forces, and vowed that Israel’s
retaliation would be “severe” in response to any further attacks. Referring
specifically to a Houthi drone attack involving a UAV named “Yafa” (Jaffa),
Netanyahu said: “The Houthis brag about sending a drone named Yafa. Let me be
clear: Jaffa is not occupied—and our harsh response is coming.”The Prime
Minister also reiterated his intention to dismantle Hamas in Gaza, secure the
release of hostages, and achieve “all the goals” of Israel’s ongoing military
campaign. He used the opportunity to criticize the head of Israel’s domestic
security service (Shin Bet), accusing him of “a monumental failure” during the
Hamas-led assault on October 7.
Netanyahu concluded his speech with a stark warning, saying Israel would never
allow the establishment of a caliphate on the Mediterranean coast, and that
there would be “no civil war in Israel.”
Lebanon lowers flag at Baabda Palace in mourning for Pope
Francis
LBCI/21 April ,2025
The Lebanese presidency lowered the national flag at Baabda Palace on Monday in
mourning Pope Francis's death. The gesture aligns with the official three-day
mourning period declared by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, during which flags will
be flown at half-staff across all public institutions, municipalities, and
government buildings.
Timeline for Hezbollah disarmament: Is there an external
green light to bypass the timeframe issue?
LBCI/21 April ,2025
President Joseph Aoun has once again refused to commit to a timetable for the
disarmament of Hezbollah, reiterating his position during a visit to Bkerki
following similar remarks in a recent cabinet session. Is there an external
green light, specifically from the United States, to bypass the timeframe issue?
Sources familiar with the matter told LBCI that during her recent visit to
Lebanon, U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus did not
press for a specific disarmament deadline, instead taking a facilitative stance.
The same sources emphasized that President Aoun has consistently maintained that
resolving the issue of Hezbollah's weapons requires serious dialogue—one that
can only succeed if given the necessary time. The president's firm stance
appeared to be directed at ministers who, during the latest cabinet meeting,
called for a four to six-month deadline to hand over what they called illegal
arms. Sources close to the Lebanese Forces Party believe that Lebanon's recovery
begins with disarmament, considering that past experiences confirm that the
absence of a timeframe serves Hezbollah's interests in terms of restructuring
its military system and arsenal. Communication between the presidency and
Hezbollah remains active, with ongoing dialogue between the two sides. However,
any substantial progress on the issue, sources say, is contingent on Israel's
withdrawal from five contested hills, the release of Lebanese prisoners, and a
halt to continued Israeli attacks. Furthermore, informed sources told LBCI that
President Aoun's overarching goal is to establish a comprehensive national
security strategy that goes beyond military matters to include economic, social,
educational, and cultural dimensions. The defense strategy is only one component
of a larger vision. Eventually, the strategy will be developed with the
participation of political party leaders, parliamentary blocs, and all
stakeholders concerned with national defense. A working paper will be
distributed before these talks to guide discussions and formulate a collective
approach.
Israel eyes deeper Lebanon incursions: Israeli report calls
Lebanese Army's response a 'game-changer'
LBCI/21 April ,2025
An Israeli intelligence assessment described the Lebanese Army's recent
interception of a rocket attack toward Israel and President Joseph Aoun's
statements about disarming Hezbollah as a "dramatic shift" on Lebanon's northern
front that could potentially reshape the regional equation. The developments
were seen as particularly significant given their timing—coinciding with renewed
Israeli threats to escalate military operations and targeted assassinations
within Lebanon. These moves have fueled a growing debate in Israel over the
viability of relying on the Lebanese state to oversee the disarmament of
Hezbollah and ensure national stability. While Middle East expert Amnon Baram
downplayed Beirut's recent policy direction as a tactical maneuver rather than a
genuine strategic shift, Israeli security and political figures warned against
any military pullback from Lebanon. They called instead for deepened Israeli
presence and revisions to the existing ceasefire agreement. Following Israeli
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir's tour of Syria and his pledge to maintain and expand
Israel's military presence there, northern Israeli municipal leaders urged the
military to adopt the same aggressive approach in Lebanon. They called for
intensified airstrikes and targeted killings not only against Hezbollah but also
as a pressure tactic on the broader Lebanese population.
IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings: Lebanon hopes to turn
positive signals into IMF agreement
LBCI/21 April ,2025
Lebanon is aiming to send a strong signal of seriousness and intent during the
Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as
it pushes to rebuild trust and secure a long-awaited agreement with the IMF—seen
as the country's only gateway to gaining renewed support from both Arab and
international partners. The Lebanese delegation to Washington is presenting a
unified financial and economic vision, notably with the participation of Finance
Minister Yassine Jaber, the first finance minister to attend these meetings
since Mohammad Safadi held the post from 2011 to 2014.
While expectations from this round of meetings remain modest, the Lebanese team
sees it as a foundational step toward an eventual IMF agreement. However,
officials are fully aware that reaching such a deal hinges on technical
reforms—such as restructuring the banking sector—and key political moves. One of
these issues is arms control, with international stakeholders emphasizing the
need for exclusive state control over all weapons as a prerequisite for lasting
stability. The Lebanese delegation has pointed to recent actions, including the
uncovering of cells responsible for launching rockets into Israeli settlements
and the seizure of additional rockets intended for similar attacks, as signs of
progress on the security front. The IMF and World Bank have welcomed two recent
developments: the joint parliamentary committees' approval of amendments to the
banking secrecy law, and the Lebanese government's endorsement of a draft law to
restructure and reorganize the banking sector. While both steps were seen as
positive signals, they remain insufficient on their own to guarantee concrete
support from the IMF and World Bank, whose commitment still depends on broader,
sustained reforms.
From ceasefire to daily strikes: Hezbollah disarmament debate coincides with
renewed Israeli aggression
LBCI/21 April ,2025
Sunday's deadly wave of Israeli airstrikes in South Lebanon marked a stark
deviation from the usual pattern of military conduct seen since the ceasefire
agreement went into effect. While violations by Israel have exceeded 2,900
incidents—land, sea, and air—this latest round of attacks was distinctive both
in scope and execution. The Israeli military has routinely informed the
ceasefire monitoring committee of suspected Hezbollah-linked sites north of the
Litani River, allowing time for the Lebanese Army to inspect them. This time,
Israel launched airstrikes immediately after notifying the committee—without
waiting for Lebanese verification. The strikes targeted several areas across
Iqlim al-Tuffah, including Jabal el Rafiaa, Sijud, Mleeta, and lands surrounding
the towns of Jbaa and Jarjouaa. Additional attacks hit the outskirts of Arnoun
and Kfar Tebnit. In parallel, targeted assassinations were carried out in
Kaouthariyet El Saiyad and Houla. The sudden escalation has raised questions
about Israel's motives. Some observers see a link between recent remarks by
Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem and other party officials regarding
internal discussions on disarmament and the timing of the attacks. International
and regional actors have also increased pressure on Hezbollah to not only
withdraw from south of the Litani River but to relinquish its weapons entirely.
According to the ceasefire monitoring committee, the Lebanese Army has taken
control of former Hezbollah positions south of the river without resistance.
However, it has not moved to do the same in areas north of the Litani. That
issue is part of a broader national security strategy to be addressed through
internal dialogue, led by the president. Others argue that Israel's escalation
predates any Hezbollah statements on disarmament. Since the ceasefire, Israeli
air raids and assassinations have occurred almost daily, reaching deep into
Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and northern areas beyond the Litani. According to
unofficial tallies, these operations have killed more than 150 people, including
civilians, Hezbollah members, and Lebanese soldiers. Analysts suggest that
Israel is waging a fragmented war in Lebanon—avoiding a full-scale offensive,
yet sustaining constant pressure through near-daily strikes. This has occurred
despite Lebanon's adherence to the ceasefire and Hezbollah's reported compliance
for nearly five months.
Haykal: We Will Do All That Is Required to Preserve Lebanon
This is Beirut/21 April ,2025
Lebanese Army (LAF) Commander General Rodolphe Haykal reaffirmed the military’s
unwavering commitment to national service, emphasizing that LAF units deployed
across the country play a pivotal role in safeguarding Lebanon and supporting
its resilience.
During a visit on Monday to Issam Chamoun Barracks in Nabatiyeh, where he met
officers and soldiers of the Engineering Regiment, Haykal underscored the army’s
mission following the end of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The visit
came in the wake of a tragic ammunition explosion in the town of Brega,
Nabatiyeh on April 20, which claimed the lives of three LAF soldiers from the
regiment. Haykal extended his condolences to their families, saluting the fallen
as martyrs of duty. “We are always ready to fulfill our national duty,” he said.
“It is the responsibility of the military institution to protect Lebanon and its
citizens, regardless of their affiliations. This is not the first time the army
has martyrs, and we will continue to do everything required of us to preserve
Lebanon,” he added. Furthermore, he praised the Engineering Regiment’s efforts
during this challenging period, describing their work as “great and precise.” He
highlighted their role in securing the south by dismantling and seizing
explosive devices, clearing roads and conducting safety inspections to
facilitate the safe return of displaced residents. Haykal concluded his remarks
with a message of resilience, stating that “nothing can affect the army’s
morale,” and that the blood of the martyrs remains “very precious” to the
military institution, which continues to carry out its mission regardless of the
sacrifices required.
Berri Backs Closed-List System to Ensure Parity in Beirut
Municipal Council
This is Beirut/21 April ,2025
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri signaled that potential amendments may be
introduced to the Municipal Law, particularly to ensure parity within major
municipal councils, most notably in Beirut, and possibly Tripoli. In remarks
made to An-Nahar on Monday, Berri said he is awaiting the outcome of ongoing
discussions on proposed changes to the municipal framework, ahead of a key
parliamentary session later this week. The Parliament’s Bureau is set to convene
on Tuesday to finalize the agenda for Thursday’s session, during which two draft
laws amending the Municipal Law are expected to be debated. Berri voiced his
support for adopting a closed-list electoral system, which he believes is an
effective mechanism to guarantee equal representation between Muslims and
Christians. However, he emphasized that “the final word belongs to Parliament.”
Lebanese Army Arrests 16 Individuals for Various Crimes
This is Beirut/April 21/2025
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) issued a statement on Monday detailing a series
of arrests and security measures conducted by its Intelligence Directorate in
different regions of Lebanon. In the Lailaki area, the LAF arrested a citizen
(H.H.) implicated in numerous offenses, including kidnapping, theft, drug abuse,
causing disturbances, shooting, motorcycle theft and the possession of a
military-grade pistol. Another arrest took place in the Saint Therese area of
Hadath, where A.A. was detained for instigating a violent altercation in the
Mashrefiyeh area on March 28, 2025. During the incident, the man opened fire,
injuring one citizen.
Nabi Chit Raid
In a separate operation targeting fuel smuggling along the Lebanese-Syrian
border, the Directorate of Intelligence raided several gas stations in the town
of Nabi Chit in the Beqaa Valley. During the raid, authorities arrested 4
Lebanese citizens and 10 Syrians who were caught filling gasoline into large
cans. A total of 1,148 gasoline cans were seized, with the fuel being prepared
for illegal smuggling from Lebanon into Syria. The seized items were handed over
to the authorities, and investigations are ongoing under the supervision of the
relevant judiciary.
Southern Lebanon: Is Israel Answering Qassem with Fire?
Soumia Benmerzoug/This is Beirut/April 21/2025
Southern Lebanon witnessed a sharp escalation in Israeli strikes on Sunday,
following recent statements by Hezbollah reaffirming its refusal to disarm. As
tensions mount, these attacks appear to serve as both a military maneuver and a
political message from Israel – underscoring the fragile equilibrium between the
Lebanese state and the Iranian-backed militia, which is increasingly out of step
with shifting regional dynamics. Sunday marked one of
the most violent days since the February ceasefire. Through a series of targeted
strikes on alleged Hezbollah positions, the Israeli army raised the level of
confrontation. This offensive came just days after Hezbollah’s
Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, reaffirmed the group’s categorical rejection of
disarmament, declaring that Hezbollah “will not allow anyone to disarm it,” not
even under pressure from Washington or Israel. Qassem’s remarks, echoed by Wafiq
Safa, were widely seen as direct provocations. Both figures insisted on
maintaining Hezbollah’s military arsenal, asserting that no force could “disarm
the resistance.” This stance directly contradicts the official position of the
Lebanese state, reiterated both in President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural address and
in the ministerial statement, which affirmed the exclusive right of the state to
bear arms.
A Targeted Israeli Response
Some observers argue that Hezbollah’s defiance reflects a denial of the
strategic setbacks it has suffered in recent months. Despite mounting military
pressure from Israel and growing international isolation, the pro-Iranian group
remains intent on preserving its military capabilities and political clout in
Lebanon – at the risk of further destabilizing the country. Hezbollah continues
to place its hopes on Iranian-American negotiations, which some diplomats view
as a potential exit strategy. Yet this bet on maintaining the status quo appears
increasingly precarious. Recent Israeli airstrikes have targeted strategic
Hezbollah sites in Sajad, Louaize and Jabal Safi, damaging facilities used for
storing missiles and launching platforms. This level of intensity – unseen since
February 18 – marks a significant escalation. By striking key positions, Israel
aims to disrupt Hezbollah’s supply chain and reduce its ability to lauch
missiles. These operations are not only military but also deeply political,
serving as direct replies to Hezbollah’s public rhetoric. Simultaneously, an
Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle in the village of Kaouthariyat al-Siyad,
killing one Hezbollah member and injuring two others. This precision strike is
part of a broader Israeli campaign aimed at weakening the group’s military
infrastructure and neutralizing its commanders.
Lebanon at a Crossroads
In the face of these developments, Lebanon finds itself at a structural impasse:
how can it assert full sovereignty while a non-state actor like Hezbollah
continues to operate autonomously? President Aoun recently reiterated his
opposition to integrating Hezbollah into the national army, stating he “does not
wish to replicate the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) model seen
in Iraq,” where Iranian-backed militias hold sway over state institutions.
According to well-placed Lebanese sources, some officials view the gradual
dismantling of Hezbollah’s military wing – and its reintegration into state
structures – as the only viable long-term solution. But how realistic is that
goal? And who can guarantee that Hezbollah will not continue to provoke
confrontations with Israel? Lebanon stands at a
decisive crossroads. The country is caught in an increasingly unsustainable
duality: on one side, the state; on the other, Hezbollah. The question remains:
how long can Lebanon maintain this fragile balance – and at what cost to its
future?
Maronite Patriarch Rai Injured During Resurrection Mass,
Undergoes Successful Surgery
This is Beirut/April 21/2025
“At the beginning of the Divine Liturgy for the blessed Feast of the
Resurrection, held at 10:00 AM on Sunday, April 20, 2025, at the Church of the
Resurrection in the Patriarchal Headquarters in Bkerke, in the presence of His
Excellency, the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, his wife, and
the faithful, His Beatitude Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rai
sustained a hip fracture after stumbling over his robe while ascending to the
altar.”After the Mass, His Beatitude was transferred to the Hôtel-Dieu
University Hospital, where he underwent successful surgery. The statement
concludes: “Patriarch Rai expresses his gratitude to the hospital’s management
and medical staff for their care, as well as to the faithful and well-wishers
who have prayed for him, attended the Mass, and called to inquire about his
health. He asks God to grant them – and Lebanon – peace, comfort, and relief
from suffering, and to shower them with His blessed graces.”
Lebanese President Says Disarmament Decision Has Been Taken
Asharq Al Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed on Sunday that the decision to confine
all arms to the state has already been made, but he emphasized that its
enforcement hinges on the “right conditions” to determine the timing and method.
Aoun’s statement came two days after Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim
Qassem firmly rejected any possibility of disarmament. “We will not allow anyone
to disarm Hezbollah or the resistance,” Qassem had said in a televised address.
He warned that Hezbollah has “other options,” though he stopped short of
specifying them. Qassem also claimed that Hezbollah has successfully thwarted
Israel’s objectives in southern Lebanon, and revealed that “positive messages”
had been exchanged with President Aoun regarding the implementation of the
ceasefire agreement.
Aoun
Following an Easter Mass and a closed-door meeting with Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi, Aoun reiterated his stance on confining weapons to the state,
emphasizing that the matter “should not be debated through media or social
platforms, but rather approached with national responsibility and without
provocation”.
He added that the nation’s best interest must always come first, reaffirming
that his call, as mentioned in his inaugural address, for exclusive state
control over arms was not mere words. “When I spoke of the state’s exclusive
right to arms in my oath of office, it wasn’t just words. I said it because I
firmly believe that the Lebanese people do not want war and can no longer bear
its consequences or even the language of war,” he said.
In addressing the challenges facing this matter and how to reconcile between
external pressures on Lebanon and internal calls for a more gradual approach,
Aoun said: “We must address the matter responsibly and with composure because it
is a sensitive and fundamental matter for preserving civil peace”.
President Joseph Aoun reiterated his call for internal dialogue as the only
viable path to resolve contentious national issues, including the question of
Hezbollah’s arms. He warned against confrontation, which he said could lead
Lebanon toward destruction.
Patriarch Al-Rahi. Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, during his Easter Mass
sermon, voiced strong support for Aoun’s position on state sovereignty and the
monopoly of arms.
Rahi endorsed Aoun’s message that "only the state can protect us—a strong,
sovereign, and just state, born from the will of the Lebanese people and
committed to their well-being, peace, and prosperity."
Lebanese President Says Disarmament Decision Has Been
Taken
Asharq Al Awsat/April 21/2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed on Sunday that the decision to confine
all arms to the state has already been made, but he emphasized that its
enforcement hinges on the “right conditions” to determine the timing and method.
Aoun’s statement came two days after Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim
Qassem firmly rejected any possibility of disarmament. “We will not allow anyone
to disarm Hezbollah or the resistance,” Qassem had said in a televised address.
