Tens of thousands of people waved palm and olive branches in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday (April 14) as Pope Francis led the world's Catholics into Holy Week commemorations ahead of Easter calling for the Church to be humble.

On Palm Sunday, Pope says Church needs to be humble

Former Pope Benedict has blamed the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal on the effects of the sexual revolution of the 1960s, homosexual cliques in seminaries and what he called a general collapse in morality.

Critics accused Benedict, who before becoming pope in 2005 was for 23 years in charge of the Vatican doctrinal office that has been widely criticised for its handling of abuse cases, of trying to shift blame away from the Church.

But in a rare essay, he also said the Church's legal system had at times been overly protective of accused clerics, citing what he called judicial guarantees that were "extended to such an extent that convictions were hardly possible".

The 91-year-old, who in 2013 became the first pope in six centuries to resign, argued that the sexual revolution had led some to believe paedophilia and pornography were acceptable. He also said an openly gay culture in some Catholic seminaries meant they had failed to train priests properly.

"It could be said that in the 20 years from 1960 to 1980, the previously normative standards regarding sexuality collapsed entirely, and a new normalcy arose that has by now been the subject of laborious attempts at disruption," Benedict wrote.

Benedict was head of the doctrinal office when the first wave of abuse cases were exposed in Boston in 2002. Later, as pope, he took action against some paedophiles that had been blocked during the reign of his predecessor, John Paul.

Abuse scandals in Ireland, Chile, Australia, France, the United States, Poland, Germany and elsewhere have forced the Church to pay out billions of dollars in damages to victims and close parishes. Many cases date back decades before the 1960s.

Revelations that predatory priests were often moved from parish to parish rather than expelled or criminally prosecuted as bishops covered up the abuse have shaken the church globally and undermined its authority.

"STUNNING"

Benedict offered his evaluations in a long essay in Klerusblatt, a monthly Church magazine in Bavaria, his native region of Germany. A Vatican official confirmed it was authentic.

The impetus for the essay, titled "The Church and the Scandal of Sexual Abuse", was a summit of senior bishops that Francis, his successor as pope, held in February to discuss the crisis, he said.

"Among the freedoms that the Revolution of 1968 sought to fight for was this all-out sexual freedom, one which no longer conceded any norms," Benedict wrote, according to an English translation published by several Catholic websites.

He said the spread of explicit sex education for young schoolchildren and nudity in advertising had contributed to a loosening of moral bearings and an "absence of God".

Some theologians took to Twitter to criticise Benedict.

"This is an embarrassing letter," said Brian Flanagan, professor of theology at Marymount University in Virginia.

"The idea that ecclesial abuse of children was a result of the 1960s, a supposed collapse of moral theology, and "conciliarity" (the Church after the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council) is an embarrassingly wrong explanation for the systemic abuse of children and its cover up."

Julie Rubio, a professor at Santa Clara University's school of theology, called Benedict's reasoning "deeply flawed", adding: "The willingness to blame a permissive culture and progressive theology for a problem that is internal and structural is stunning."

Benedict wrote that after the Second Vatican Council there was a "far reaching breakdown" of the traditional methods of priestly formation that coincided with a dissolution of the Christian concept of morality.

"In various seminaries homosexual cliques were established, which acted more or less openly and significantly changed the climate in the seminaries," he writes, adding that the situation has now improved.

Late last year, Australian Cardinal George Pell became the most senior Catholic to be convicted for child sex offences. His role as a former top adviser to Pope Francis brought the scandal to the heart of the papal administration.

Former Pope Benedict has blamed the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal on the effects of the sexual revolution of the 1960s, homosexual cliques in seminaries and what he called a general collapse in morality.