He warned that Hezbollah has “other options,” though he stopped short of
specifying them. Qassem also claimed that Hezbollah has successfully thwarted
Israel’s objectives in southern Lebanon, and revealed that “positive messages”
had been exchanged with President Aoun regarding the implementation of the
ceasefire agreement.
Aoun
Following an Easter Mass and a closed-door meeting with Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi, Aoun reiterated his stance on confining weapons to the state,
emphasizing that the matter “should not be debated through media or social
platforms, but rather approached with national responsibility and without
provocation”. He added that the nation’s best interest must always come first,
reaffirming that his call, as mentioned in his inaugural address, for exclusive
state control over arms was not mere words. “When I spoke of the state’s
exclusive right to arms in my oath of office, it wasn’t just words. I said it
because I firmly believe that the Lebanese people do not want war and can no
longer bear its consequences or even the language of war,” he said. In
addressing the challenges facing this matter and how to reconcile between
external pressures on Lebanon and internal calls for a more gradual approach,
Aoun said: “We must address the matter responsibly and with composure because it
is a sensitive and fundamental matter for preserving civil peace”. President
Joseph Aoun reiterated his call for internal dialogue as the only viable path to
resolve contentious national issues, including the question of Hezbollah’s arms.
He warned against confrontation, which he said could lead Lebanon toward
destruction. Patriarch Al-Rahi. Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, during his
Easter Mass sermon, voiced strong support for Aoun’s position on state
sovereignty and the monopoly of arms. Rahi endorsed Aoun’s message that "only
the state can protect us—a strong, sovereign, and just state, born from the will
of the Lebanese people and committed to their well-being, peace, and
prosperity."
'No-Reform' Banking Bill: Where Is the Responsibility of
the Defaulting State?
This Is Beirut/April 21/2025
Following the adoption of the draft law for reforming and reorganizing the
banking sector in Lebanon, the government will begin preparing a law to address
the financial gap, intended to restore financial system stability. However, the
implementation of the banking reform and reorganization bill is suspended until
the law on the financial gap is passed, as the latter is deemed a prerequisite
for restoring balance to the financial system. This
proposed law raises many questions, notably: How can we talk about restructuring
banks before determining the extent of losses, debts and responsibilities and,
most importantly, the obligations of the state and the Central Bank (Banque du
Liban) toward the banks—before even evaluating them?
An examination of the draft law reveals several issues across its articles,
which include legal loopholes, ambiguous interpretations and certain measures
that, if implemented, could further damage the banking sector rather than reform
it. Article 3 of the draft law states that one of the
objectives is to minimize the use of public funds in bank restructuring. Does
this not indirectly imply that the state refuses to bear any part of the
financial losses it contributed to, ultimately leading to the elimination of
deposits and contradicting rulings by the State Council?
The law proposes the formation of a High Banking Authority responsible for
reform, composed of seven members: the governor of the Central Bank, one deputy
governor, the head of the Banking Control Commission, a legal expert, two
financial/banking/auditing experts and the head of the National Deposit
Guarantee Institution. No bank representatives are included. Is it logical that
banks are excluded from the very body responsible for restructuring their
sector? The Banking Control Commission is assigned to
assess each bank’s financial situation, evaluate net asset value and losses and
submit these findings to the High Authority, which would then decide whether to
restructure, recapitalize or liquidate the bank. After legal amendments, the
bank in question is allowed to appeal to the courts, as is standard globally.
However, the appeal does not suspend execution, and the law doesn’t even include
a clause like "unless otherwise decided by the court," which would allow a judge
to stop an unfair decision. As a result, a bank could be forced to comply before
the court overturns the ruling—rendering the appeal meaningless.
Expanding the role of the Banking Control Commission is also concerning:
it acts simultaneously as a party, judge and decision-maker, involved in
evaluation, oversight and decision-making as a member of the High Authority.
Meanwhile, the state has defaulted on its obligations and owes money to
the Central Bank—money that includes bank deposits, which are actually
depositors’ funds. Yet it is also playing the role of judge in determining the
fate of the banks. How can there be justice when the judge is also part of the
crisis? The law goes even further by expanding the
powers of the temporary administrator, who can be appointed by the High Banking
Authority. This administrator is granted unrestricted control over the bank’s
assets and has the power to dismiss bank executives without just cause. Is that
reasonable? Even without a court ruling, the law
grants the High Authority the right to seize the personal assets of bank
officials simply on suspicion of civil or criminal offenses. But the real
question is: Did banks actually commit a crime by placing deposits with the
Central Bank or investing in Treasury bonds issued by the Lebanese state?
Article 13 outlines tools for bank restructuring, such as internal bail-ins,
capital write-downs, recapitalization via new investors, mergers, transfers of
ownership or certain assets and liabilities to another entity. However, it also
introduces a provision for the Central Bank to inject capital into a struggling
bank. It is worth recalling the Intra Bank crisis, and the role of the then-High
Banking Authority, when the state paid nearly 155 million Lebanese pounds to 17
banks to save them. That precedent should not be forgotten.
In conclusion, this draft law holds the banks and their owners
responsible for the state’s failure to pay, which deters investors, undermines
reform efforts and blocks the sector’s recovery—quite the opposite of what is
needed.
Iran’s Nuclear Standoff: Two Decades of Tactical Delay
Michel Touma/This is Beirut/April 21/2025
The arm wrestling between the West and the Islamic Republic of Iran over the
nuclear issue is a protracted saga, marked by stalling tactics, deception and a
carefully crafted strategy of concealment, patiently executed by the mullah's
regime for over two decades. Negotiations, back-channel diplomacy, mounting
international pressures and successive United Nations resolutions have stretched
across nearly a quarter of a century—yet a definitive resolution remains
elusive. Iranian duplicity appears to persist even today, with no clear evidence
to suggest a shift in posture amid the negotiations underway with the Trump
administration. Iran’s nuclear ambitions did not
originate with the Islamic Republic. They date back to the 1950s, under Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, when Iran was a strategic ally of the West. During this
period, the country pursued nuclear development in close cooperation with
Western powers, particularly the United States. This collaboration came to an
abrupt end following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the new regime adopted a
fiercely anti-Western stance, branding Washington as the “Great
Satan.”Consequently, nuclear cooperation with Western nations came to a halt. In
the 1990s, the Islamic Republic sought to revive its stalled program by securing
partnerships with advanced Western countries, but its radical ideological
positioning thwarted those efforts. According to credible sources, it was
Pakistan—an Islamic nuclear power—that ultimately provided the technical
assistance needed to reignite Iran’s ambitions. In the
early 2000s—specifically, in August 2002—a high-ranking dissident revealed the
existence of two secret nuclear sites, one of which was dedicated to uranium
enrichment. This disclosure reignited the arm wrestling over Iran’s nuclear
program. On December 23, 2006, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737,
imposing sanctions on Iran in a bid to force it to halt its uranium enrichment
activities. Since the adoption of the UN resolution,
the “nuclear war” has relentlessly persisted for years, with diplomatic efforts
failing to break the mullahs’ obstructionist tactics. It was only through
President Barack Obama's extraordinary conciliatory stance toward Iran that an
agreement to limit uranium enrichment was reached in 2015. However, in return,
the mullahs in Tehran were granted a de facto green light by Obama to intensify
their expansionist ambitions in the Middle East, while the highly sensitive
issue of ballistic missiles was entirely overlooked—despite the firm objections
of France’s then-Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, who relentlessly insisted
that this matter be included in the final agreement after intense negotiations.
In 2018, President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement
reignited “the nuclear war” between Iran and the West. Capitalizing on the US
withdrawal, the Islamic Republic accelerated its uranium enrichment, which has
now reached 60%, dangerously close to the 90% needed to build a nuclear weapon.
As negotiations between the Trump administration and Tehran resume, the
key question remains: Has the regime finally acknowledged the need to abandon
its strategy of destabilization, subversion and delay, which it has pursued in
the Middle East for over two decades? More specifically, are they willing—beyond
media rhetoric—to include ballistic missiles in any potential agreement with
Washington? And, equally important, are they prepared to end their substantial
support for regional proxies? Public statements from Iranian leaders
categorically reject both of these questions. Additionally, commentary from
various Iranian media outlets suggests that the very idea of negotiations with
the US is met with intense opposition from radical factions and high-ranking
officials in Tehran.
A significant indication: the second round of bilateral talks held last Saturday
in Rome was preceded by a series of provocative statements from several
Hezbollah leaders in Beirut, including Secretary-General Naim Qassem. These
leaders reasserted their party's trademark tactics: reneging on commitments and
resorting to traditional threats and intimidation, emphasizing their refusal to
hand over weapons to the state and their unwavering commitment to the role of
“resistance,” against all odds.Even Iran's ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani,
weighed in, calling the decision to disarm Hezbollah a “state conspiracy.” In a
prompt rebuttal, President Joseph recalled that his inaugural speech’s reference
to illegal weapons was not mere rhetoric. “The decision to enforce a state
monopoly on arms has been made, and it will be implemented,” he declared.
In the current context, the timing and coordination of the Hezbollah
leadership's escalating threats strongly suggest that Tehran is pulling the
strings behind the scenes. Did Iranian leaders escalate tensions to demonstrate
their continued influence in Lebanon and thereby strengthen their negotiating
position with the US? Or does this hardline stance in Beirut signal a deeper
radicalization and reckless pursuit by Tehran? In the coming days, all eyes will
be on Muscat to uncover the true intentions of the mullah’s regime in this
regard.
Lebanon Grieves Deeply After Shocking Death of Pope Francis
This is Beirut/April 21/2025
The Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, sparking a
wave of sorrow across the globe. In Lebanon, the news reverberated deeply,
uniting both political and religious leaders in mourning the loss of a spiritual
icon whose message of peace and inclusion touched millions. The Presidency of
the Council of Ministers declared a three-day mourning period on the occasion of
Pope Francis death, starting on Monday, until Wednesday. Flags on public
buildings and institutions will be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning, and
the usual programming of radio and television stations will be modified to take
account of this momentous event.
A Loss for All Humanity
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun shared his condolences on X (formerly Twitter),
describing the pope’s death as “a loss for all humanity.” He praised Pope
Francis as “a powerful voice for justice and peace,” noting his unwavering
commitment to defending the poor and marginalized and his promotion of
interfaith dialogue.“Here in Lebanon, a country of diversity, we feel the loss
of a dear friend and a strong ally,” Aoun wrote. He also recalled the pope’s
consistent support for Lebanon’s stability and identity, adding, “We will never
forget his repeated appeals to protect Lebanon.” Aoun extended condolences to
the Holy See and the global Catholic community.
Political Leaders Across the Spectrum Pay Tribute
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also honored the pontiff, calling him “a man of love
and peace.” In his tribute, Salam said, “Lebanon has lost a devoted supporter,
and the world has lost a humble and compassionate leader.” He highlighted Pope
Francis’ efforts to promote global brotherhood, referencing the Document on
Human Fraternity he co-signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and his many
visits to the world's most remote and troubled regions.
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati called Pope Francis “a distinguished
spiritual and humanitarian figure” who built bridges between nations and
continuously advocated for Lebanon’s unity and resilience. “He worked tirelessly
to mobilize international support for solutions to our country’s crises,” Mikati
wrote. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri reflected on
his personal connection to the pope, describing him as “a fatherly and tolerant
figure” whose compassion left a lasting impression. “I had the honor of knowing
him personally,” he said. “Pope Francis carried Lebanon in his heart.”Minister
of Information Paul Morcos hailed the pope as “a humble shepherd and a voice of
global conscience.” In an official statement, he said the pontiff’s death
represents “a profound loss not just for the Catholic Church, but for all
humanity.” Morcos emphasized Francis’ role as a messenger of peace, justice and
mercy, calling on the Lebanese to draw strength from his faith and legacy to
“reinforce national unity and hope for the future.”
MP Michel Moawad, head of the Independence Movement, expressed deep sorrow,
describing the late pope as “a man of humble faith, boundless tolerance and
openness.” For Moawad, Pope Francis’ death is the loss of “a noble voice for
truth and peace,” he added that his legacy “will remain a guiding light for our
conscience in these troubled times.” He also extended condolences to the
Catholic Church, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Paolo Borgia and Maronite Patriarch
Bechara Rai, to whom he wished a swift recovery. He ended his message with the
Easter proclamation, “Christ is risen… He is truly risen.”
Beirut MP Fouad Makhzoumi paid tribute to Pope Francis as “a man who devoted his
life to peace, love and bringing people and religions closer together.” He
described him as a leader of “exceptional wisdom, humility and courage.”
Makhzoumi said Lebanon had lost “a loving friend, deeply committed to
coexistence,” while the Church had lost a visionary pastor. “May his noble
humanitarian message live on in the conscience of the world,” he wrote. Marada
Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh remembered the pope as “a man of the simple and
the poor,” praising his legacy of tolerance, humanity and humility. “Your
Holiness, you have left a legacy,” he wrote. MP Edgard
Traboulsi extended “sincere condolences to all Catholics and Christians in
Lebanon, the Levant and around the world,” concluding with the Easter
proclamation, “Christ is risen.” Former Minister Wadih el-Khazen, in an official
letter to the Vatican, remembered the pope as “a powerful voice for peace,
justice and love in a troubled world.”Ahmad Hariri, Secretary-General of the
Future Movement, remembered Pope Francis as a “symbol of humility and openness,”
deeply committed to dialogue and peace. He noted the pope’s steadfast support
for Lebanon’s unique model of coexistence, offering condolences to the universal
Catholic Church and “our Christian brothers in Lebanon.”
Remembered by Religious Leaders and Beyond
Religious figures also paid tribute, including Archbishop Raphaël Bedros XXI
Minassian, Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church in Lebanon, who called Pope
Francis “a faithful, humble and loving servant of the universal Church.” He
added that the pope “embodied the mercy of God in a world thirsty for
hope.”Bishop Michel Aoun of the Maronite Diocese of Jbeil issued an emotional
statement, describing Pope Francis’ passing as a return “to the house of the
Heavenly Father,” after a life of “faithful, loving and apostolic service to the
Church.” He announced he would suspend end-of-year greetings out of mourning and
prayed for the pope’s eternal rest and for the Church to be guided by “holy
shepherds.” Ziad el-Sayegh, director of the Civil Influence Hub (CIH), shared a
heartfelt message, “I will miss you. The universe will miss you. From the
Heights where you now are, pray for us.”From across the political and spiritual
spectrum, tributes continue to pour in as a testament to Pope Francis’ universal
appeal. He was beloved for his humility, unwavering compassion for the
vulnerable and tireless advocacy for peace.
Pope Francis: "Providence Will Never Forsake Lebanon"
Fady Noun/This is Beirut/April 21/2025
Pope Francis has always kept Lebanon close to his heart. According to those
close to him and many of his visitors, the Holy Father has remained closely
informed about developments in the country. While he has not visited Lebanon—due
to both health concerns and the political vacuum created by the absence of a
president and a fully functioning government—he has consistently expressed his
concern in various ways: through messages, phone calls, and visits by cardinals
close to him. He made his support known whenever possible. He is even said to
have told those around him of his wish “to visit Lebanon as soon as
possible.”His pastoral closeness, combined with the Vatican’s diplomatic
engagement, led him to affirm in a Christmas 2020 letter to the Lebanese people
that “Providence will never forsake Lebanon.”Most recently, the Pope expressed
his joy at seeing that conviction reaffirmed with the election of a new
president in January 2025.
Pope Francis’s concern became especially evident following the economic collapse
of 2019 and the Beirut port explosion in August 2020. Less than 36 hours after
the tragedy, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin—the Vatican’s
second-in-command—arrived in Beirut.
That Christmas, he sent a heartfelt letter “to all Lebanese, regardless of
community or religious affiliation,” delivered through Patriarch Béchara al-Rai.
The letter deserves to be quoted at length, as it reflects the deep continuity
of the Holy See’s engagement with Lebanon since the time of Pope John Paul II:
“I am deeply pained to see suffering and anxiety stifling the entrepreneurial
spirit and vitality of the Land of the Cedars,” wrote Pope Francis. “Even more
painful is watching the most cherished hopes of living in peace stolen, along
with the chance to remain, for history and the world, a symbol of freedom and a
testament to peaceful coexistence. And I, who share both your joys and your
sorrows wholeheartedly, feel the gravity of what you are losing, especially when
I think of the many young people who have had all hope of a better future taken
from them.”
“But on this Christmas day, ‘the people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light’ (Isaiah 9:1)—the light that eases fears and inspires hope, affirming the
certainty that Providence will never forsake Lebanon and will turn even this
sorrow into good.”
“Lebanon is mentioned often in the Holy Scriptures, but above all shines the
image offered by the psalmist: ‘The righteous will grow like a palm tree, they
will thrive like a cedar of Lebanon’ (Psalm 91:13),” the Holy Father continued.
“... Like the cedar, draw from the depths of your roots in coexistence to become
a united people once more; like the cedar that withstands the storm, may you use
the challenges of the present moment to rediscover your identity—an identity
that carries to the world a message of respect, coexistence, and pluralism; the
identity of a people who do not abandon their homes or their heritage; the
identity of a people who do not abandon the dream of those who believed in the
future of a beautiful and prosperous country.”
Visit Lebanon 'As Soon as Possible'
“In this regard,” the Holy Father added, “I call on political leaders and
religious leaders, drawing on a passage from the pastoral letter of Patriarch
Elias Hoayek: ‘You, the monarchs, you, the leaders, you, the judges of the
earth, you, the legislators who live at the expense of the people […] you are
all duty-bound, in your official capacity, to dedicate yourselves wholeheartedly
to serving the public interest. Your time is not for you, your work is not for
you, but for the state and for the nation you represent’.”
Finally, the affection I have for the dear Lebanese people, whom I intend to
visit as soon as possible, combined with the constant concern that has driven
the actions of my predecessors and the Apostolic See, compels me to once again
address the international community. Let us help Lebanon remain free from
regional conflicts and tensions. Let us help it overcome this grave crisis and
recover."
Day of Prayer and Fasting
On July 1, 2021, as the deadlock persisted, the Pope called for a day of prayer
for Lebanon. He sent Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to meet with
local authorities, and Parolin arrived in Beirut on the designated day. During
his brief visit, the cardinal urged the Lebanese people to overcome their
divisions. In June 2024, the Vatican Secretary of
State made another visit to Beirut. The agenda included meetings with the
country’s authorities and local church leaders, as well as a tour of the
humanitarian facilities run by the Order of Malta.
From February 19 to 23, 2025, Cardinal Czerny, the Prefect of the Dicastery for
Promoting Integral Human Development, visited Beirut to support and encourage
the local Church’s projects and humanitarian organizations.
Lebanon, "A Wounded Utopia"
On January 24, the new Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches,
Cardinal Gugerotti, visited Syria, having been sent by the Pope.
During a speech at the Gregorian University in Rome, Cardinal Gugerotti
showcased his deep understanding of Lebanon’s complexities. He discussed the
book Echoes of the Crisis in Lebanon: Conflict or Coexistence? and described
Lebanon’s experience of coexistence among its diverse peoples as a “wounded,
fragile, but fascinating utopia” that must be preserved to avoid falling into
the violent fragmentation affecting the entire world. He emphasized the richness
of the publication, noting that it teaches students that the world is complex
and that coexistence is made up of nuances that cannot be overlooked—because the
survival of a reality like modern Lebanon depends on it.
From a diplomatic perspective, Pope Francis mentioned Lebanon in his
January 2024 speech, where he expressed his “sadness” for the millions of Syrian
refugees in the region, particularly in Lebanon.
Lebanon has also been consistently present in many of his urbi et orbi messages,
where he called for political stability and unity to overcome the economic
crisis.
More recently, the Pope spoke extensively about the war. During the military
conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in October-November 2024, he repeatedly
mentioned Lebanon in all his Angelus addresses, including the one on Easter
Sunday (April 20), underlining the continuous diplomatic engagement of the Holy
See. He particularly welcomed the ceasefire reached on November 26.
Proposal of Merging Hezbollah Fighters with Lebanese
Army Collides with Reality
Beirut:
Youssef Diab/April 21, 2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s proposal for Hezbollah fighters to be merged
with the army has been met with skepticism and provided fodder for political
debate. Aoun had suggested that the members be merged into the military the same
way militia members, who were active during the 1975-90 civil war, were merged
into the army. The proposal has not been widely welcomed given the army’s
inability to accommodate so many new members for various reasons. Experts who
spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat dismissed the proposal as a “consolation prize for
Hezbollah in exchange for it to lay down its weapons to the state.”They stressed
that it would be impossible for members of an ideological group, who have
received ideological training, to be part of the army. Aoun, the former
commander of the army, said it wouldn’t be possible to form a new military unit
for the Hezbollah members, so they should instead join the army and sit for
training, similar to the training former militants sat for at the end of the
civil war.
Member of the Lebanese Forces’ parliamentary bloc MP Ghayath Yazbeck said the
army simply cannot accommodate 100,000 Hezbollah fighters. “Even if Hezbollah
had 25,000 fighters, it would be impossible to merge them into the army, whose
wages are being paid through foreign assistance,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Moreover, Lebanon needs a national defense strategy that should be drafted by
the military with the president and government, he went on to say. The strategy
does not stipulate how many members of the army and security forces are needed
to protect Lebanon. “Once the borders are demarcated and the reasons for the war
are removed, we can embark on a political solution in Lebanon and ultimately,
the current number of officers and soldiers will be enough,” Yazbeck said.
Former Lebanese officer and expert in security and military affairs Khaled
Hamadeh said Aoun is trying to appease Hezbollah with his proposal and persuade
it to lay down its arms in line with the ceasefire agreement.
The agreement was negotiated with Hezbollah ally parliament Speaker Nabih Berri,
so it has the party’s approval. There are several obstacles to Hezbollah members
being merged into the army, Hamadeh said. “Yes, the Lebanese state had succeeded
in stopping the civil war and making hundreds of militia fighters join the army
and security forces. But we cannot compare that situation to the one we now have
with Hezbollah,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. At the end of the civil war, militias
leaders signed and recognized the national pact and announced the dissolution of
the militias. They then voluntarily handed over their arms to the state and
became part of the political process, he explained. Today, Iran-backed Hezbollah
does not acknowledge the ceasefire agreement and has not agreed to turn over its
weapons, he noted. The party does not even recognize that it is part of the
political process and that its military wing has been destroyed by Israel, so
the idea of merging with the army is “out of place.”
Yazbeck also noted Hezbollah’s ideology, saying it was the “greatest obstacle to
its fighters’ merging with the army.”“The party views Lebanon as a geographic
extension of Iran. This ideology still stands, and was demonstrated with
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem’s declaration that the party will
not disarm and that it is not concerned with talk about the state’s monopoly
over arms,” he added.
Hamadeh echoed these remarks, saying that the civil war militias were Lebanese
and took their orders from their Lebanese leaders. They chose to lay down their
weapons and abide by Lebanese laws and the country's constitution. As for
Hezbollah, its takes orders from Iran and “has played dangerous military or
security roles inside Lebanon and beyond,” he continued. “Hezbollah has not
declared its disengagement from Tehran. It has not declared that it will
transform itself into a local political party and that it will dissolve its
military wing. Once it does so, then we can talk about accommodating its
fighters in the military,” stressed Hamadeh. “How can we reconcile between a
military group that follows the Wilayet al-Faqih ideology (...) and another that
works under the constitution and according to democratic mechanisms?” he
wondered. Moreover, he asked: “Was the experience of merging the militias into
the state’s civil and security agencies so successful that we should even be
repeating it?”Yazbeck noted that civil war militants were not really merged with
the army as some would like to claim. He explained that those who joined the
security and military institutions were in a fact close to the Syrian regime,
which was controlling Lebanon at the time.
“The fighters who were fighting for state sovereignty and who confronted Syrian
occupation were persecuted and thrown in jail, so many were forced to flee
Lebanon,” he revealed. Furthermore, the level of discipline showed by the army
does not apply to Hezbollah fighters. “Militias simply do not gel with army and
the army does not gel with them either,” he stated. Ultimately, said Hamadeh,
whatever happens, Hezbollah must first hand over its weapons to the state. “Only
then can its members choose to sit for assessments to enter state
administrations – placing them on equal footing as other Lebanese citizens,” he
added. Hezbollah members are not isolated from society, and they must be merged,
however, proposing their merger in an attempt to persuade them to lay down their
arms will ultimately fail, he said. Above all else, the party must first
recognize the state and its right to monopoly over arms and decisions of war and
peace, he urged.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on April 21-22/2025
Trump says US
had very good meetings with Iran
Reuters/21 April ,2025
US President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States had very good talks
with Iran, two days after the second round of negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear
program.
Iran says Israel wants to ‘undermine’ nuclear talks with US: FM
spokesman
AFP/21 April ,2025
Iran accused Israel on Monday of seeking to “undermine” ongoing talks with the
United States on its nuclear program, a key point of tension with the West. “A
kind of coalition is forming... to undermine and disrupt the diplomatic
process,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told reporters,
saying Israel was behind the effort. “Alongside it are a series of warmongering
currents in the United States and figures from different factions,” the
spokesman added. The New York Times reported on Thursday that US President
Donald Trump had dissuaded Israel from striking Iran’s nuclear sites in the
short term. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel
would never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Western powers and Israel,
considered by experts the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, have long
accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons. Iran has always denied the charge,
insisting its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. In 2018, Donald
Trump withdrew the United States from a landmark nuclear deal signed three years
earlier that eased sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
A year later, Iran began to gradually breach the terms of the deal, most notably
by enriching uranium to high levels. According to the International Atomic
Energy Agency, Tehran has enriched uranium to 60 percent, close to the 90
percent level needed to manufacture weapons, and continues to accumulate large
stocks of fissile material.The 2015 nuclear deal restricted it to 3.67 percent.
Iran and the United States, arch-foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, are set
to meet for a third round of talks mediated by Oman.
French MPs call on Macron to intervene after Israel
cancels visas
RFI/April 21, 2025
Israel's government cancelled visas for 27 French left-wing lawmakers and local
officials two days before they were to start a visit to Israel and the
Palestinian territories on Sunday, the group said. They have called on President
Emmanuel Macron to intervene in what they describe as "collective punishment".
The action came only days after Israel stopped two British members of parliament
from the governing Labour party from entering the country. It also came amidst
diplomatic tensions after President Emmanuel Macron said France would soon
recognise a Palestinian state. Macron has in turn sought to pressure Netanyahu
over conditions in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. Israel's interior ministry
said visas for the 27 had been cancelled under a law that allows authorities to
ban people who could act against the state of Israel. Seventeen members of the
group, from France's Ecologist and Communist parties, said they had been victims
of "collective punishment" by Israel and called on Macron to intervene. They
said in a statement that they had been invited on a five-day trip by the French
consulate in Jerusalem. Israel slams French plan to recognise Palestinian state
as a 'prize for terror' They had intended to visit Israel and the Palestinian
territories as part of their mission to "strengthen international cooperation
and the culture of peace", they added. "We want to understand what led to this
sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment," said the group.
US airstrikes killed 12 people in Yemen’s capital, the Houthi rebels say
Jon Gambrel/The Associated Press/April 21, 2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s capital
killed 12 people and wounded 30 others, the Houthi rebels said early Monday. The
deaths mark the latest in America’s intensified campaign of strikes targeting
the rebels. The U.S. military’s Central Command declined to answer questions
about the strike or discuss civilian casualties from its campaign. The Houthis
described the strike as hitting the Farwa neighborhood market in Sanaa’s Shuub
district. That area has been targeted before by the Americans. Footage aired by
the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed damage to vehicles and
buildings in the area, with screaming onlookers holding what appeared to be a
dead child. Others wailed on stretchers heading into a hospital. Strikes
overnight into Monday also hit other areas of the country, including Yemen's
Amran, Hodeida, Marib and Saada governorates. The strikes come after U.S.
airstrikes hit the Ras Isa fuel port in Yemen last week, killing at least 74
people and wounding 171 others. The strikes follow the resumption of
negotiations in Rome between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s rapidly advancing
nuclear program, which Washington has linked to its attacks in Yemen. The U.S.
is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red
Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis are the last
militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of
regularly attacking Israel. The new U.S. operation against the Houthis under
Trump appears more extensive than attacks on the group were under President Joe
Biden, an AP review found. The new campaign started after the rebels threatened
to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid from entering
the Gaza Strip. From November 2023 until this January, the Houthis targeted more
than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and
killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red
Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it. The
Houthis also launched attacks targeting American warships without success.
Assessing the toll of the month-old U.S. airstrike campaign has been difficult
because the military hasn’t released information about the attacks, including
what was targeted and how many people were killed. The Houthis, meanwhile,
strictly control access to attacked areas and don’t publish complete information
on the strikes, many of which likely have targeted military and security sites.
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
Putin says he is open to direct peace talks with Ukraine
Reuters/April 21, 2025
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin, under pressure from Washington to show
willingness to make peace in Ukraine, proposed on Monday bilateral talks with
Kyiv for the first time in years, and said he was open to more ceasefires after
a one-day Easter truce. Putin said fighting had resumed after his surprise
30-hour ceasefire, which he announced unilaterally on Saturday. Both sides had
accused each other of violating Putin’s truce, which Kyiv had largely dismissed
from the outset as a stunt.Washington said it would welcome an extension of the
truce. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called for it to be extended into
a 30-day ceasefire protecting civilian targets. US President Donald Trump, who
has vowed to end the three-year-old war swiftly, has reoriented US policy away
from its staunch support of Ukraine toward accepting Russia’s account of the
war, but has so far won few concessions from Moscow.
Russia rejected a Trump proposal last month for a full 30-day ceasefire, which
Ukraine had accepted. US officials held parallel talks with both sides in Saudi
Arabia, but they agreed only to limited pauses on attacks on energy targets,
which they accuse each other of violating.
Speaking to a Russian state TV reporter, Putin said Moscow was open to any peace
initiatives and expected the same from Kyiv. “We always have a positive attitude
toward a truce, which is why we came up with such an initiative, especially
since we are talking about the bright Easter days,” Putin said.
Asked about Zelensky’s proposed 30-day truce on civilian targets, he said: “This
is all a subject for careful study, perhaps even bilaterally. We do not rule
this out.”His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, later confirmed that Putin was referring
to the possibility of direct talks with Ukraine. The two sides are not known to
have held any such talks since a failed peace effort in the early months of the
war three years ago. “When the president said that it was possible to discuss
the issue of not striking civilian targets, including bilaterally, the president
had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side,” Peskov said,
according to Interfax news agency.There was no immediate response from Kyiv to
Putin’s remarks. A spokeswoman for President Volodymyr Zelensky did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
AIR STRIKES
Zelensky said early on Monday that his forces were instructed to continue to
mirror the Russian army’s actions. “The nature of Ukraine’s actions will remain
symmetrical: ceasefire will be met with ceasefire, and Russian strikes will be
met with our own in defense. Actions always speak louder than words,” he said on
social network X. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both announced on
Friday that Washington could walk away from peace talks in Ukraine altogether if
the sides do not make more progress within days. Trump struck a more optimistic
note Sunday, saying that “hopefully” the two sides would make a deal “this
week.”Russia has yet to row back from any of its major demands, including that
Ukraine cede all the land Putin claims to have annexed and accept permanent
neutrality. Ukraine says that would amount to surrender and leave it undefended
if Moscow attacks again. Asked about Trump’s remarks on a possible peace deal
soon, Peskov told a daily conference call with reporters: “I don’t want to make
any comments right now, especially about the timeframe. “President Putin and the
Russian side remain open to seeking a peaceful settlement. We are continuing to
work with the American side and, of course, we hope that this work will yield
results.” While there were no air raid alerts in Ukraine on Sunday, Ukrainian
forces reported nearly 3,000 violations of Russia’s ceasefire with the heaviest
attacks and shelling seen along the Pokrovsk part of the frontline, Zelensky
said earlier on Monday. Russia’s defense ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian
forces had shot at Russian positions 444 times and said it had counted more than
900 Ukrainian drone attacks, saying also that there were deaths and injuries
among the civilian population. Reuters could not independently verify the
battlefield reports.
Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Sending Delegation to London Talks
on Settling War
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 21/2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Kyiv was sending a
delegation to talks in London on Wednesday with Western countries on finding a
resolution to the more than three-year-old war with Russia. "We are ready to
move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to
achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and
lasting peace," Zelenskiy wrote on the X social media platform. Zelenskiy said a
30-hour Easter truce proclaimed by Russia, which each side accused the other of
violating, showed that it was Russia's actions "that are prolonging the war". He
also said he had a "good and detailed conversation" with British Prime Minister
Keir Starmer.
Kremlin Says US Position Ruling Out NATO Membership for
Ukraine Gives Satisfaction
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 21/2025
The Kremlin said on Monday that the position of US President Donald Trump's
administration on ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine gave Moscow
satisfaction, but declined to comment on Trump's hopes for a deal this week. US
envoy General Keith Kellogg said on Sunday that NATO membership was "off the
table" for Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly said previous US support for Ukraine's
bid to join NATO was a cause of the war, Reuters said. "We have heard from
Washington at various levels that Ukraine's membership in NATO is excluded,"
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters." Of course, this is something
that causes our satisfaction and coincides with our position."Peskov said that
Ukrainian membership of the US-led alliance would "pose a threat to the national
interests of the Russian Federation. And, in fact, this is one of the root
causes of this conflict."Putin has repeatedly said that Russia would be willing
to end the war if Ukraine officially dropped its NATO ambitions and withdrew its
troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and
mostly controlled by Russia. Reuters reported in November that Putin was ready
to negotiate a deal with Trump, but would refuse to make major territorial
concessions and would insist Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO. Trump said on
Sunday he hopes Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week to end the
conflict in Ukraine. Asked about those remarks, Peskov said: "I don't want to
make any comments right now, especially about the time frame." "President Putin
and the Russian side remain open to seeking a peaceful settlement. We are
continuing to work with the American side and, of course, we hope that this work
will yield results," Peskov said. He refused to comment directly on a Bloomberg
report that the United States is prepared to recognise Russian control of Crimea
as part of a broader peace agreement. "Work on finding a peaceful settlement
cannot take place, and should not take place, in public," Peskov said. "It
should take place in an absolutely discrete mode."