Former Pope Benedict has blamed the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal on the effects of the sexual revolution of the 1960s, homosexual cliques in seminaries and what he called a general collapse in morality. Critics accused Benedict, who before becoming pope in 2005 was for 23 years in charge of the Vatican doctrinal office that has been widely criticised for its handling of abuse cases, of trying to shift blame away from the Church. But in a rare essay, he also said the Church's legal system had at times been overly protective of accused clerics, citing what he called judicial guarantees that were "extended to such an extent that convictions were hardly possible". The 91-year-old, who in 2013 became the first pope in six centuries to resign, argued that the sexual revolution had led some to believe paedophilia and pornography were acceptable. He also said an openly gay culture in some Catholic seminaries meant they had failed to train priests properly. "It could be said that in the 20 years from 1960 to 1980, the previously normative standards regarding sexuality collapsed entirely, and a new normalcy arose that has by now been the subject of laborious attempts at disruption," Benedict wrote. Benedict was head of the doctrinal office when the first wave of abuse cases were exposed in Boston in 2002. Later, as pope, he took action against some paedophiles that had been blocked during the reign of his predecessor, John Paul. Abuse scandals in Ireland, Chile, Australia, France, the United States, Poland, Germany and elsewhere have forced the Church to pay out billions of dollars in damages to victims and close parishes. Many cases date back decades before the 1960s. Revelations that predatory priests were often moved from parish to parish rather than expelled or criminally prosecuted as bishops covered up the abuse have shaken the church globally and undermined its authority. "STUNNING" Benedict offered his evaluations in a long essay in Klerusblatt, a monthly Church magazine in Bavaria, his native region of Germany. A Vatican official confirmed it was authentic. The impetus for the essay, titled "The Church and the Scandal of Sexual Abuse", was a summit of senior bishops that Francis, his successor as pope, held in February to discuss the crisis, he said. "Among the freedoms that the Revolution of 1968 sought to fight for was this all-out sexual freedom, one which no longer conceded any norms," Benedict wrote, according to an English translation published by several Catholic websites. He said the spread of explicit sex education for young schoolchildren and nudity in advertising had contributed to a loosening of moral bearings and an "absence of God". Some theologians took to Twitter to criticise Benedict. "This is an embarrassing letter," said Brian Flanagan, professor of theology at Marymount University in Virginia. "The idea that ecclesial abuse of children was a result of the 1960s, a supposed collapse of moral theology, and "conciliarity" (the Church after the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council) is an embarrassingly wrong explanation for the systemic abuse of children and its cover up." Julie Rubio, a professor at Santa Clara University's school of theology, called Benedict's reasoning "deeply flawed", adding: "The willingness to blame a permissive culture and progressive theology for a problem that is internal and structural is stunning." Benedict wrote that after the Second Vatican Council there was a "far reaching breakdown" of the traditional methods of priestly formation that coincided with a dissolution of the Christian concept of morality. "In various seminaries homosexual cliques were established, which acted more or less openly and significantly changed the climate in the seminaries," he writes, adding that the situation has now improved. Late last year, Australian Cardinal George Pell became the most senior Catholic to be convicted for child sex offences. His role as a former top adviser to Pope Francis brought the scandal to the heart of the papal administration.

Sexual revolution of 1960s led to Church abuse crisis, ex-pope says

Pope Francis told Morocco's tiny Catholic community on Sunday their role in the predominantly Muslim country was not to covert their neighbours but live in brotherhood with all other faiths.

Francis has used his two-day trip to stress inter-faith dialogue. He has also backed Moroccan King Mohammed VI's efforts to spread a form of Islam that promotes inter-religious dialogue and rejects violence in God's name.

The country's 23,000 Roman Catholics - most of them expatriate Europeans, mainly French, and sub-Saharan African migrants - make up less than one per cent of the population of about 35 million.

"Christians are a small minority in this country. Yet, to my mind, this is not a problem, even though I realise that at times it can be difficult for some of you," he said at a meeting with Catholic community leaders in Rabat's cathedral.

Conservative Catholics have frequently criticised the pope's position against organised or aggressive recruiting of potential converts.

"The Church grows not through proselytism but by attraction," Francis said to applause.

"This means, dear friends, that our mission as baptized persons, priests and consecrated men and women, is not really determined by the number or size of spaces that we occupy, but rather by our capacity to generate change and to awaken wonder and compassion," he said.

Moroccan authorities do not recognise Moroccan converts to Christianity, many of whom worship secretly in homes. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is banned - as it is in many Muslim countries - and proselytising is punishable by up to three years in prison.

"The problem is not when we are few in number, but when we are insignificant," Francis said, adding that Catholics were called to be an integral part of inter-religious dialogue in a world "torn apart by the policies of extremism and division".

On Saturday, Francis and King Mohammed VI visited an institute the monarch founded to train imams and male and female preachers of Islam.

Morocco has promoted itself as an oasis of religious tolerance in a region torn by militancy. It has offered training to Muslim preachers from Africa and Europe on what it describes as moderate Islam.

At the Saturday event, Francis praised the monarch for providing "sound training to combat all forms of extremism, which so often lead to violence and terrorism, and which, in any event, constitute an offence against religion and against God himself".

Also on Saturday, Jewish leaders joined Christian representatives in the front row at two events presided over by the pope and the monarch on interfaith dialogue.

Francis' appeal for inter-religious dialogue was made more poignant on Sunday by the presence in Rabat cathedral of Father Jean-Pierre Schumacher, a 95-year-old French monk who survived what is known as the Tibhirine massacre in Algeria.

In March 1996, seven French monks were kidnapped in a monastery in the central Algerian village of Tibhirine during the civil war. They were held for about two months and found dead. Schumacher managed to escape.

Pope Francis told Morocco's tiny Catholic community on Sunday their role in the predominantly Muslim country was not to covert their neighbours but live in brotherhood with all other faiths.

Pope Francis told Morocco's tiny Catholic community on Sunday their role in the predominantly Muslim country was not to covert their neighbours but live in brotherhood with all other faiths. Francis has used his two-day trip to stress inter-faith dialogue. He has also backed Moroccan King Mohammed VI's efforts to spread a form of Islam that promotes inter-religious dialogue and rejects violence in God's name. The country's 23,000 Roman Catholics - most of them expatriate Europeans, mainly French, and sub-Saharan African migrants - make up less than one per cent of the population of about 35 million. "Christians are a small minority in this country. Yet, to my mind, this is not a problem, even though I realise that at times it can be difficult for some of you," he said at a meeting with Catholic community leaders in Rabat's cathedral. Conservative Catholics have frequently criticised the pope's position against organised or aggressive recruiting of potential converts. "The Church grows not through proselytism but by attraction," Francis said to applause. "This means, dear friends, that our mission as baptized persons, priests and consecrated men and women, is not really determined by the number or size of spaces that we occupy, but rather by our capacity to generate change and to awaken wonder and compassion," he said. Moroccan authorities do not recognise Moroccan converts to Christianity, many of whom worship secretly in homes. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is banned - as it is in many Muslim countries - and proselytising is punishable by up to three years in prison. "The problem is not when we are few in number, but when we are insignificant," Francis said, adding that Catholics were called to be an integral part of inter-religious dialogue in a world "torn apart by the policies of extremism and division". On Saturday, Francis and King Mohammed VI visited an institute the monarch founded to train imams and male and female preachers of Islam. Morocco has promoted itself as an oasis of religious tolerance in a region torn by militancy. It has offered training to Muslim preachers from Africa and Europe on what it describes as moderate Islam. At the Saturday event, Francis praised the monarch for providing "sound training to combat all forms of extremism, which so often lead to violence and terrorism, and which, in any event, constitute an offence against religion and against God himself". Also on Saturday, Jewish leaders joined Christian representatives in the front row at two events presided over by the pope and the monarch on interfaith dialogue. Francis' appeal for inter-religious dialogue was made more poignant on Sunday by the presence in Rabat cathedral of Father Jean-Pierre Schumacher, a 95-year-old French monk who survived what is known as the Tibhirine massacre in Algeria. In March 1996, seven French monks were kidnapped in a monastery in the central Algerian village of Tibhirine during the civil war. They were held for about two months and found dead. Schumacher managed to escape.

Conversion is not your mission, pope tells Catholics in Morocco

Pope Francis said on Saturday that problems of migration would never be resolved by physical barriers but instead required social justice and correcting the world's economic imbalances.

Francis, starting a two-day visit to Morocco, also backed Moroccan King Mohammed VI's efforts to spread a moderate form of Islam that promotes inter-religious dialogue and rejects any form of terrorism or violence in God's name.

In recent months, migration has again risen to the fore of national political debates in a number of North African and European countries and the United States.

US President Donald Trump, has vowed to fulfil his campaign pledge to build a wall along the border with Mexico and on Friday threatened to close the border next week if Mexico did not stop immigrants reaching the United States.&nbsp;

"The issue of migration will never be resolved by raising barriers, fomenting fear of others or denying assistance to those who legitimately aspire to a better life for themselves and their families," Francis said at the welcoming ceremony.

"We know too that the consolidation of true peace comes through the pursuit of social justice, which is indispensable for correcting the economic imbalances and political unrest that have always had a major role in generating conflicts and threatening the whole of humanity," he said.