Harvard sues Trump administration to stop the freeze of
more than $2 billion in grants
AP/April 22, 2025
BOSTON: Harvard University announced Monday that it was suing the Trump
administration to halt a freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the
institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit
activism on campus. In a letter to Harvard earlier this month, the Trump
administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the
university as well as changes to its admissions policies. It also demanded that
the university audit views of diversity on campus, and stop recognizing some
student clubs. Harvard President Alan Garber said the university would not bend
to the government’s demands. Hours later, the government froze billions of
dollars in federal funding. “The Government has not — and cannot — identify any
rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific,
technological, and other research it has frozen that aims to save American
lives, foster American success, preserve American security, and maintain
America’s position as a global leader in innovation,” the university wrote in
its lawsuit. “Nor has the Government acknowledged the significant consequences
that the indefinite freeze of billions of dollars in federal research funding
will have on Harvard’s research programs, the beneficiaries of that research,
and the national interest in furthering American innovation and progress,” it
added.The Trump administration, in the April 11 letter, told Harvard to impose
tougher discipline on protesters and to screen international students for those
who are “hostile to the American values.”It also called for broad leadership
reforms at the university, changes to admissions policies and the removal of
college recognition for some student clubs. The government also demanded Harvard
audit its faculty and student body to ensure wide viewpoints in every department
and, if necessary, diversify by admitting additional students and hiring new
faculty. Last Monday, Harvard said it would not comply, citing the First
Amendment. The following day, Trump took to his Truth Social platform,
questioning whether the university should lose its tax-exempt status “if it
keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting
‘Sickness?’”The Trump administration also threatened to block the university
from enrolling international students. The university frames the government’s
demands as a threat not only to the Ivy League school but to the autonomy that
the Supreme Court has long granted American universities. For the Trump
administration, Harvard presents the first major hurdle in its attempt to force
change at universities that Republicans say have become hotbeds of liberalism
and antisemitism. The conflict is straining the longstanding relationship
between the federal government and universities that use federal money to fuel
scientific breakthroughs. Long seen as a benefit to the greater good, that money
has become an easy source of leverage for the Trump administration. “Today, we
stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the
world,” Garber wrote Monday to the Harvard community. “We stand for the truth
that colleges and universities across the country can embrace and honor their
legal obligations and best fulfill their essential role in society without
improper government intrusion,” he wrote. “That is how we achieve academic
excellence, safeguard open inquiry and freedom of speech, and conduct pioneering
research— and how we advance the boundless exploration that propels our nation
and its people into a better future.”
Trump Stands behind Hegseth after Attack Plans Shared in
Second Signal Chat, White House Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 21/2025
President Donald Trump stands behind US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White
House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, after reports that he shared
details of a March attack on Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in a message group
that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. The revelations that
Hegseth used the unclassified messaging system Signal to share highly sensitive
security details for the second time come at a delicate moment for him, with
senior officials ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak
investigation. “The president absolutely has confidence in Secretary Hegseth. I
spoke to him about it this morning, and he stands behind him," Leavitt told
reporters on Monday. In the second chat, Hegseth shared details of the attack
similar to those revealed last month by The Atlantic magazine after its
editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was included in a separate chat on the Signal
app by mistake, Reuters reported on Sunday. The second chat included about a
dozen people and was created during Hegseth's confirmation process to discuss
administrative issues rather than detailed military planning. Among them was
Hegseth's brother, who is a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the
Pentagon. Leavitt said Hegseth shared no classified information on either Signal
chat. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Hegseth said, "I have
spoken to the president, and we are going to continue fighting on the same page
all the way."
The latest revelation comes days after Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth's leading
advisers, was escorted from the Pentagon after being identified during an
investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense. Caldwell played a
critical role for Hegseth and was named as the Pentagon's point person by the
secretary in the first Signal chat. "We are incredibly disappointed by the
manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended," Caldwell posted
on X on Saturday. "Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with
baseless attacks on our way out the door."Following Caldwell's departure,
less-senior officials Darin Selnick, who recently became Hegseth's deputy chief
of staff, and Colin Carroll, who was chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary
Steve Feinberg, were put on administrative leave and fired on Friday.John Ullyot,
the Pentagon’s former top spokesperson who stepped down last week, criticized
the Pentagon leader in a POLITICO Magazine opinion piece published Sunday.
Ullyot alleged that Hegseth’s team spread unverified claims about three top
officials who were fired last week, falsely accusing them of leaking sensitive
information to media outlets.
Trump Administration Orders Thousands of Afghans to
Leave Within 1 Week
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 21/2025
The Trump administration issued orders for Afghan refugees who legally entered
the United States after the 2021 Taliban takeover to depart within one week or
face deportation and potential legal action, according to several reports. The
US Department of Homeland Security has been sending “Notices of Termination of
Parole” to Afghan nationals who had been admitted under humanitarian parole
programs or other legal pathways, the reports said. The notices warn recipients
to voluntarily depart the country within seven days or face arrest and removal
proceedings, according to emails sent to those involved in parole cases. The
move comes amid an ongoing immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump, who
pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in US history and has
detained and deported thousands of people since taking office. Since taking
office on 20 January, the administration has ramped up enforcement actions,
including against Afghans who fled their country fearing Taliban persecution. US
forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, ending a 20-year military
presence that began as part of the War on Terror following the September 11,
2001, terrorist attacks. According to Newsweek, the Taliban quickly regained
control of the country after the US withdrawal, prompting tens of thousands of
Afghans to flee, especially those who worked with the US government and feared
retaliation. It said many of those who fled Afghanistan applied for US entry
through Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), asylum or Temporary Protected Status (TPS),
a designation that shielded them from deportation. Other Afghans have sought
refuge in the US from religious and ethnic persecution in their home country.
“The Trump administration is now moving to end TPS protections for thousands of
Afghan nationals, which could result in their deportation back to
Taliban-controlled Afghanistan,” Newsweek wrote. It said that in recent weeks,
the DHS has been sending seven-day self-deportation notices to a variety of
individuals, including those who arrived through legal programs, such as
humanitarian parole.
7-Day Notice
Several local media outlets in Raleigh, North Carolina, have reported that
Afghan members of the community received a DHS email asking them to leave the
county within seven days or face legal action. WRAL interviewed an Afghan
migrant who shared an email titled “Notice of Termination of Parole,” stating
that his “parole will terminate 7 days from this notice” and warning, “if you do
not depart the United States immediately you will be subject to potential law
enforcement actions.”The migrant, who requested anonymity in the TV interview
but identifies as a member of Apostles Church in Raleigh said, “If we go back to
Afghanistan, we are not safe. It is like we are signing the suicide mission for
ourselves,” according to Newsweek. Other people have received similar emails,
including US citizen and immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni, who says she was
told by the DHS: “It is time for you to leave the United States.” A senior DHS
official previously told Newsweek that emails were sent to those associated with
parole cases. Micheroni is not on parole. According to Congress, between August
2021 and August 2024, nearly 150,000 Afghans resettled in the United States. On
Friday, the DHS began enforcing the Alien Registration Requirement (ARR), which
means illegal immigrants must register with the government within 30 days or
face penalties. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, head of the refugee resettlement
organization Global Refuge, told The New York Times last week: “For Afghan women
and girls, ending these humanitarian protections means ending access to
opportunity, freedom, and safety.” Vignarajah said that “forcing them back to
Taliban rule, where they face systemic oppression and gender-based violence,
would be an utterly unconscionable stain on our nation's reputation.”Few days
ago, Shawn VanDiver, CEO of AfghanEvac, told NPR: “Each person who's here on
temporary protected status is somebody that is in danger if they return home
because of their relationship to the United States.”He added, “And in many
cases, they're people who stood with us in our time of need during war...ending
temporary protected status for Afghans isn't just cold. It's cowardly. We
promised them safety. Now we're pulling the rug out from under these more than
10,000 people who stood with us, and they're terrified. They're scared.”
Vance and Modi Meet in New Delhi to Discuss Trade Deal
and Avoid US Tariffs
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 21/2025
US Vice President JD Vance held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Monday as New Delhi looks to avoid American tariffs, negotiate a bilateral
trade deal with Washington and strengthen ties with the Trump administration.
Vance, who is on a largely personal four-day visit to India, met with Modi at
his residence in New Delhi and the two leaders “reviewed and positively assessed
the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation," Modi’s office said in a
statement. They also “welcomed the significant progress” in the negotiations of
an expected trade deal between the two countries, the statement said. The US is
India’s largest trading partner and the two countries are now holding
negotiations aiming to seal a bilateral trade agreement this year. They have set
an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion
by 2030. If achieved, the trade deal could significantly enhance economic ties
between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties as well.
The deal “presents an opportunity to negotiate a new and modern trade agreement
focused on promoting job creation and citizen well-being in both countries, with
the goal of enhancing bilateral trade and supply-chain integration in a balanced
and mutually beneficial manner,” Vance’s office said in a statement. Vance’s
first visit to New Delhi came amid the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's
now-paused tariff program against most countries, including India. It also
coincides with a rapidly intensifying trade war between the United States and
China, which is New Delhi’s main rival in the region. Modi's office said that
the two leaders “noted continued efforts towards enhancing cooperation in
energy, defense, strategic technologies and other areas" and “exchanged views on
various regional and global issues of mutual interest, and called for dialogue
and diplomacy as the way forward.”Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir
Jaiswal said on Monday that Vance’s visit will “further deepen the India–US
comprehensive global strategic partnership.”
Vance was greeted with an Indian classical dance performance after he arrived at
New Delhi’s Palam airport on Monday, following his visit to Rome, where he met
with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, a day before the pontiff's death.
Vance was accompanied by his wife, Usha Vance, a practicing Hindu whose parents
are from India, along with their three children and officials from the US
administration.
India is a close partner of the US and an important strategic ally in combating
the rising influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region. It was also part of
the Quad, which is made up of the US, India, Japan and Australia and is seen as
a counterbalance to China’s expansion in the region. Trump is expected to attend
a summit of Quad leaders in India later this year. Washington has long sought to
develop a deeper partnership with New Delhi, which is seen as a bulwark against
China. Modi particularly established a good working relationship with Trump
during his first term in office, and the two leaders are likely to further boost
cooperation between their countries.
Modi was among the first leaders to visit the US and hold talks with Trump after
he returned to the White House. During his visit, he hailed a “mega partnership”
with the US, and kickstarted a negotiation process to minimize the possible
fallout of Trump’s tariffs.
The two leaders also said they planned to grow their defense partnership, with
India signaling compliance with the Trump administration’s demands, saying it
will purchase more oil, energy and defense equipment from the US. Modi also has
cooperated with Trump's moves to deport migrants as India has accepted many of
its citizens from the US in the past few months. Regardless, Trump targeted
India with a 26% levy, part of which has since been paused. However, he has
continued to call India a “tariff abuser” and “tariff king.”
The trade negotiations are especially urgent for India, which could be hit hard
by Trump’s tariffs, particularly in the agriculture, processed food, auto
components, high-end machinery, medical equipment and jewelry sectors. Harsh
Vardhan Shringla, India’s former foreign secretary and ambassador to the US,
said that Vance’s visit comes at a time of global upheaval in world trade. He
said ties between New Delhi and Washington could see an upsurge under Trump’s
presidency, mainly in technology-sharing and defense. “US trade policy under
Trump offers an opportunity for India to embed itself in a bigger way in the US
markets and global supply chains,” Shringla said. Modi's government is also
hoping to attract investment from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Last month,
Musk’s Starlink entered into agreements with two of India’s top telecom
operators to provide satellite-based internet services. Musk also indicated that
he would visit India later this year after speaking last week with Modi,
signaling that there could be progress in the electric carmaker’s push to enter
the Indian market. India is also a major defense partner of the US. It has in
recent years embedded advanced American jets, helicopters, missiles and military
gear into its armed forces. The two countries have announced plans to sign a
10-year framework later this year for strengthening their defense partnership.
Trump Stands behind Hegseth after Attack Plans Shared in
Second Signal Chat, White House Says
Asharq Al Awsat/April 21/2025
President Donald Trump stands behind US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White
House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, after reports that he shared
details of a March attack on Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in a message group
that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.The revelations that Hegseth
used the unclassified messaging system Signal to share highly sensitive security
details for the second time come at a delicate moment for him, with senior
officials ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak
investigation. “The president absolutely has confidence in Secretary Hegseth. I
spoke to him about it this morning, and he stands behind him," Leavitt told
reporters on Monday. In the second chat, Hegseth shared details of the attack
similar to those revealed last month by The Atlantic magazine after its
editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was included in a separate chat on the Signal
app by mistake, Reuters reported on Sunday. The second chat included about a
dozen people and was created during Hegseth's confirmation process to discuss
administrative issues rather than detailed military planning. Among them was
Hegseth's brother, who is a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the
Pentagon. Leavitt said Hegseth shared no classified information on either Signal
chat. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Hegseth said, "I have
spoken to the president, and we are going to continue fighting on the same page
all the way."
The latest revelation comes days after Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth's leading
advisers, was escorted from the Pentagon after being identified during an
investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense. Caldwell played a
critical role for Hegseth and was named as the Pentagon's point person by the
secretary in the first Signal chat. "We are incredibly disappointed by the
manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended," Caldwell posted
on X on Saturday. "Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with
baseless attacks on our way out the door."Following Caldwell's departure,
less-senior officials Darin Selnick, who recently became Hegseth's deputy chief
of staff, and Colin Carroll, who was chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary
Steve Feinberg, were put on administrative leave and fired on Friday.John Ullyot,
the Pentagon’s former top spokesperson who stepped down last week, criticized
the Pentagon leader in a POLITICO Magazine opinion piece published Sunday.
Ullyot alleged that Hegseth’s team spread unverified claims about three top
officials who were fired last week, falsely accusing them of leaking sensitive
information to media outlets.
Gaza's Christians 'Heartbroken' for Pope Who Phoned them
Nightly
Asharq Al Awsat/April 21/2025
Members of Gaza's tiny Christian community said they were "heartbroken" on
Monday at the death of Pope Francis, who campaigned for peace for the devastated
enclave and spoke to them on the phone every evening throughout the war.
Across the wider Middle East, Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian Christians, both
Catholic and Orthodox, praised Francis' constant engagement with them as a
source of solace at a time when their communities faced wars, disasters,
hardship and persecution.
"We lost a saint who taught us every day how to be brave, how to keep patient
and stay strong. We lost a man who fought every day in every direction to
protect this small herd of his," George Antone, 44, head of the emergency
committee at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, told Reuters. Francis called the
church hours after the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Antone said, the start
of what the Vatican News Service would describe as a nightly routine throughout
the war. He would make sure to speak not only to the priest but to everyone else
in the room, Antone said. "We are heartbroken because of the death of Pope
Francis, but we know that he is leaving behind a church that cares for us and
that knows us by name - every single one of us," Antone said, referring to the
Christians of Gaza who number in the hundreds. "He used to tell each one: I am
with you, don't be afraid."
Francis phoned a final time on Saturday night, the pastor of the Holy Family
parish, Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, told the Vatican News Service. "He said he was
praying for us, he blessed us, and he thanked us for our prayers," Romanelli
said. The next day, in his last public statement on Easter, Francis appealed for
peace in Gaza, telling the warring parties to "call a ceasefire, release the
hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of
peace".
'PEACE IN THIS LAND'
At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on the site where many
Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, the superior of
the Latin community, Father Stephane Milovitch, said Francis had stood for
peace. "We wish that peace will finally come very soon in this land and we wish
the next pope will be able to help to have peace in Jerusalem and in all the
world," he said. In Lebanon, where a war between Israel and Hezbollah caused
widespread casualties and extensive damage last year, sending millions from
their homes, members of the Catholic Maronite community spoke of Francis'
frequent mentions of their plight. "He's a saint for us because he carried
Lebanon and the Middle East in his heart, especially in the last period of war,"
said a priest in the southern Lebanese town of Rmeish, which was badly damaged
during Israel's military campaign last year.
"We always felt he was very involved and he mobilized all the Catholic
institutions and funds to help Lebanon throughout the crises that we went
through," said Marie-Jo Dib, who works at a social foundation in Lebanon. "He
was a rebel and I really pray that the next pope will be like him," she added.
Francis made repeated trips to the Middle East, including to Iraq in 2021 where
he learned that two suicide bombers had attempted to assassinate him in Mosul, a
once cosmopolitan city where the ISIS terror group proclaimed a so-called
caliphate from 2014-17. He visited the ruins of four destroyed churches there
and launched an appeal for peace. In Syria, Archbishop Antiba Nicolas said he
was holding mass at the historic Damascus Zaitoun church when he was handed a
slip of paper with the news.
"He used to say 'dearest Syria' every time he spoke of Syria. He called on all
international organisations to support Syria, the Christian presence and the
church in Syria during the crisis in the past years," Nicolas said.
Who might succeed Pope Francis? Nine possible candidates
Reuters/April 21, 2025
VATICAN CITY: Predict who the next pope will be at your peril.
An old Italian saying warns against putting faith, or money, in any presumed
front-runner ahead of the conclave, the closed-door gathering of cardinals that
picks the pontiff. It cautions: “He who enters a conclave as a pope, leaves it
as a cardinal.”
But here are some cardinals who are being talked about as “papabili” to succeed
Pope Francis, whose death at the age of 88 was announced by the Vatican on
Monday. They are listed in alphabetical order.
Jean-Marc Aveline, archbishop of Marseille, French, aged 66.
According to the French press, he is known in some domestic Catholic circles as
John XXIV, in a nod to his resemblance to Pope John XXIII, the round-faced
reforming pope of the early 1960s.
Pope Francis once quipped that his successor might take the name of John XXIV.
Aveline is known for his folksy, easy-going nature, his readiness to crack
jokes, and his ideological proximity to Francis, especially on immigration and
relations with the Muslim world. He is also a serious intellectual, with a
doctorate in theology and a degree in philosophy.
He was born in Algeria to a family of Spanish immigrants who moved to France
after Algerian independence, and has lived most of his life in Marseille, a port
that has been a crossroads of cultures and religions for centuries.
Under Francis, Aveline has made great career strides, becoming bishop in 2013,
archbishop in 2019 and a cardinal three years later. His standing was boosted in
September 2023 when he organized an international Church conference on
Mediterranean issues at which Pope Francis was the star guest.
If he got the top job, Aveline would become the first French pope since the 14th
century, a turbulent period in which the papacy moved to Avignon.
He would also be the youngest pope since John Paul II. He understands but does
not speak Italian — potentially a major drawback for a job that also carries the
title Bishop of Rome and requires a lot of familiarity with Roman power games
and intrigues.