Morocco has become a key departure point for African migrants trying to reach Europe after crackdowns that closed or limited routes elsewhere. Italy's anti-immigrant interior minister has closed ports to rescue ships run by charity groups.

Francis, who has made defence of migrants and refugees a key part of his preaching, said he was concerned about their "frequently grim fate" and receiving countries must acknowledge that migrants are forced to leave their homes because of poverty and political upheaval.

From the airport to the city centre, Francis, 82, was driven in a white popemobile on a drizzly day as the 55-year-old king rode beside him standing in a separate vehicle, a vintage black 1969 open-top Mercedes 600 Pullman. At one point, a man rushed towards the king's car but was stopped by guards as the motorcade continued along the street lined with bystanders.

After the arrival ceremony Francis and the king were visiting an institute the monarch founded in 2015 for the training of imams and male and female preachers of Islam.

Morocco, which is nearly 100 per cent Muslim, has marketed itself as an oasis of religious tolerance in a region torn by militancy. It has offered training to Muslim preachers from Africa and Europe on what it describes as moderate Islam.

Francis, making the first papal visit to Morocco in 34 years, praised the monarch for providing "sound training to combat all forms of extremism, which so often lead to violence and terrorism, and which, in any event, constitute an offence against religion and against God himself".

The king said learning was the only way to combat religious extremism. "To tackle radicalism, the solution is neither military no financial; that solution has but one name: education," the king said. "What all terrorists have in common is not religion, but rather ignorance of religion."

Pope Francis said on Saturday that problems of migration would never be resolved by physical barriers but instead required social justice and correcting the world's economic imbalances.

Pope Francis said on Saturday that problems of migration would never be resolved by physical barriers but instead required social justice and correcting the world's economic imbalances. Francis, starting a two-day visit to Morocco, also backed Moroccan King Mohammed VI's efforts to spread a moderate form of Islam that promotes inter-religious dialogue and rejects any form of terrorism or violence in God's name. In recent months, migration has again risen to the fore of national political debates in a number of North African and European countries and the United States. US President Donald Trump, has vowed to fulfil his campaign pledge to build a wall along the border with Mexico and on Friday threatened to close the border next week if Mexico did not stop immigrants reaching the United States. "The issue of migration will never be resolved by raising barriers, fomenting fear of others or denying assistance to those who legitimately aspire to a better life for themselves and their families," Francis said at the welcoming ceremony. "We know too that the consolidation of true peace comes through the pursuit of social justice, which is indispensable for correcting the economic imbalances and political unrest that have always had a major role in generating conflicts and threatening the whole of humanity," he said. Morocco has become a key departure point for African migrants trying to reach Europe after crackdowns that closed or limited routes elsewhere. Italy's anti-immigrant interior minister has closed ports to rescue ships run by charity groups. Francis, who has made defence of migrants and refugees a key part of his preaching, said he was concerned about their "frequently grim fate" and receiving countries must acknowledge that migrants are forced to leave their homes because of poverty and political upheaval. From the airport to the city centre, Francis, 82, was driven in a white popemobile on a drizzly day as the 55-year-old king rode beside him standing in a separate vehicle, a vintage black 1969 open-top Mercedes 600 Pullman. At one point, a man rushed towards the king's car but was stopped by guards as the motorcade continued along the street lined with bystanders. After the arrival ceremony Francis and the king were visiting an institute the monarch founded in 2015 for the training of imams and male and female preachers of Islam. Morocco, which is nearly 100 per cent Muslim, has marketed itself as an oasis of religious tolerance in a region torn by militancy. It has offered training to Muslim preachers from Africa and Europe on what it describes as moderate Islam. Francis, making the first papal visit to Morocco in 34 years, praised the monarch for providing "sound training to combat all forms of extremism, which so often lead to violence and terrorism, and which, in any event, constitute an offence against religion and against God himself". The king said learning was the only way to combat religious extremism. "To tackle radicalism, the solution is neither military no financial; that solution has but one name: education," the king said. "What all terrorists have in common is not religion, but rather ignorance of religion."

Pope in Morocco says physical barriers won't solve migration issue

Pope Francis on Friday enacted sweeping new legislation to protect children from sexual abuse within the Vatican and other Holy See institutions in Rome as well as by its diplomatic corps worldwide.

Previously, the abuse of minors and vulnerable people came under various legal provisions, some of them instituted on an ad hoc basis.

The new provisions mark the first time a unified and rigorous policy for the protection of children, which the Vatican has been demanding from local churches, has been compiled for the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

The changes were issued under the form of an Apostolic Letter, a 12-article law, and a set of detailed guidelines affecting personnel in the Vatican and its related institutions such as pontifical institutes and embassies.

While there are few minors who live inside the Vatican, such as children of security officials, there is a "pre-seminary" on Vatican grounds that houses altar servers, and many children visit Vatican institutions such as the museums every day.

The "pre-seminary," from where some of the teenage boys who study there have gone on to become priests, was hit by a sexual abuse scandal in 2017. It involved one boy alleging that he had been abused by another minor. He said it was made possible by inadequate supervision on the part of adult priests.&nbsp; 
The pre-seminary was mentioned specifically in one of the articles of the new legislation.

The over-arching law, which the Vatican first promised to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2013, goes into effect on June 1.

It calls for a Vatican official or employee convicted of abusing a child to be dismissed, sets up procedures for reporting suspected abuse, and imposes more screening of prospective employees to prevent hiring potential abusers.&nbsp;

Pope Francis on Friday enacted sweeping new legislation to protect children from sexual abuse within the Vatican and other Holy See institutions in Rome as well as by its diplomatic corps worldwide.

Pope Francis on Friday enacted sweeping new legislation to protect children from sexual abuse within the Vatican and other Holy See institutions in Rome as well as by its diplomatic corps worldwide. Previously, the abuse of minors and vulnerable people came under various legal provisions, some of them instituted on an ad hoc basis. The new provisions mark the first time a unified and rigorous policy for the protection of children, which the Vatican has been demanding from local churches, has been compiled for the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. The changes were issued under the form of an Apostolic Letter, a 12-article law, and a set of detailed guidelines affecting personnel in the Vatican and its related institutions such as pontifical institutes and embassies. While there are few minors who live inside the Vatican, such as children of security officials, there is a "pre-seminary" on Vatican grounds that houses altar servers, and many children visit Vatican institutions such as the museums every day. The "pre-seminary," from where some of the teenage boys who study there have gone on to become priests, was hit by a sexual abuse scandal in 2017. It involved one boy alleging that he had been abused by another minor. He said it was made possible by inadequate supervision on the part of adult priests. The pre-seminary was mentioned specifically in one of the articles of the new legislation. The over-arching law, which the Vatican first promised to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2013, goes into effect on June 1. It calls for a Vatican official or employee convicted of abusing a child to be dismissed, sets up procedures for reporting suspected abuse, and imposes more screening of prospective employees to prevent hiring potential abusers.

Pope enacts new legislation to prevent child abuse in Vatican

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - March 25, 2019

Pope Francis promised that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-guidelines-for-concrete-change-over-sex-abuse-198812">concrete action against child sexual abuse by priests</a> would result from a conference he opened on Thursday, with one cardinal acknowledging that the Church had to fight "the enemy within".

Francis convened Catholic leaders from around the world for the four-day meeting to address the scandal that has ravaged the Church's credibility in the United States - where it has paid billions of dollars in settlements - Ireland, Chile, Australia, and elsewhere over the last three decades.

His opening remarks appeared aimed at countering scepticism among victims who said the meeting looked like a public relations exercise.

"Faced with the scourge of sexual abuse committed by men of the Church against minors, I wanted to reach out to you," Francis told the assembled bishops and heads of religious orders. He asked them to "listen to the cry of the little ones who are seeking justice".

Francis, opening the conference of nearly 200 participants in a Vatican auditorium, added that victims deserve "concrete and efficient measures" and not mere condemnations.

Victims were mixed in their response, with some expressing cautious optimism and others saying it was too little, too late.

Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez of Bogota said the damage was home-grown, in large part because bishops had closeted themselves in a clerical mentality and some thought they could act with impunity.

"The first enemies are within us, among us bishops and priests and consecrated persons who have not lived up to our vocation. We have to recognise that the enemy is within," he said.

The pope and the participants watched a video of five victims, most of whom wished to remain anonymous, telling painful stories of abuse and cover-up.

"From the age of 15 I had sexual relations with a priest. This lasted for 13 years. I got pregnant three times and he made me have an abortion three times, quite simply because he did not want to use condoms or contraceptives," a woman said.

"MURDERERS OF THE FAITH"

Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean, said on the video that when he reported abuse to religious authorities he was treated as a liar and an enemy of the Church.