Cardinal Peter Erdo, Hungarian, aged 72
If Erdo is elected, he would inevitably be seen as a compromise candidate —
someone from the conservative camp who has nonetheless built bridges with
Francis’ progressive world.
Erdo was already considered a papal contender in the last conclave in 2013
thanks to his extensive Church contacts in Europe and Africa as well as the fact
that he was seen as a pioneer of the New Evangelization drive to rekindle the
Catholic faith in secularized advanced nations — a top priority for many
cardinals.
He ranks as a conservative in theology and in speeches throughout Europe he
stresses the Christian roots of the continent. However, he is also seen to be
pragmatic and never clashed openly with Francis, unlike other tradition-minded
clerics.
That said, he raised eyebrows in the Vatican during the 2015 migrant crisis when
he went against Pope Francis’ call for churches to take in refugees, saying this
would amount to human trafficking — seemingly aligning himself with Hungary’s
nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
An expert in Church law, Erdo has been on a fast track his entire career,
becoming a bishop in his 40s and a cardinal in 2003 when he was just 51, making
him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals until 2010.
He has excellent Italian, and also speaks German, French, Spanish and Russian —
which could help him thaw relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox
Churches after the deep chill of the war in Ukraine.
Erdo is not a charismatic speaker, but while this was once undoubtedly viewed as
a serious drawback, it could potentially be seen as an advantage this time
around if cardinals want a calm papacy following the fireworks of Francis’ rule.
Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, Maltese, aged
68.
Grech comes from Gozo, a tiny island that is part of Malta, the smallest country
in the European Union. But from small beginnings he has gone on to big things,
appointed by Pope Francis to be secretary general of the Synod of Bishops — a
heavyweight position within the Vatican.
Initially viewed as a conservative, Grech has become a torchbearer of Francis’
reforms within the Church for years, moving sharply with the times.
In 2008, several gay Maltese citizens declared they were leaving the Church in
protest at what they saw as the anti-LGBT stance of the then pontiff — Pope
Benedict.
Grech offered them little sympathy at the time, but speaking in the Vatican in
2014, he called for the Church to be more accepting of its LGBT members and
creative in finding new ways to address contemporary family situations.
The following day, Pope Francis tapped him on the shoulder at breakfast and
complimented him for the speech, marking him out for future promotion.
In 2018, Grech spoke about how he relished the challenges faced by the Church.
“We are going through a period of change. And to me, this is a very positive
thing,” he told the Malta Today newspaper. He warned that it would not remain
relevant to modern society if it did not move beyond nostalgia for the past.
His views have won him some high-profile enemies, and conservative Cardinal
Gerhard Muller memorably turned on him in 2022, belittling his academic profile
and accusing him of going against Catholic doctrine.
Grech’s allies insist he has friends in both the conservative and moderate camps
and that, because of his high-profile role, he is known by many cardinals, a
clear advantage in a conclave where so many cardinals are relative unknowns to
each other.
Coming from a tiny country, his election as pope wouldn’t create any diplomatic
or geopolitical headaches.
He has stressed that he always seeks consensus over confrontation. But he has
sometimes courted controversy. In 2016 he led a pilgrimage to pray for rain
after meeting farmers worried about drought. A local newspaper said it was “a
throwback to prehistoric attempts at inducing rain” but a few days after the
event, it did indeed start to rain.
Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, Spanish, aged 79.
Omella is a man after Pope Francis’ own heart. Unassuming and good-natured, he
lives a humble life despite his lofty title, dedicating his Church career to
pastoral care, promoting social justice and embodying a compassionate and
inclusive vision of Catholicism.
“We must not see reality only through the eyes of those who have the most, but
also through the eyes of the poor,” he told the Crux news site in April 2022, in
words reflecting Francis’ world vision.
He was born in 1946 in the village of Cretas in northeastern Spain. After being
ordained in 1970 he served as a priest in a number of Spanish parishes and also
spent a year as a missionary in Zaire, now called Democratic Republic of Congo.
Underscoring his dedication to social causes, from 1999 to 2015 he worked
closely with Spain’s Manos Unidas charity, which tackles famine, disease and
poverty in the developing world.
He became a bishop in 1996 and was promoted to archbishop of Barcelona in 2015.
Just one year later, Francis gave him a red cardinal’s hat — a move seen as a
clear endorsement of Omella’s progressive tendencies, which stand in contrast to
more conservative elements that once dominated the Spanish Church.
Omella is a former president of Spain’s bishops’ conference. He had to deal with
the fallout from an independent commission that estimated in 2023 that more than
200,000 minors may have been sexually abused by Spanish clergy over a period of
decades.
Omella has repeatedly asked for forgiveness for the mismanagement of sexual
abuse, but has denied that so many children were abused, with an internal Church
investigation identifying just 927 victims since the 1940s.
“At the end of the day, numbers do not get us anywhere. The important thing is
the people and to make amends as far as possible,” he said. “Blaming is not the
way. The problem does not belong to the Church, it belongs to society as a
whole.”
In 2023, Francis invited Omella to join his nine-member kitchen cabinet of
cardinals to advise him on questions of governance.
If the conclave decides the Church needs a new approach, then this proximity
will count against Omella.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Italian, Vatican diplomat, aged 70.
A punters’ favorite, Parolin is seen as a compromise candidate between
progressives and conservatives. He has been a Church diplomat for most of his
life and served as Pope Francis’ secretary of state since 2013, the year Francis
was elected.
The position is similar to that of a prime minister and secretaries of state are
often called the “deputy pope” because they rank second to the pontiff in the
Vatican hierarchy.
Parolin previously served as deputy foreign minister under Pope Benedict, who in
2009 appointed him the Vatican’s ambassador in Venezuela, where he defended the
Church against moves to weaken it by then-President Hugo Chavez.
He was also the main architect of the Vatican’s rapprochement with China and
Vietnam. Conservatives have attacked him for an agreement on the appointment of
bishops in communist China. He has defended the agreement saying that while it
was not perfect, it avoided a schism and provided some form of communication
with the Beijing government.
Parolin was never a front-line or noisy activist in the Church’s so-called
Culture Wars, which centered on issues such as abortion and gay rights, although
he did once condemn the legalization of same-sex marriage in many countries as
“a defeat for humanity.”
He has defended the Vatican’s power over local Church leaders, criticizing
attempts in Germany to allow priests to symbolically bless same-sex couples. He
said local Churches cannot make decisions that would end up affecting all
Catholics.
A softly spoken and genteel person, Parolin would return the papacy to the
Italians after three successive non-Italian popes — John Paul II of Poland,
Benedict of Germany and Francis of Argentina.
He entered the Vatican’s diplomatic service just three years after his priestly
ordination in 1980 so his pastoral experience is limited. But a factor in his
favor is that he speaks a number of languages.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Filipino, aged 67.
Tagle is often called the “Asian Francis” because of his similar commitment to
social justice and if elected he would be the first pontiff from Asia.
On paper, Tagle, who generally prefers to be called by his nickname “Chito,”
seems to have all the boxes ticked to qualify him to be a pope.
He has had decades of pastoral experience since his ordination to the priesthood
in 1982. He then gained administrative experience, first as bishop of Imus and
then as archbishop of Manila.
Pope Benedict made him a cardinal in 2012.
In a move seen by some as a strategy by Francis to give Tagle some Vatican
experience, the pope in 2019 transferred him from Manila and appointed him head
of the Church’s missionary arm, formally known as the Dicastery for
Evangelization.
He comes from what some called “Asia’s Catholic lung,” because the Philippines
has the region’s largest Catholic population. His mother was an ethnic Chinese
Filipino. He speaks fluent Italian and English.
Between 2015 and 2022, he was the top leader of Caritas Internationalis, a
confederation of more than 160 Catholic relief, social service, and development
organizations around the world.
In 2022, Pope Francis fired its entire leadership following accusations of
bullying and humiliation of employees, and appointed a commissioner to run it.
Tagle, who was also removed from his role, had been nominally president but was
not involved in the day-to-day operations, which were overseen by a lay
director-general.
Announcing the pope’s dramatic decision, Tagle told a meeting of the
confederation that the changes were a moment for “facing our failures.” It
remains to be seen how the saga will impact Tagle’s chances at the papacy.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, N.J., American, aged 72.
It’s unlikely the world’s cardinals would pick the first ever US pope, but if
they were up for that, Tobin would seem the likeliest possibility.
A former global leader of a major Catholic religious order known as the
Redemptorists, the Detroit native has spent time in countries around the world
and speaks Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese fluently. He also has
experience in Vatican service and in top positions across the US church.
Tobin served a stint as second-in-command of a Vatican office from 2009-12, and
was then named by Pope Benedict as archbishop of Indianapolis, Indiana. Francis
promoted him to a cardinal in 2016, and later made him the archbishop of Newark.
In this latest role, Tobin, a big man known for his weight-lifting workout
regime, has dealt with one of the highest-profile Catholic scandals in recent
years. In 2018, then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, one of Tobin’s predecessors in
Newark, was removed from ministry over accusations of sexual misconduct with
seminarians.
McCarrick, who denies any wrongdoing, resigned as a cardinal and was later found
guilty by a Vatican tribunal and removed from the priesthood.
Tobin won praise for his handling of the scandal, including a decision to make
public previously confidential settlements made between the archdiocese and
McCarrick’s alleged victims.
Tobin is the oldest of 13 children and has said he is a recovering alcoholic. He
is known for an attitude of openness toward LGBT people, writing in 2017 that
“in too many parts of our church LGBT people have been made to feel unwelcome,
excluded, and even shamed.”
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Ghanaian, Vatican official, aged 76.
From humble beginnings in a small African town, Cardinal Peter Turkson has gone
on to great things in the Church, making him a contender to become the first
pope from sub-Saharan Africa.
He combines a long pastoral background of tending to congregations in Ghana with
hands-on experience of leading several Vatican offices, as well as strong
communication skills.
The fact he comes from one of the most dynamic regions for the Church, which is
struggling against the forces of secularism in its European heartlands, should
also bolster his standing.
The fourth son in a family of 10 children, Turkson was born in Wassaw Nsuta, in
what was then called the Gold Coast in the British Empire. His father worked in
a nearby mine and doubled as a carpenter while his mother sold vegetables in the
market.
He studied at seminaries in Ghana and New York, was ordained in 1975, and then
taught in his former Ghanaian seminary and did advanced Biblical studies in
Rome.
Pope John Paul II appointed him archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 and 11 years
later made him the first cardinal in the history of the West African state.
Promotions continued under John Paul’s successor, Benedict, who brought him to
the Vatican in 2009 and made him the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace — the body that promotes social justice, human rights and world peace.
In that role, he was one of the pope’s closest advisers on issues such as
climate change and drew much attention by attending conferences such as the
Davos economic forum.
Francis merged Turkson’s department in 2016 with three other offices, leading to
what some saw as a power struggle between him and another cardinal.
Turkson resigned from that role in 2021 and was appointed to head two pontifical
academies on sciences and social sciences.
In 2023 he told the BBC he prayed “against” the possibility that he would be
elected pope but some of his detractors said that given his media appearances it
appeared he was campaigning for the job.
Matteo Maria Zuppi, Italian, archbishop of Bologna, aged 69.
When Zuppi got a promotion in 2015 and became archbishop of Bologna, national
media referred to him as the “Italian Bergoglio,” due to his affinity with
Francis, the Argentine pope who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Zuppi would be the first Italian pope since 1978.
Much like Pope Francis when he lived in Buenos Aires, Zuppi is known as a
“street priest” who focuses on migrants and the poor, and cares little about
pomp and protocol. He goes by the name of “Father Matteo,” and in Bologna he
sometimes uses a bicycle rather than an official car.
In a city that loves its meat products, he once made waves when pork-free
tortellini were served, as an option, for the feast day of Bologna’s patron
saint. Zuppi called the Muslim-friendly move a normal gesture of respect and
courtesy.
If he were made pope, conservatives would likely view him with suspicion.
Victims of Church sex abuse might also object to him, since the Italian Catholic
Church, which he has led since 2022, has been slow to investigate and confront
the issue.
The Italian cardinal is closely associated with the Community of Sant’Egidio, a
global peace and justice Catholic group based in the historic Rome district of
Trastevere, where he spent most of his life as a priest.
Sant’Egidio, sometimes called “the United Nations of Trastevere,” brokered a
1992 peace agreement that ended a 17-year-old civil war in Mozambique, with the
help of Zuppi as one of the mediators.
He has engaged in more diplomacy recently as papal envoy for the Russia-Ukraine
conflict, concentrating on efforts to repatriate children who Ukraine says have
been deported to Russia or Russian-held territories.
Zuppi is a born-and-bred Roman with a fairly thick regional accent, and solid
Catholic family roots.
His father Enrico was the editor of the Sunday supplement of the Vatican
newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, while his mother’s uncle, Carlo Confalonieri,
was also a cardinal.
Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff Who Ministered
with a Charming, Humble Style, Dies at 88
Asharq Al Awsat/April 21/2025
Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with
his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with
critiques of capitalism and climate change, has died Monday. He was 88.
He died as 7:35 on Monday, Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said
in an announcement. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord
and of his Church,” he added. Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease
and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli
hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double
pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year
papacy. From his first greeting as pope — a remarkably normal “Buonasera” (“Good
evening”) — to his embrace of refugees and the downtrodden, Francis signaled a
very different tone for the papacy, stressing humility over hubris for a
Catholic Church beset by scandal and accusations of indifference. After that
rainy night on March 13, 2013, the Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought
a breath of fresh air into a 2,000-year-old institution that had seen its
influence wane during the troubled tenure of Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise
resignation led to Francis’ election. But Francis soon invited troubles of his
own, and conservatives grew increasingly upset with his progressive bent and
crackdown on traditionalists. His greatest test came in 2018 when he botched a
notorious case of clergy sexual abuse in Chile, and the scandal that festered
under his predecessors erupted anew on his watch. And then Francis, the
crowd-loving, globe-trotting pope of the peripheries, navigated the
unprecedented reality of leading a universal religion through the coronavirus
pandemic from a locked-down Vatican City. He implored the world to use COVID-19
as an opportunity to rethink the economic and political framework that he said
had turned rich against poor. “We have realized that we are on the same boat,
all of us fragile and disoriented,” Francis told an empty St. Peter’s Square in
March 2020. But he also stressed the pandemic showed the need for “all of us to
row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”
Reforming the Vatican
Francis was elected on a mandate to reform the Vatican bureaucracy and finances
but went further in shaking up the church without changing its core doctrine.
Stressing mercy, Francis changed the church’s position on the death penalty,
calling it inadmissible in all circumstances. He also declared the possession of
nuclear weapons, not just their use, was “immoral.”In other firsts, he approved
an agreement with China over bishop nominations that had vexed the Vatican for
decades, met the Russian patriarch and charted new relations with the Muslim
world by visiting the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq. He added women to important
decision-making roles and allowed them to serve as lectors and acolytes in
parishes. He let women vote alongside bishops in periodic Vatican meetings,
following longstanding complaints that women do much of the church’s work but
are barred from power.
The church as refuge
While Francis did not allow women to be ordained, the voting reform was part of
a revolutionary change in emphasizing what the church should be: a refuge for
everyone — “todos, todos, todos” (“everyone, everyone, everyone”) — not for the
privileged few. Migrants, the poor, prisoners and outcasts were invited to his
table far more than presidents or powerful CEOs. “For Pope Francis, it was
always to extend the arms of the church to embrace all people, not to exclude
anyone,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell, whom Francis named as camerlengo, taking
charge after a pontiff’s death or retirement.
Francis demanded his bishops apply mercy and charity to their flocks, pressed
the world to protect God’s creation from climate disaster, and challenged
countries to welcome those fleeing war, poverty and oppression. After visiting
Mexico in 2016, Francis said of then-US presidential candidate Donald Trump that
anyone building a wall to keep migrants out “is not Christian.” While
progressives were thrilled with Francis’ radical focus on Jesus’ message of
mercy and inclusion, it troubled conservatives who feared he watered down
Catholic teaching and threatened the very Christian identity of the West. Some
even called him a heretic. A few cardinals openly challenged him. Francis
usually responded with his typical answer to conflict: silence. If becoming the
first Latin American and first Jesuit pope wasn’t enough, Francis was also the
first to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century friar known
for personal simplicity, a message of peace, and care for nature and society’s
outcasts.
Francis sought out the unemployed, the sick, the disabled and the homeless. He
formally apologized to Indigenous peoples for the crimes of the church from
colonial times onward. And he himself suffered: He had part of his colon removed
in 2021, then needed more surgery in 2023 to repair a painful hernia and remove
intestinal scar tissue. Starting in 2022 he regularly used a wheelchair or cane
because of bad knees, and endured bouts of bronchitis. He went to society’s
fringes to minister with mercy: caressing the grossly deformed head of a man in
St. Peter’s Square or inviting Argentina’s garbage scavengers to join him
onstage in Rio de Janeiro. His first trip as pope was to the island of Lampedusa,
then the epicenter of Europe’s migration crisis. He consistently chose to visit
poor countries where Christians were often persecuted minorities, rather than
the centers of global Catholicism.
A change from Benedict
The road to Francis’ 2013 election was paved by Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to
resign and retire — the first in 600 years — and it created the unprecedented
reality of two popes living in the Vatican. Francis didn’t shy from Benedict’s
potentially uncomfortable shadow. He embraced him as an elder statesman and
adviser, coaxing him out of his cloistered retirement to participate in the
public life of the church.“It’s like having your grandfather in the house, a
wise grandfather,” Francis said. Francis praised Benedict by saying he “opened
the door” to others following suit, fueling speculation that Francis also might
retire. But after Benedict’s death on Dec. 31, 2022, he asserted that in
principle the papacy is a job for life. Francis’ looser liturgical style and
pastoral priorities made clear he and the German-born theologian came from very
different religious traditions, and Francis directly overturned several
decisions of his predecessor. Trying to eliminate corruption, Francis oversaw
the reform of the scandal-marred Vatican bank and sought to wrestle Vatican
bureaucrats into financial line, limiting their compensation and ability to
receive gifts or award public contracts. Economic justice was an important
themes of his papacy, and he didn’t hide it in his first meeting with
journalists when he said he wanted a “poor church that is for the poor.”
Soccer, opera and prayer
Born Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the eldest of
five children of Italian immigrants. He credited his devout grandmother Rosa
with teaching him how to pray. Weekends were spent listening to opera on the
radio, going to Mass and attending matches of the family’s beloved San Lorenzo
soccer club. As pope, his love of soccer brought him a huge collection of
jerseys from visitors. He said he received his religious calling at 17 while
going to confession, recounting in a 2010 biography that, “I don’t know what it
was, but it changed my life. ... I realized that they were waiting for me.”He
entered the diocesan seminary but switched to the Jesuit order in 1958,
attracted to its missionary tradition and militancy. Around this time, he
suffered from pneumonia, which led to the removal of the upper part of his right
lung. His frail health prevented him from becoming a missionary, and his
less-than-robust lung capacity was perhaps responsible for his whisper of a
voice and reluctance to sing at Mass. On Dec. 13, 1969, he was ordained a
priest, and immediately began teaching. In 1973, he was named head of the
Jesuits in Argentina, an appointment he later acknowledged was “crazy” given he
was only 36. “My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to
have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative,” he admitted
in his Civilta Cattolica interview. His six-year tenure as provincial coincided
with Argentina’s murderous 1976-83 dictatorship, when the military launched a
campaign against left-wing guerrillas and other regime opponents. Bergoglio
didn’t publicly confront the junta and was accused of effectively allowing two
slum priests to be kidnapped and tortured by not publicly endorsing their work.
He refused for decades to counter that version of events. Only in a 2010
authorized biography did he finally recount the behind-the-scenes lengths he
used to save them, persuading the family priest of feared dictator Jorge Videla
to call in sick so he could say Mass instead. Once in the junta leader’s home,
Bergoglio privately appealed for mercy. Both priests were eventually released,
among the few to have survived prison. As pope, accounts began to emerge of the
many people -- priests, seminarians and political dissidents -- whom Bergoglio
actually saved during the “dirty war,” letting them stay incognito at the
seminary or helping them escape the country.
Bergoglio went to Germany in 1986 to research a never-finished thesis. Returning
to Argentina, he was stationed in Cordoba during a period he described as a time
of “great interior crisis.” Out of favor with more progressive Jesuit leaders,
he was eventually rescued from obscurity in 1992 by St. John Paul II, who named
him an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. He became archbishop six years later,
and was made a cardinal in 2001. He came close to becoming pope in 2005 when
Benedict was elected, gaining the second-most votes in several rounds of
balloting before bowing out.
Global Tributes Pour in to Honor Pope Francis after His
Death
Asharq Al Awsat/April 21/2025
Church bells tolled in mourning. Well-wishers flocked into pews. Tributes to
Pope Francis poured in from around the world on Monday after the Vatican
announced the pontiff's death at age 88. The 266th pope was praised for his
groundbreaking steps to honor the poor and the vulnerable; seek to end conflicts
like those in the Middle East, Ukraine and Africa; protect the environment; and
guide the Catholic Church toward greater tolerance, among other things. Some
critics say he didn't always go far enough. Others said he went too far.
Many recalled his legacy as the first pope from Latin America, and the first
Jesuit to reach the pinnacle of church hierarchy, one who stressed humility over
hubris for a Church beset with scandal and indifference
— and even as a soccer fan from "futbol"-crazed Argentina.
Here's a look at some of the global reactions a day after his last public
appearance on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
— US Vice President JD Vance, who met with the pope on Easter Sunday before
traveling to India, wrote on social media that his "heart goes out" to the
millions of Christians who loved him, and said: "I was happy to see him
yesterday, though he was obviously very ill."
— President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: "Rest in Peace Pope Francis!
May God Bless him and all who loved him!"
— King Charles III praised the pope for his work on safeguarding the planet, and
alluded to their multiple personal meetings — including a private visit on April
10 at the Vatican. "We were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier
in the month," the King wrote in a statement signed "Charles R." It was the
pope’s first known meeting with a foreign dignitary after he was hospitalized
for five weeks with double pneumonia.
— Church bells tolled in honor of Francis, from the recently reopened Notre Dame
Cathedral in Paris to a lone bell at the St. Bartholomew Parish in Bulacan, in
the Philippines, that was rung 88 times to signify "the 88 fruitful years of our
dear Pope Francis," the parish wrote on social media. The church was one of many
in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, to ring its bells
to mourn the death of the pontiff, who in 2015 consoled survivors of Typhoon
Haiyan and celebrated Mass before millions in Manila. "Pope Francis showed us
what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain," said
Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula, alluding to the devastation wreaked by Haiyan
in 2013 that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire
villages and displaced more than 5 million.
— French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in the cyclone-battered Indian
Ocean territory of Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, said Pope Francis ″was
at the sides of the most vulnerable, the most fragile, with a lot of humility,
and in these times of war and instability, with a particular sense of the other,
of the most fragile.″
″Throughout his whole life he fought for more justice, throughout his whole life
he fought for a certain idea of humanity, an idea of fraternal humanity.″
— Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of the few official visitors to see
Francis during his recent hospitalization, alluded to the pope’s personal
comfort and advice, saying it "never failed me, not even in times of trial and
suffering." She added: "We are saying goodbye to a great man and a great
shepherd." Flags were flown at half-staff on Monday across Italy and some
top-level soccer matches were postponed.
— Argentine President Javier Milei, who had chilly relations with the pope,
expressed sorrow. "Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able
to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me," the far-right
president wrote on X. As a TV pundit and libertarian economist before assuming
office in 2023, Milei had publicly insulted Pope Francis as "representative of
the evil one on Earth" for his perceived sympathy toward left-wing leaders and
causes.
— The pope's beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, whose nickname
is "The Saints" — wrote "Our soul hurts" on its website. The team won the
national championship in 2013, the year he was elected pope. During a global
conference on faith and sport in 2016, Francis implored leaders to do a better
job of keeping corruption off the playing field and said sports must be
protected from manipulations and commercial abuse.
— Lebanese President Joseph Aoun posted on X: "We in Lebanon, the land of
diversity, feel the loss of a dear friend and a strong supporter. The late Pope
always carried Lebanon in his heart and prayers, and he always called on the
world to support Lebanon in its ordeal. We will never forget his repeated calls
to protect Lebanon and preserve its identity and diversity."
— Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences on social media and said
people there would "continue to draw inspiration from his lifelong commitment to
peace, global solidarity, and caring for those in need." The Holy See is among
Taiwan’s only 12 remaining diplomatic allies while China, which claims
self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has been poaching others.
— South African President Cyril Ramaphosa noted the pope's "extraordinary life
story" and said "Pope Francis advanced a world view of inclusion, equality and
care for marginalized individuals and groups, as well as responsible and
sustainable custody of the natural environment." Africa has seen some of the
Catholic Church's biggest growth in recent years.
— European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recalled the pontiff as an
inspiration for the entire world, not just Christians. "He inspired millions,
far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less
fortunate," she said on social media. "My thoughts are with all who feel this
profound loss."
— Israeli President Issac Herzog, whose role is mostly ceremonial, called
Francis a man of "deep faith and boundless compassion." Francis repeatedly
criticized Israel’s wartime conduct in Gaza and said allegations of genocide,
which Israel has adamantly denied, should be investigated. "I truly hope that
his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages
will soon be answered," Herzog said on social media.
— The Palestine Red Crescent offered condolences to Christians, calling the pope
"one of the most prominent supporters of justice and human dignity, including
his noble stances regarding the suffering of the Palestinian people and their
right to freedom and justice."
— In Gaza, Suheil Abu Dawoud, a 19-year-old Christian, recalled how Francis
opposed the war in Gaza, called for peace between Palestinians and Israelis and
had "asked us to be strong." The pope used his final Easter Sunday message to
lament growing antisemitism, call for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza,
appeal to the fighting sides to reach a ceasefire, and "come to the aid of a
starving people that aspires to a future of peace!"
— President Alexander Van der Bellen of Austria recalled how the pope traveled
to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a key landing point for migrants seeking to
reach Europe, to meet with refugees and commemorate those who died while trying
to cross the Mediterranean. The Austrian leader said on social media that the
pope's impact resonated in ways large and small: "He ensured that homeless
people near St. Peter’s Square could shower. He criticized dehumanizing words
and gestures. That was Pope Francis."
— President Vladimir Putin of Russia hailed the pope as a "consistent defender
of the high values of humanism and justice." Last year, Francis suggested
Ukraine should try to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. Critics said
those comments suggested the pope was siding with Russia. Francis tried to
maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality, but that was often
accompanied by apparent sympathy with Russia's rationale for invading Ukraine —
as when he said NATO was "barking at Russia’s door" with its eastward expansion.
— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that his war-torn country
grieved together with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Pope Francis
for spiritual support: "He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer,
and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. Eternal
memory!"
— Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Máxima, who like the pope was
born in Argentina, recalled their "personal audience" with the pope at the Holy
See in 2017 and how "Pope Francis radiated mercy in everything he did. With his
deep-rooted faith in God’s love, he was the embodiment of benevolence and
humanity." They called him a "committed guardian of the listening and loving
Church, and as a result he succeeded in winning the hearts of many, both within
the Roman Catholic Church and outside it."
— The Dalai Lama honored the pope in a letter to the Most Rev. Leopoldo Girelli,
the Apostolic Nuncio to India, saying Francis "dedicated himself to the service
of others, consistently revealing by his own actions how to live a simple, but
meaningful life." "The best tribute we can pay to him is to be a warm-hearted
person, serving others wherever and in whatever way we can," the Tibetan
spiritual leader wrote.
— Former US President Joe Biden, who regularly attends Mass, on X called Francis
"the People's Pope" and wrote: "I am better for having known him."
Pope's frequent calls to a Catholic church made him a
revered figure in war-battered Gaza
Wafaa Shurafa And Bassem Mroue/(AP)/April 21, 2025 at 2:55
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — In the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis had
a frequent evening ritual: He would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza
Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war.
That small act of compassion made a big impression on Gaza’s tiny Christian
community and was why he was remembered at his death Monday as a beloved father
figure in the beleaguered territory. “I was deeply saddened. He was our biggest
supporter after God,” said Suheil Abu Dawoud, a 19-year-old Christian in Gaza.
Francis “always healed our wounds and asked us to be strong,” he said. “He was
always praying for us.”In his last public appearance, Francis called for a
ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group. A fervent advocate of
interfaith relations, he also urged Hamas to release the dozens of Israeli
hostages it is holding and condemned growing global antisemitism. In his Easter
message, Francis expressed his “closeness to the sufferings of Christians in
Palestine and Israel and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian
people.”While noting the growing antisemitism, he added: "I think of the people
of Gaza and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict
continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable
humanitarian situation.”The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked
southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians,
and abducting 251. Some 59 hostages remain in captivity, 24 of them believed to
be alive. Israel’s offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed over
51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health
Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Most of
Gaza’s 2.3 million people remain homeless. Things have worsened over the past
month since Israel ended a ceasefire and imposed a closure blocking all
humanitarian aid into Gaza. Aid officials say thousands of children have become
malnourished and most people have little more than one meal a day.
“I appeal to the warring parties: Call on a ceasefire, release the hostages and
come to the aid of starving people that aspires to a future of peace!” Francis
said in his final address.
That appeal also went unheeded. On Monday, Israel’s airstrikes killed at least
14 people, according to medical officials. In Israel, the pope left a more
complicated legacy. He was widely appreciated for his outreach to the Jewish
people and tough stance against antisemitism. He also was an advocate for
freeing the hostages, meeting with their families during the war. Israeli
President Isaac Herzog remembered Francis as a man of “deep faith and boundless
compassion.”“I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for
the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered,” Herzog wrote on social
media.
In the past year and a half of war, Francis become increasingly outspoken in his
criticism of the Israeli military’s harsh tactics. A month into the war, he
urged an investigation into whether Israel’s war amounted to genocide -– a
charge Israel vehemently denies. In December, Francis expressed his pain
thinking of Gaza, “of such cruelty, to the machine-gunning of children, to the
bombing of schools and hospitals. ... How much cruelty!”The next month, he
called the ongoing humanitarian crisis “very serious and shameful.”Francis was
mourned throughout the Arab World and by U.N. officials, including Philippe
Lazzarini, head of the agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. He posted on X
that the pope’s voice “has contributed to draw the attention to significant
dehumanization of the war in Gaza & beyond.”Senior Hamas official Basem Naim
said Francis was a “steadfast advocate for the legitimate rights of the
Palestinian people, particularly in his unwavering stance against the war and
acts of genocide perpetrated against our people in Gaza in recent months.”The
Holy Land’s Christian community has dwindled over the decades through emigration
and a low birthrate and makes up just a small percentage of the overall
population. Only 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, an overwhelmingly Muslim
territory, according to the U.S. State Department's international religious
freedom report for 2024. The report says the majority of Palestinian Christians
are Greek Orthodox but they also include other Christians, including Roman
Catholics. Last year, Francis told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he calls a priest
daily at 7 p.m. at the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, to
hear what is happening to the nearly 600 people sheltering at the facility. “The
other day, they were happy because they managed to eat some meat. The rest of
the time they eat flour, things made of flour,” Francis told the program.
“Sometimes they go hungry and they tell me things. There is a lot of suffering.”
“It’s very tough. Very tough. The food arrives, people rush to get it,” he said.
The Rev. Gabriele Romanelli, a church official, said Francis' last call came
Saturday.
Suhair Anastas, a Palestinian woman who was part of a group that met Francis in
2023 after she fled Gaza, said she felt “great sadness” over his death. Anastas,
who is Greek Orthodox, had sheltered at the church compound in Gaza before she
left. “He did stand by us, by letting us stay at the church and by taking care
of everyone in the church,” she said. “I know he wasn’t able to stop the
genocide ... but I don’t know who can.”When she met the pope, Anastas had mixed
emotions. The experience was “breathtaking,” she said, but she added she also
felt traumatized, sad and guilty “that you’re meeting him and others are still
under bombardment.” She said she will remember the pope “for standing with us”
to a certain extent, but “I wish he could have done more.”George Antoun, an
official at the church, told The Associated Press the pope's interest gave the
community hope and inspiration.
Francis was like a father worried for his children and would ask whether there
was food, medical care and medicine, he said. “He was with us step by step and
day by day,” Antoun said. “Don’t be afraid. I am with you and praying for you
and I will protect you,” Antoun quoted Francis as saying. “He left a big
inheritance in Gaza. He is the saint of Gaza.”
Pope Francis used final Easter address to call for Gaza ceasefire
Joshua McElwee/USA TODAY/April 21, 2025
VATICAN CITY − Pope Francis reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in
Gaza in an Easter Sunday message read aloud by an aide as the pontiff, who died
on Monday, looked on during a brief appearance on the main balcony of St.
Peter's Basilica.
The 88-year-old pope, limiting his workload on doctors' orders, did not preside
over the Vatican's Mass for Easter but appeared at the end of the event for a
twice-yearly blessing and message known as the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and
the world).
Before a five-week hospital stay for pneumonia, which nearly killed him, Francis
had been ramping up criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the
humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful" in
January.
In the Easter message, the pontiff said the situation in Gaza was "dramatic and
deplorable." The pope also called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to release
its remaining hostages and condemned what he said was a "worrisome" trend of
antisemitism in the world.
"I express my closeness to the sufferings ... of all the Israeli people and the
Palestinian people," said the message. "I appeal to the warring parties: call a
ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that
aspires to a future of peace," it said.
Hamas last week rejected an Israeli proposal for another temporary truce,
instead demanding a deal to end the war in exchange for the release of hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday he had instructed the
Israeli military to intensify pressure on Hamas.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7 attack on southern Israel in
2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according
to Israeli tallies. A nun holds an image of Pope Francis near St Peter's square,
after the death of Pope Francis was announced by the Vatican, as seen from Rome,
Italy, April 21, 2025. Since then, more than 51,000 Palestinians have been
killed in the Israeli offensive, according to local health authorities. The Gaza
health ministry says 1,600 people have been killed in the past month. Earlier on
Sunday, Francis held a meeting at the Vatican with U.S. Vice President JD Vance,
who has been visiting Italy over the weekend. The Vatican said the meeting with
Vance was brief, "lasting a few minutes," in order to exchange Easter greetings.
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered
with a charming, humble style, dies at 88
NICOLE WINFIELD/Associated Press/April 21, 2025
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who
charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated
conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He
was 88.
Bells tolled in church towers across Rome after the announcement, which was read
out by Cardinal Kevin Farrell from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where
Francis lived.
"At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the
Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his
Church," said Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who takes charge after a
pontiff’s death.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed
as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a
respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there,
the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
He emerged on Easter Sunday — his last public appearance, a day before his death
— to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a
surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause.
Beforehand, he met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Francis performed the blessing from the same loggia where he was introduced to
the world on March 13, 2013 as the 266th pope.
From his first greeting that night — a remarkably normal “Buonasera” (“Good
evening”) — to his embrace of refugees and the downtrodden, Francis signaled a
very different tone for the papacy, stressing humility over hubris for a
Catholic Church beset by scandal and accusations of indifference.
After that rainy night, the Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought a
breath of fresh air into a 2,000-year-old institution that had seen its
influence wane during the troubled tenure of Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise
resignation led to Francis’ election.