"You are the physicians of the soul and yet, with rare exceptions, you have been transformed - in some cases - into murderers of the soul, into murderers of the faith. What a terrible contradiction," he said.

Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines broke into tears as he read a keynote speech that acknowledged: "Wounds have been inflicted by us, the bishops, on the victims".

A list of 21 "reflection points" written by the pope was handed out. The first was that each diocese should have a "practical handbook" on steps to be taken when cases emerge.

They included actions such as informing civil authorities of substantial accusations in compliance with local law and making sure non-clerics are involved in Church investigations of abuse.

"Putting together a handbook after all this time is laughable," said Peter Isely, who was abused by a priest as a boy and now heads the advocacy group Ending Clergy Abuse.

Most of the 21 points are already practised in countries like the United States.

In Ireland, the sexual abuse scandal shattered the power of the Church which four decades ago dominated society. In the past four years, voters approved abortion and gay marriage, defying the Vatican.

In Chile, all of the country's bishops offered their resignations to the pope last year over a widespread cover-up. Francis accepted seven of the resignations and dismissed two others from the priesthood.

A report by a grand jury in Pennsylvania last year revealed that priests had sexually abused about 1,000 people over seven decades in that US state alone.

Before the conference started, some victims' groups said the event was an attempt to cleanse the image of the 1.3 billion-member Church.

But Anne Barrett-Doyle of bishopaccountablity.org, which tracks abuse cases around the world, said she was pleasantly surprised by the pope's opening remarks.

"They said this was going to just be a teaching session, but he is now talking about concrete measures. That's good, but let's see how it ends up," she told Reuters.

Pope Francis promised that concrete action against child sexual abuse by priests would result from a conference he opened on Thursday, with one cardinal acknowledging that the Church had to fight "the enemy within".

Pope Francis promised that concrete action against child sexual abuse by priests would result from a conference he opened on Thursday, with one cardinal acknowledging that the Church had to fight "the enemy within". Francis convened Catholic leaders from around the world for the four-day meeting to address the scandal that has ravaged the Church's credibility in the United States - where it has paid billions of dollars in settlements - Ireland, Chile, Australia, and elsewhere over the last three decades. His opening remarks appeared aimed at countering scepticism among victims who said the meeting looked like a public relations exercise. "Faced with the scourge of sexual abuse committed by men of the Church against minors, I wanted to reach out to you," Francis told the assembled bishops and heads of religious orders. He asked them to "listen to the cry of the little ones who are seeking justice". Francis, opening the conference of nearly 200 participants in a Vatican auditorium, added that victims deserve "concrete and efficient measures" and not mere condemnations. Victims were mixed in their response, with some expressing cautious optimism and others saying it was too little, too late. Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez of Bogota said the damage was home-grown, in large part because bishops had closeted themselves in a clerical mentality and some thought they could act with impunity. "The first enemies are within us, among us bishops and priests and consecrated persons who have not lived up to our vocation. We have to recognise that the enemy is within," he said. The pope and the participants watched a video of five victims, most of whom wished to remain anonymous, telling painful stories of abuse and cover-up. "From the age of 15 I had sexual relations with a priest. This lasted for 13 years. I got pregnant three times and he made me have an abortion three times, quite simply because he did not want to use condoms or contraceptives," a woman said. "MURDERERS OF THE FAITH" Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean, said on the video that when he reported abuse to religious authorities he was treated as a liar and an enemy of the Church. "You are the physicians of the soul and yet, with rare exceptions, you have been transformed - in some cases - into murderers of the soul, into murderers of the faith. What a terrible contradiction," he said. Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines broke into tears as he read a keynote speech that acknowledged: "Wounds have been inflicted by us, the bishops, on the victims". A list of 21 "reflection points" written by the pope was handed out. The first was that each diocese should have a "practical handbook" on steps to be taken when cases emerge. They included actions such as informing civil authorities of substantial accusations in compliance with local law and making sure non-clerics are involved in Church investigations of abuse. "Putting together a handbook after all this time is laughable," said Peter Isely, who was abused by a priest as a boy and now heads the advocacy group Ending Clergy Abuse. Most of the 21 points are already practised in countries like the United States. In Ireland, the sexual abuse scandal shattered the power of the Church which four decades ago dominated society. In the past four years, voters approved abortion and gay marriage, defying the Vatican. In Chile, all of the country's bishops offered their resignations to the pope last year over a widespread cover-up. Francis accepted seven of the resignations and dismissed two others from the priesthood. A report by a grand jury in Pennsylvania last year revealed that priests had sexually abused about 1,000 people over seven decades in that US state alone. Before the conference started, some victims' groups said the event was an attempt to cleanse the image of the 1.3 billion-member Church. But Anne Barrett-Doyle of bishopaccountablity.org, which tracks abuse cases around the world, said she was pleasantly surprised by the pope's opening remarks. "They said this was going to just be a teaching session, but he is now talking about concrete measures. That's good, but let's see how it ends up," she told Reuters.