But Francis soon invited troubles of his own, and conservatives grew
increasingly upset with his progressive bent, outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics and
crackdown on traditionalists. His greatest test came in 2018 when he botched a
notorious case of clergy sexual abuse in Chile, and the scandal that festered
under his predecessors erupted anew on his watch.
And then Francis, the crowd-loving, globe-trotting pope of the peripheries,
navigated the unprecedented reality of leading a universal religion through the
coronavirus pandemic from a locked-down Vatican City.
He implored the world to use COVID-19 as an opportunity to rethink the economic
and political framework that he said had turned rich against poor.
“We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and
disoriented,” Francis told an empty St. Peter’s Square in March 2020. But he
also stressed the pandemic showed the need for “all of us to row together, each
of us in need of comforting the other.”
At the Vatican on Monday, the mood was a mix of somber quiet among people who
knew and worked for Francis, and the typical buzz of tourists visiting St.
Peter’s Square on the day after Easter. While many initially didn't know the
news, some sensed something happening given the swarms of television crews.
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, meanwhile, wiped tears from his eyes as he
met with journalists in the press room.
Francis' death sets off a weekslong process of allowing the faithful to pay
their final respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and
then in St. Peter’s for the general public, followed by a funeral and a conclave
to elect a new pope.
Reforming the Vatican
Francis was elected on a mandate to reform the Vatican bureaucracy and finances
but went further in shaking up the church without changing its core doctrine.
“Who am I to judge?” he replied when asked about a purportedly gay priest.
The comment sent a message of welcome to the LGBTQ+ community and those who felt
shunned by a church that had stressed sexual propriety over unconditional love.
“Being homosexual is not a crime,” he told The Associated Press in 2023, urging
an end to civil laws that criminalize it.
Stressing mercy, Francis changed the church’s position on the death penalty,
calling it inadmissible in all circumstances. He also declared the possession of
nuclear weapons, not just their use, was “immoral.”
In other firsts, he approved an agreement with China over bishop nominations
that had vexed the Vatican for decades, met the Russian patriarch and charted
new relations with the Muslim world by visiting the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq.
He reaffirmed the all-male, celibate priesthood and upheld the church’s
opposition to abortion, equating it to “hiring a hit man to solve a problem.”
Pope on the economy and tech
Pope Francis consistently championed economic systems that prioritize human
dignity and the common good over profit. He criticized "trickle-down economics"
as a flawed theory that fosters inequality and exclusion, labeling it a "new
tyranny" rooted in the "idolatry of money." He advocated for economic models
centered on inclusion, ethics, and solidarity, urging leaders to ensure that
financial systems serve humanity rather than dominate it .
In his later years, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of addressing
pressing social issues over pursuing technological advancements. He condemned
child labor and exploitation as grave violations against God, calling for a
global commitment to eradicate such injustices. He questioned the morality of
investing in space exploration while millions suffer from poverty and hunger,
urging society to focus on alleviating human suffering on Earth. Regarding
artificial intelligence, Pope Francis expressed concerns about its potential to
exacerbate social inequalities and ethical dilemmas. He warned that AI could
lead to a "regression to a form of barbarism" if not guided by ethical
considerations, and he called for global governance to ensure that technological
advancements do not compromise human dignity.
Roles for women
But he added women to important decision-making roles and allowed them to serve
as lectors and acolytes in parishes. He let women vote alongside bishops in
periodic Vatican meetings, following long-standing complaints that women do much
of the church’s work but are barred from power. Sister Nathalie Becquart, whom
Francis named to one of the highest Vatican jobs, said his legacy was a vision
of a church where men and women existed in a relationship of reciprocity and
respect. “It was about shifting a pattern of domination — from human being to
the creation, from men to women — to a pattern of cooperation,” said Becquart,
the first woman to hold a voting position in a Vatican synod.
Still, a note of criticism came from the Women’s Ordination Conference, which
had been frustrated by Francis’ unwillingness to push for the ordination of
women.
“His repeated ‘closed door’ policy on women’s ordination was painfully
incongruous with his otherwise pastoral nature, and for many, a betrayal of the
synodal, listening church he championed. This made him a complicated,
frustrating, and sometimes heart-breaking figure for many women," the statement
said.
The church as refuge
While Francis did not allow women to be ordained, the voting reform was part of
a revolutionary change in emphasizing what the church should be: a refuge for
everyone — “todos, todos, todos” (“everyone, everyone, everyone”) — not for the
privileged few. Migrants, the poor, prisoners and outcasts were invited to his
table far more than presidents or powerful CEOs. “For Pope Francis, (the goal)
was always to extend the arms of the church to embrace all people, not to
exclude anyone,” said Farrell, the camerlengo.
Francis demanded his bishops apply mercy and charity to their flocks, pressed
the world to protect God’s creation from climate disaster, and challenged
countries to welcome those fleeing war, poverty and oppression. After visiting
Mexico in 2016, Francis said of then-U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump
that anyone building a wall to keep migrants out “is not Christian.”While
progressives were thrilled with Francis’ radical focus on Jesus’ message of
mercy and inclusion, it troubled conservatives who feared he watered down
Catholic teaching and threatened the very Christian identity of the West. Some
even called him a heretic. A few cardinals openly challenged him. Francis
usually responded with his typical answer to conflict: silence. He made it
easier for married Catholics to get an annulment, allowed priests to absolve
women who had had abortions and decreed that priests could bless same-sex
couples. He opened debate on issues like homosexuality and divorce, giving
pastors wiggle room to discern how to accompany their flocks, rather than
handing them strict rules to apply.
St. Francis of Assisi as a model
Francis lived in the Vatican hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace, wore his old
orthotic shoes and not the red loafers of the papacy, and rode in compact cars.
It wasn’t a gimmick.
“I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal
wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful,” he told a Jesuit journal in
2013. “I see the church as a field hospital after battle.”If becoming the first
Latin American and first Jesuit pope wasn’t enough, Francis was also the first
to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century friar known for
personal simplicity, a message of peace, and care for nature and society’s
outcasts. Francis sought out the unemployed, the sick, the disabled and the
homeless. He formally apologized to Indigenous peoples for the crimes of the
church from colonial times onward. And he himself suffered: He had part of his
colon removed in 2021, then needed more surgery in 2023 to repair a painful
hernia and remove intestinal scar tissue. Starting in 2022 he regularly used a
wheelchair or cane because of bad knees, and endured bouts of bronchitis. He
went to society’s fringes to minister with mercy: caressing the deformed head of
a man in St. Peter’s Square, kissing the tattoo of a Holocaust survivor, or
inviting Argentina’s garbage scavengers to join him onstage in Rio de Janeiro.
“We have always been marginalized, but Pope Francis always helped us,” said
Coqui Vargas, a transgender woman whose Roman community forged a unique
relationship with Francis during the pandemic. His first trip as pope was to the
island of Lampedusa, then the epicenter of Europe’s migration crisis. He
consistently chose to visit poor countries where Christians were often
persecuted minorities, rather than the centers of global Catholicism.
Friend and fellow Argentine, Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, said his concern
for the poor and disenfranchised was based on the Beatitudes — the eight
blessings Jesus delivered in the Sermon on the Mount for the meek, the merciful,
the poor in spirit and others. “Why are the Beatitudes the program of this
pontificate? Because they were the basis of Jesus Christ’s own program,” Sánchez
said.
Missteps on sexual abuse scandal
But more than a year passed before Francis met with survivors of priestly sexual
abuse, and victims’ groups initially questioned whether he really understood the
scope of the problem.
Francis did create a sex abuse commission to advise the church on best
practices, but it lost influence after a few years and its recommendation of a
tribunal to judge bishops who covered up for predator priests went nowhere. And
then came the greatest crisis of his papacy, when he discredited Chilean abuse
victims in 2018 and stood by a controversial bishop linked to their abuser.
Realizing his error, Francis invited the victims to the Vatican for a personal
mea culpa and summoned the leadership of the Chilean church to resign en masse.
As that crisis concluded, a new one erupted over ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick,
the retired archbishop of Washington and a counselor to three popes.
Francis had actually moved swiftly to sideline McCarrick amid an accusation he
had molested a teenage altar boy in the 1970s. But Francis nevertheless was
accused by the Vatican’s one-time U.S. ambassador of having rehabilitated
McCarrick early in his papacy.
Francis eventually defrocked McCarrick after a Vatican investigation determined
he sexually abused adults as well as minors. He changed church law to remove the
pontifical secret surrounding abuse cases and enacted procedures to investigate
bishops who abused or covered for their pedophile priests, seeking to end
impunity for the hierarchy.
“He sincerely wanted to do something and he transmitted that,” said Juan Carlos
Cruz, a Chilean abuse survivor Francis discredited who later developed a close
friendship with the pontiff.
A change from Benedict
The road to Francis’ 2013 election was paved by Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to
resign and retire — the first in 600 years — and it created the unprecedented
reality of two popes living in the Vatican. Francis didn’t shy from Benedict’s
potentially uncomfortable shadow. He embraced him as an elder statesman and
adviser, coaxing him out of his cloistered retirement to participate in the
public life of the church. “It’s like having your grandfather in the house, a
wise grandfather,” Francis said. Francis praised Benedict by saying he “opened
the door” to others following suit, fueling speculation that Francis also might
retire. But after Benedict’s death on Dec. 31, 2022, he asserted that in
principle the papacy is a job for life.
Francis’ looser liturgical style and pastoral priorities made clear he and the
German-born theologian came from very different religious traditions, and
Francis directly overturned several decisions of his predecessor. He made sure
Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, a hero to the liberation theology movement
in Latin America, was canonized after his case languished under Benedict over
concerns about the credo’s Marxist bent.
Francis reimposed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass that Benedict
had relaxed, arguing the spread of the Tridentine Rite was divisive. The move
riled Francis’ traditionalist critics and opened sustained conflict between
right-wing Catholics, particularly in the U.S., and the Argentine pope.
Conservatives oppose Francis
By then, conservatives had already turned away from Francis, betrayed after he
opened debate on allowing remarried Catholics to receive the sacraments if they
didn’t get an annulment — a church ruling that their first marriage was invalid.
“We don’t like this pope,” headlined Italy’s conservative daily Il Foglio a few
months into the papacy, reflecting the unease of the small but vocal
traditionalist Catholic movement. Those same critics amplified their complaints
after Francis’ approved church blessings for same-sex couples, and a
controversial accord with China over nominating bishops. Its details were never
released, but conservative critics bashed it as a sellout to communist China,
while the Vatican defended it as the best deal it could get with Beijing. U.S.
Cardinal Raymond Burke, a figurehead in the anti-Francis opposition, said the
church had become “like a ship without a rudder.”Burke waged his opposition
campaign for years, starting when Francis fired him as the Vatican’s supreme
court justice and culminating with his vocal opposition to Francis’ 2023 synod
on the church’s future. Twice, he joined other conservative cardinals in
formally asking Francis to explain himself on doctrine issues reflecting a more
progressive bent, including on the possibility of same-sex blessings and his
outreach to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. Francis eventually
sanctioned Burke financially, accusing him of sowing “disunity.”Francis insisted
his bishops and cardinals imbue themselves with the “odor of their flock” and
minister to the faithful, voicing displeasure when they didn’t.
His 2014 Christmas address to the Vatican Curia was one of the greatest public
papal reprimands ever: Standing in the marbled Apostolic Palace, Francis ticked
off 15 ailments that he said can afflict his closest collaborators, including
“spiritual Alzheimer’s,” lusting for power and the “terrorism of gossip.”
Trying to eliminate corruption, Francis oversaw the reform of the scandal-marred
Vatican bank and sought to wrestle Vatican bureaucrats into financial line,
limiting their compensation and ability to receive gifts or award public
contracts. He authorized Vatican police to raid his own secretariat of state and
the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency amid suspicions about a 350 million euro
investment in a London real estate venture. After a 2 1/2-year trial, the
Vatican tribunal convicted a once-powerful cardinal, Angelo Becciu, of
embezzlement and returned mixed verdicts to nine others, acquitting one.
The trial, though, proved to be a reputational boomerang for the Holy See,
showing deficiencies in the Vatican’s legal system, unseemly turf battles among
monsignors, and how the pope had intervened on behalf of prosecutors. While
earning praise for trying to turn the Vatican’s finances around, Francis angered
U.S. conservatives for his frequent excoriation of the global financial market.
Economic justice was an important themes of his papacy, and he didn’t hide it in
his first meeting with journalists when he said he wanted a “poor church that is
for the poor.”In his first major teaching document, “The Joy of the Gospel,”
Francis denounced trickle-down economic theories as unproven and naive, based on
a mentality “where the powerful feed upon the powerless” with no regard for
ethics, the environment or even God. “Money must serve, not rule!” he said in
urging political reforms.
Some U.S. conservatives branded Francis a Marxist. He jabbed back by saying he
had many friends who were Marxists.
Soccer, opera and prayer
Born Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the eldest of
five children of Italian immigrants. He credited his devout grandmother Rosa
with teaching him how to pray. Weekends were spent listening to opera on the
radio, going to Mass and attending matches of the family’s beloved San Lorenzo
soccer club. As pope, his love of soccer brought him a huge collection of
jerseys from visitors. He said he received his religious calling at 17 while
going to confession, recounting in a 2010 biography that, “I don’t know what it
was, but it changed my life. ... I realized that they were waiting for me.”He
entered the diocesan seminary but switched to the Jesuit order in 1958,
attracted to its missionary tradition and militancy. Around this time, he
suffered from pneumonia, which led to the removal of the upper part of his right
lung. His frail health prevented him from becoming a missionary, and his
less-than-robust lung capacity was perhaps responsible for his whisper of a
voice and reluctance to sing at Mass.
On Dec. 13, 1969, he was ordained a priest, and immediately began teaching. In
1973, he was named head of the Jesuits in Argentina, an appointment he later
acknowledged was “crazy” given he was only 36. “My authoritarian and quick
manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of
being ultraconservative,” he admitted in his Civilta Cattolica interview.
Life under Argentina’s dictatorship
His six-year tenure as the head of the order in Argentina coincided with the
country's murderous 1976-83 dictatorship, when the military launched a campaign
against left-wing guerrillas and other regime opponents.
Bergoglio didn’t publicly confront the junta and was accused of effectively
allowing two slum priests to be kidnapped and tortured by not publicly endorsing
their work.
He refused for decades to counter that version of events. Only in a 2010
authorized biography did he finally recount the behind-the-scenes lengths he
used to save them, persuading the family priest of feared dictator Jorge Videla
to call in sick so he could celebrate Mass instead. Once in the junta leader’s
home, Bergoglio privately appealed for mercy. Both priests were eventually
released, among the few to have survived prison.
As pope, accounts began to emerge of the many people — priests, seminarians and
political dissidents —whom Bergoglio actually saved during the “dirty war,”
letting them stay incognito at the seminary or helping them escape the country.
Bergoglio went to Germany in 1986 to research a never-finished thesis. Returning
to Argentina, he was stationed in Cordoba during a period he described as a time
of “great interior crisis.” Out of favor with more progressive Jesuit leaders,
he was eventually rescued from obscurity in 1992 by St. John Paul II, who named
him an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. He became archbishop six years later,
and was made a cardinal in 2001.
He came close to becoming pope in 2005 when Benedict was elected, gaining the
second-most votes in several rounds of balloting before bowing out.
*This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the camerlengo’s last
name. It is Farrell, not Ferrell.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on April 21-22/2025
The Iran-Hamas Plan to Unleash More Terrorism
Against Israel
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/April 21, 2025
In the West Bank and Jerusalem, most Palestinians have ignored Hamas's repeated
calls for violence against Israel.
"As the dimensions of these unimaginable sadistic horrors are uncovered, I ask
you to believe me when I say that I want it to be clear to you, and the whole
world, that we stand as your brothers, as human beings, and as citizens of the
country, by your side. It is our simple and required moral and human duty to
express abhorrence, to cry out loudly against unimaginable crimes. Our voice
with be sharp and clear, unapologetic, unhesitant, unfaltering, without
proportionality, with no ifs, ands, or buts. There are no dilemmas in the face
of atrocities!" — Louis Haj, an Arab resident of the city of Acre, and former
tech executive, Globes, October 22, 2023.
Now that the Trump administration is holding direct negotiations with Iran, it
must demand that the ruling mullahs immediately stop supporting Hamas's attempts
to unleash a new wave of terrorist attacks against Israel from within Israel
itself and from the West Bank.
After bringing death and destruction on the residents of the Gaza Strip, the
Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group is now trying to drag Arab Israelis and
Palestinians in east Jerusalem and the West Bank into a violent confrontation
with Israel.
Hamas and Iran's mullahs will not be content until they see bloodshed and
violence spread to areas outside the Gaza Strip. For them, this is a way of
distracting attention from the catastrophe they brought on the Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip for the past 18 months. They want the world's attention to shift
from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the two-million-strong
community of Arab citizens inside Israel.
The good news is that Hamas's and Iran's efforts to expand the bloodshed and
violence to Israel's Arab community and the Palestinians in the West Bank and
Jerusalem have so far been unsuccessful. The Arab Israelis and the Palestinians
of the West Bank and Jerusalem see the death and destruction in the Gaza Strip
and do not want to meet the same fate.
Hamas and its patrons in Tehran are undoubtedly disappointed that the Arab
citizens of Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem have
not joined their jihad (holy war) in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023
Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities near the border with the Gaza Strip.
On that day, at least 1,200 Israelis were murdered and thousands injured.
Another 251 Israelis were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where 59 – alive and dead
– are still held hostage by Hamas and other terror groups.
As part of its attempt to export its jihad against Israel to other areas, Hamas
issued a statement on April 16 in which it urged "our people in the West Bank,
Jerusalem, and the occupied Palestinian territories [Israel] to continue their
uprising against the occupation and its settlers." Hamas promised that "the pure
blood will blossom into victory and the expulsion of this occupier [Israel] from
our land and our holy sites."
Since the October 7 massacre, the vast majority of the Arab Israelis and
Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem have refused to heed Hamas's
calls to join the fight against Israel. Many Arab citizens of Israel have even
come out in public against the Hamas-led attack.
A poll among Arab Israelis during the first week after October 7 found that 77%
of the respondents opposed the terror attack, and 85% opposed the kidnapping of
civilians, which included women and children. About 53% of the respondents said
that the terror attack harmed the chances of reaching a settlement between
Israel and the Palestinians.
Another poll, conducted in late 2023 by the Center for Democratic Values and
Institutions, in collaboration with the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion
and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute, found that 56% of Arab
Israelis believe that the Hamas attack does not reflect Arab society and Islamic
values. Another 86.5% support helping civilians in their efforts to volunteer
during the Israel-Hamas war, according to the poll.
It is worth noting that 20 Arab citizens of Israel were murdered by Hamas
terrorists on October 7 or by Hamas rocket launches in the ensuing days. Most of
the victims were Bedouin residents who live in the south of Israel.
Several prominent Arab Israelis have strongly condemned the October 7 massacre.
Louis Haj, an Arab resident of the city of Acre, social activist, and former
tech executive, wrote to his fellow Jewish citizens:
"As the dimensions of these unimaginable sadistic horrors are uncovered, I ask
you to believe me when I say that I want it to be clear to you, and the whole
world, that we stand as your brothers, as human beings, and as citizens of the
country, by your side. It is our simple and required moral and human duty to
express abhorrence, to cry out loudly against unimaginable crimes. Our voice
with be sharp and clear, unapologetic, unhesitant, unfaltering, without
proportionality, with no ifs, ands, or buts. There are no dilemmas in the face
of atrocities!"
In the West Bank and Jerusalem, most Palestinians have ignored Hamas's repeated
calls for violence against Israel. During the recent Islamic holy month of
Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians peacefully attended mass prayers
at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. No clashes with Israeli security forces were
reported during the month, much to the dismay of Hamas and Iran's mullahs.
Hamas was undoubtedly hoping that the Palestinians in the West Bank and
Jerusalem would launch a new intifada (uprising) against Israel in solidarity
with the terrorist group and the residents of the Gaza Strip. That, however, did
not happen. No mass demonstrations have taken place in the West Bank or
Jerusalem, where most Palestinians appear to be more interested in finding work
inside Israel than taking to the streets to clash with Israeli troops.
This, of course, does not mean that Hamas and Iran's mullahs will halt their
efforts to instigate violence outside the Gaza Strip. For them, it is crucial to
open yet another front against Israel: especially from Israel's Arab community
and the West Bank, in addition to Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
Now that the Trump administration is holding direct negotiations with Iran, it
must demand that the ruling mullahs immediately stop supporting Hamas's attempts
to unleash a new wave of terrorist attacks against Israel from within Israel
itself and from the West Bank.
The negotiations should not only focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions and plans,
but also its financial and military support for jihadi terrorist groups such as
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and the Houthis. It is time for the
Trump administration to realize that, in addition to Qatar, Iran too has
tremendous influence over Hamas. Why not use it?
**Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
**Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The Ugly Truth behind Pete Hegseth’s Kafir Tattoo
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/April 21/2025
https://www.raymondibrahim.com/2025/04/21/the-ugly-truth-behind-pete-hegseths-kafir-tattoo/
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tattoos are back in the news. A few months ago
I discussed his Crusader tattoos, but now it’s his tattoo of an Arabic word —
kafir — that is creating much outrage amongst Muslims.
Before proceeding, let’s first define the word kafir, for it is indeed important
though much misunderstood.
The word kafir (singular form; kuffar or kafara, plural) is almost entirely
known by its connotations (all of which are negative) rather than its
denotation.
The trilateral root word kafara (k-f-r) and its derivatives in old, pre-Islamic
Arabic literally meant to cover, or hide, something. In Islamic usage, a kafir
came to mean someone who, after being invited or exposed to the truths of Islam,
still rejects them — still “covers them” up, or “hides” them.
Hence, today a kafir is someone who rejects Islam — or, in modern parlance, a
non-Muslim.
And yet, translating the word to “non-Muslim” or “unbeliever” — as almost every
modern, English-language Koran does — completely misses the all-important and
decidedly negative connotations associated with the word and its definition.
(This, incidentally, is why older English translations rendered the word kafir
as infidel, as I often do; although still an imperfect translation, it sought to
capture the pejorative sense of the Arabic in one English word.)
Dumber Than Cattle
To Muslim ears, kafir (singular) and kuffar (plural) are virtually synonymous
with “evildoers” and “enemies.” In fact, virtually every vile human
characteristic — and several connected to animals — is associated with the word
kafir.
As usual, let us turn to the Koran; it refers to kuffar as the “worst of beasts”
(8:55, 98:6), similar to cattle and just as dumb (47:12, 8:65); they are
inherently “guilty,” “unjust,” and “criminal” (10:17, 45:31, 68:35; 39:32); they
are the “sworn enemies” of Muslims (4:101); and are “disliked” and “accursed” by
Allah (2:89, 3:32, 33:64). The Islamic deity is himself their declared enemy
(2:98) who requires that “terror be cast into their hearts” (3:151).
Again, this is how the Koran describes all non-Muslims, even if they have never
once spoken against or harmed Islam.
Unsurprisingly, then, Islamic law mandates hostility for the kuffar —
unremitting jihad, with all the attendant death and destruction that has always
accompanied it, at least when Muhammad’s followers are strong. When they are
weak, however, and in need of biding time for a more opportune moment, deception
of and friendly gestures to the kafir (taqiyya) are permitted.
Thus, according to Koran 9:5, Muslims must “slay” those who reject Islam,
“wherever you find them — seize them, besiege them, and make ready to ambush
them!”
Without Exception
If that sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because the Muslim ambassador of Barbary
(North Africa) paraphrased this verse when explaining to Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams why his Muslim countrymen were raiding American vessels and killing
and enslaving their kafir sailors. As Jefferson wrote in a letter to Congress in
1786,
The ambassador answered us that it was founded on the laws of their Prophet,
that it was written in their Koran, … that it was their right and duty to make
war upon them [non-Muslims, kuffar] wherever they could be found, and to make
slaves of all they could take as prisoners.
But what about ahl al-kitab, the so-called “people of the book” — a phrase the
Koran sometimes applies to Jews and Christians? Are they kuffar or not?
Although Islam’s apologists regularly argue for the latter, ahl al-kitab, while
marginally better, is ultimately a subcategory of kafir. The Koran itself makes
this abundantly clear. For example, it says that those who believe in the
Trinity or who believe that Christ is the Son of God (two things all Christians
believe) have committed kufr (meaning they are kuffar, Koran 5: 72-73).
Two-Tiered Justice
Incidentally, because the kuffar are essentially animal-like subhumans in
comparison to Muslims, sharia bans the execution of Muslims for any and all
crimes — including murder — that Muslims may commit against non-Muslims in
keeping with Muhammad’s words, “Let no Muslim be killed on account of kafir”
(recorded in Sahih Bukhari and other canonical collections).
This teaching is constantly invoked in the Muslim world, though people in the
West seldom hear of it (meaning Western media seldom report on it). For example,
several Muslim scholars and institutes argued in 2008 that a convicted Muslim
murderer should not be executed because his victim, John Granville, an American
diplomat, was a kafir, and therefore their lives could not be treated as equal
to his.
In an Arabic-language statement titled, “Let no Muslim be killed on account of a
kafir,” the Legitimate League of Scholars and Preachers in Sudan (an influential
body of Muslim clerics) began by asserting that
Allah has honored human beings over creation and multiplied the Muslim’s honor
over the kafir’s, because Islam elevates and nothing is elevated above it. The
value of the blood of Muslims is equal, or should be, but not so the value of
the blood of others [e.g., kuffar].
Similarly, during a videotaped sermon, Egyptian cleric Samir Hashish once
explained:
The prophet said, “Let no Muslim be killed on account of a kafir.” Why? Because
their blood is not equal. The blood of the Muslim is superior. Call it racism or
whatever you want, but of course the blood of the Muslim is superior. This is
not open to debate.
Let’s now return to Pete Hegseth and see what all the hubbub is about. Muslims,
according to numerous media reports, are simply outraged that he dared tattoo
the word kafir on his arm.
But why? That is precisely what he is — according to Islam’s own definitions and
usage. As we saw, all non-Muslims are, by default, kuffar. That is to say, all
non-Muslims are the “worst of beasts …cattle … dumb… guilty, unjust, criminal …
sworn enemies of Muslims … accursed of Allah” (to quote the Koran)The problem is
ultimately one of province. A highly offensive word, kafir is only meant to be
used by Muslims to describe non-Muslims. When a non-Muslim willingly
appropriates it, however, and wears it as a tattoo no less—that is, as a badge
of honor—then it becomes the ultimate act of defiance against Islam. It becomes
a statement: “Yes, not only am I a non-Muslims, but I’m all the ugly things you
Muslims say about non-Muslims and more! What of it?”
In short, Muslim anger has nothing to do with Pete Hegseth being a kafir—which
Islam makes him to be—and everything to do with him being proud of it.
Saudi Arabia and the Architecture of Regional De-escalation
Mamoun Fandy/Asharq Al Awsat/April 21/2025
The Middle East has been sitting on a powder keg since October 7, 2023. Saudi
Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz's visit to Iran last
week was a pivotal step toward regional de-escalation that reaffirms Saudi
Arabia’s adept role in putting the region on a path toward appeasing tensions.
For one thing, it reflects the independence of Saudi Arabia’s regional foreign
policy decisions. Second, it is part of an effort by a crucial local player to
develop a regional security framework around “cooling” (de-escalation) and its
architecture. Given the role that Riyadh has also been playing in hosting the
discussions between the US and Russia, Saudi Arabia’s status as a hub for global
diplomacy is difficult to deny. This Saudi political move is not a sudden
development. Rather, it is part of the broader strategic vision outlined in the
previous paragraph. Moreover, the Saudi defense minister’s visit is not the
first high-level visit to Tehran by a Saudi official. It was preceded by
diplomatic engagement that made breakthroughs following the China-brokered
agreement between the Kingdom and Iran. However, this visit stands out because
it comes at a time when Iran is at its weakest regionally: Saudi Arabia, as
Iran’s neighbor, has chosen not to back the effort to isolate Iran during a
difficult time for the latter. Indeed, this visit is particularly significant
because it amounts to a gesture of goodwill that the Iranians surely recognize
and appreciate.
Nevertheless, the visit should not be seen solely through the lens of bilateral
rapprochement. At its core, it is a strategic Saudi move that reflects its grasp
of the shifting international order. Today, Saudi Arabia is one of the few
countries to have maintained stability in a region ablaze- from Lebanon to
Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and Syria. The Kingdom now recognizes no regional security
system can be built around polarization and conflict. The only viable building
blocks for such a system are cooperation and shared interests, along with a
vision for regional security, especially at a time when smaller powers like
Israel are boasting that they will redraw the map of the Middle East.
This approach reflects an evolution in the Kingdom’s position on regional
security challenges that break with its reliance on volatile international
alliances. If Saudi Arabia does not put its own vision forward, it risks going
along the visions of others, and this visit is a clear indication of that
strategic recalibration.
At the heart of its vision is direct engagement between the region’s major
powers: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Iran. Saudi Arabia is not merely a
central player here; it has decided to become the region’s mediator, the
architect of regional de-escalation policy, and a diplomatic hub. This visit is
part of the Kingdom's broader vision. Saudi Arabia believes that its
relationships with neighboring countries are essential to a more comprehensive
form of regional security. The visit of the Defense Minister, who represents the
military establishment, introduces a major security dimension to the Kingdom’s
relationship with Iran that goes beyond the diplomatic framework agreed upon in
China, taking a step toward a deeper and more practical security arrangement. By
taking it, the Kingdom has signaled that the questions once dealt with behind
closed doors are discussed in the open. This transparent policy lays the
groundwork for practical arrangements with broader and more far-reaching
implications.
The visit also coincides with the talks between the United States and Iran in
Muscat, meaning that Saudi Arabia is not on the sidelines but a participant in
this process. It is a key regional actor with a stake in this dialogue, its
parameters, and its outcomes (if there are any). In conclusion, it appears that
Saudi Arabia is not merely aiming to cool typical flashpoints from Yemen to
Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, or Sudan. It also seeks to redefine the very
concept of regional security, moving beyond purely military strategic balance
and placing greater emphasis on mutual trust between regional powers, managing
spheres of influence, and protecting regional interests from direct foreign
interference. Saudi Arabia’s current foreign policy approach undeniably reflects
sharp political awareness and a long-term vision.
The Man Who Does Not Tire of Killing
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/April 21/2025
This man does not tire of killing. It is his job, and perhaps his calling. He
doesn’t believe in talk about peace. The only rival he can trust is a dead one.
“Peace” is an odd word in this thorny part of the world. What they call “peace”
is at best a form of fragile truce. It is an open arena to fuel spite and
sharpen knives. To deepen spite and incoming blows. Handshakes don’t fool him,
and smiles don’t put him at ease.
The enemy is the enemy; yesterday, today and tomorrow. Kill him or be killed.
The bare amount of coexistence means he should fear you and know that harassing
you means “opening the doors of hell”. He recalled that Donald Trump has used
that expression to intimidate his enemies and rivals.
Benjamin Netanyahu likes Trump. He likes strong men. Democracy sometimes needs a
strong man, who breaks the mold and stirs calm waters. He doesn’t always believe
that work is the product of a team. Even if there were a team, this man would
break the silence and the rules.
The spirit of resistance in France wasn’t awakened by a team, but by a man
called Charles De Gaulle. The spirit of the British nation was not stirred by a
team, but by a man called Winston Churchill. The arrogance of Argentinian
generals was not broken by a team, but by the will of an iron lady called
Margaret Thatcher. Netanyahu deludes himself into believing that he is part of a
team of saviors.
He likes Trump, who was generous with him. The powerful bunker-buster missiles
that Joe Biden had deprived him of now lie in Israeli warehouses. His position
on Hamas and Hezbollah is almost identical to his own. And what about the
Houthis? They are now being targeted by American fighter jets.
Moreover, he hasn’t forgotten that Trump was the one who ordered the killing of
Qassem Soleimani. It would have been difficult for any other president to take
such a dangerous step. The decision to kill Soleimani is much more dangerous
than the one to kill Osama bin Laden. Trump killed the man who had planted in
four maps a massive number of tunnels, rockets and drones, and several militias
that ceaselessly drone “death to Israel” and “death to America.”
Biden’s America was generous with him when the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation took
place. The president dispatched his fleet and America drew a red line for Iran
and its allies, warning them of the dire consequences of crossing it. He now
recalls that he had banked on Trump’s return to the White House because Biden
had occasionally tried to stop the Israeli war machine or at least rein in its
mad savagery.
Netanyahu likes Trump, but he senses deep down that his next moves are difficult
to predict. He is a hurricane that can change course without warning. He is a
moody player who does not like to join a game without coming out on top and with
the final say. He defies his rivals, but then extends his hand to them. He
threatens them one day, and showers them with compliments the next. He makes odd
calculations with allies and enemies alike.
The most dangerous thing about him is how far he can go in his enmity once he is
angered. He makes his opinions known in his social media posts and his televised
speeches. He carries out negotiations on social media and fires in all
directions, inside America and beyond. He is a difficult man. It is as if he is
taking it upon himself to reshape America and the world. He does not acknowledge
red likes and does not hesitate in dismissing the most reputable judges and
courts and most prestigious universities.
Netanyahu keeps tabs on Abbas Araqchi and Steve Witkoff. He believes that Israel
allowed the US to join the negotiations from a position of strength. Araqchi
used to represent an entire axis and carried the keys of four capitals that
Soleimani had lured to his country’s crescent. Where is this axis today? Bashar
al-Assad is in faraway exile in Russia. Vladimir Putin may have given him
asylum, but nothing more. Where is Hassan Nasrallah, who used to believe that
the Radwan Unit could infiltrate deep into Galilee? Where are Yehya al-Sinwar,
Ismail Haniyeh and dozens of leaders?
Of course, we mustn't forget everyone who was assassinated by American weapons
and that the US-made planes were the ones that allows Israel to uproot the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards from Syria and close the chapter of the axis.
He doesn’t want to return from the war. These kinds of wars don’t end, even if
the negotiators pretend to agree to a truce or a ceasefire. His instructions to
the negotiators are always clear: always leave some margin for the war to erupt
again. The most important thing is to please Washington, not ending the war. It
is important to ensure that Trump does not believe that his image has taken even
the slightest hit.
He closes his eyes. It isn’t enough to cut off the head of the factions. He must
go to the source. He must break the will of the country of the supreme leader.
And so, he hopes that Trump will accompany him along this dream, despite the
doubts of some of his advisors and their recommendations. He cannot deliver a
strong strike to the Iranian nuclear program without the participation of the US
and its blessing and pledge that it would confront the consequences of the blow.
He doesn’t neglect the skill of the Iranian negotiator, his patience and
readiness to simply wait. So, he fears that Araqchi will come up with a formula
that would lead Trump to believe that he has succeeded without sliding into a
military confrontation with Iran. With such a scenario, Tehran can simply wait
for Trump’s successor. The Gaza war has not satiated his hunger for killing.
Neither did the war on Lebanon. He wants the “mother of all battles” with Iran.
He tells himself that it’s not enough to cut the arms, but he must directly
confront the head. As he waits for Trump to make up his mind, he will continue
to order his jets to strike and kill here and there. He is a man who does not
tire of killing.