Victims testify at child sex abuse conference, Pope promises to fight ‘enemy within’

The United Arab Emirates is projecting itself as a leader of inter-communal and inter-faith harmony with the first-ever visit by a Catholic pope to the Gulf and an inter-faith conference that is as much about dialogue as it is about absolute political control.

There is no doubt that the UAE is a leader in the Muslim world in promoting concepts of religious tolerance and prevention of religiously packages militancy.

The UAE has bolstered perceptions of its leadership by declaring&nbsp;February, the month of Pope Francis’s visit and the conference, a month of tolerance. The UAE is one of a few, if not the only country, that has a government ministry of tolerance.

The UAE, unlike its ally and more powerful neighbour, Saudi Arabia, increasingly allows adherents of other faiths like Jews, Christians and Hindus, to openly worship and practice their beliefs.

“Today, the UAE is home to 200 different nationalities, more than 40 churches and approximately 700 Christian ministries. Sikh and Buddhist temples welcome multinational congregations. Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke ground for a new Hindu temple. Evangelical Christian ministries abound in the country. The Jewish community is vibrant and growing,” Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the United States, noted in an op-ed in Politico.

In hosting the pope as the star of an inter-faith dialogue organised by the UAE-sponsored Council of Elders, entitled International Interfaith Meeting on Human Fraternity in the United Arab Emirates, the UAE hopes to cement its position as the icon of Muslim tolerance.

The council is a brainchild of Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Muslim learning.

It groups Muslim scholars that in its words purportedly are “known for their wisdom, sense of justice, independence and moderateness…(to).,to promote peace, to discourage infighting and to address the sources of conflict, divisiveness and fragmentation in Muslim communities”

The council is part of a broader UAE and Saudi effort that includes groups like the Global Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies and the Sawab and Hedayah Centres that aim to counter the influence of controversial, Qatar-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood, and more political and militant Islamist forces.

The effort targets any political expression of Islam and promotes an interpretation of the faith that dictates absolute obedience to the ruler. It competes with Turkish efforts to globally promote a more activist form of Islam supportive of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarianism and Morocco’s projection of itself as a paradigm of Islamic moderation.

Timed to coincide with the council’s meeting, Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, a former Saudi justice minister and secretary general of Saudi Arabia’s Muslim World League, once a major vehicle for the propagation of the kingdom’s intolerant ultra-conservative strand of Islam, highlighted his inter-faith outreach in an op-ed in Newsweek magazine.

“I have travelled to the Vatican to elevate interfaith understanding with His Holiness, Pope Francis. I visited the Grand Synagogue of Paris and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I welcomed the highest-level delegation of US evangelical Christian leaders ever to visit Saudi Arabia… Among my proudest achievements (as justice minister) was licensing Saudi Arabia’s first women lawyers. I also reformed the Saudi judiciary system,” Al-Issa wrote.

While segments of the justice system were indeed reformed, it remains a system that equates atheism with terrorism, enables authorities to imprison people for the slightest expression of criticism and allows for an anti-corruption campaign that lacks transparency and accountability and has the appearance of a power and asset grab.

In line with ultra-conservative precepts, Al-Issa’s past track record includes denunciation of witchcraft defined as including, among other things astrology, the use of plants for medicine, palm-reading, and animal calling.

In a bid to deprive the council as well as the league of a monopoly on Muslim empathy with non-Muslim groups, Iranian-born Australian Shiite Muslim imam Mohamad Tawhid tweeted on Sunday about his visit to Auschwitz, one of Nazi Germany’s foremost extermination camps for Jews.

“I am proud to be the first ‘Shia’ Muslim Imam to pay his respects at Auschwitz,” Tawhid said in a tweet hashtagged #NeverAgain and featuring a picture of himself sporting a black T-shirt with the slogan #WeRemember.

While there can be no doubt that the UAE’s example of tolerance of non-Muslim belief systems constitutes an important contribution to more harmonious inter-faith relations, there is also little question that it is part of an effort to fortify autocratic rule in the greater Middle East and cement an environment that is intolerant towards any form of criticism or dissent.

In doing so, the UAE’s advocacy of religious tolerance and political intolerance is part of a global struggle about values that underlies tectonic shifts shaping a new world order. That struggle involves a redefinition of concepts of tolerance designed to ensure autocratic regime survival and enhance ways of avoiding and/or resolving conflict without bolstering transparency, accountability and a free flow of ideas.

The dark side of the UAE’s concept of tolerance manifests itself in the country’s conduct together with Saudi Arabia of its four-year-old war in Yemen, the 20-month-old rift in the Gulf with Qatar, and its harsh repression of dissent and freedom of expression

In a letter to the pope, Human Rights Watch called on Pope Francis to use his visit to press the government to address “the serious human rights violations by its forces in Yemen and to end its repression of critics at home.”

The human rights group asserted that the Saudi-UAE military coalition in Yemen had “indiscriminately bombed homes, markets, and schools, impeded the delivery of humanitarian aid, and used widely banned cluster munitions. Domestically, UAE authorities have carried out a sustained assault on freedom of expression and association since 2011. And the many thousands of low-paid migrant workers in the country remain acutely vulnerable to forced labour.”

Sarah Leah Whitson, the group’s Middle East and North Africa director, argued that the Pope was in a position to capitalise on the fact that the UAE is sensitive about its international image that is to a significant extent dependent on projecting itself as a cutting-edge proponent of tolerance in the Muslim world.

In a more hard-hitting comment, Islam scholar Usaama al-Azmi warned that “whether engaged in brutal wars like the one in Yemen with hundreds of thousands displaced and tens of thousands killed or crushing dissent and political liberties at home, the UAE government is no better than its neighbour next door. Yet its savvy PR means that such matters frequently fall below the radar of international observers.”

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

The United Arab Emirates is projecting itself as a leader of inter-communal and inter-faith harmony with the first-ever visit by a Catholic pope to the Gulf and an inter-faith conference that is as much about dialogue as it is about absolute political control.

The United Arab Emirates is projecting itself as a leader of inter-communal and inter-faith harmony with the first-ever visit by a Catholic pope to the Gulf and an inter-faith conference that is as much about dialogue as it is about absolute political control. There is no doubt that the UAE is a leader in the Muslim world in promoting concepts of religious tolerance and prevention of religiously packages militancy. The UAE has bolstered perceptions of its leadership by declaring February, the month of Pope Francis’s visit and the conference, a month of tolerance. The UAE is one of a few, if not the only country, that has a government ministry of tolerance. The UAE, unlike its ally and more powerful neighbour, Saudi Arabia, increasingly allows adherents of other faiths like Jews, Christians and Hindus, to openly worship and practice their beliefs. “Today, the UAE is home to 200 different nationalities, more than 40 churches and approximately 700 Christian ministries. Sikh and Buddhist temples welcome multinational congregations. Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke ground for a new Hindu temple. Evangelical Christian ministries abound in the country. The Jewish community is vibrant and growing,” Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the United States, noted in an op-ed in Politico. In hosting the pope as the star of an inter-faith dialogue organised by the UAE-sponsored Council of Elders, entitled International Interfaith Meeting on Human Fraternity in the United Arab Emirates, the UAE hopes to cement its position as the icon of Muslim tolerance. The council is a brainchild of Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the revered 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Muslim learning. It groups Muslim scholars that in its words purportedly are “known for their wisdom, sense of justice, independence and moderateness…(to).,to promote peace, to discourage infighting and to address the sources of conflict, divisiveness and fragmentation in Muslim communities” The council is part of a broader UAE and Saudi effort that includes groups like the Global Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies and the Sawab and Hedayah Centres that aim to counter the influence of controversial, Qatar-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood, and more political and militant Islamist forces. The effort targets any political expression of Islam and promotes an interpretation of the faith that dictates absolute obedience to the ruler. It competes with Turkish efforts to globally promote a more activist form of Islam supportive of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarianism and Morocco’s projection of itself as a paradigm of Islamic moderation. Timed to coincide with the council’s meeting, Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, a former Saudi justice minister and secretary general of Saudi Arabia’s Muslim World League, once a major vehicle for the propagation of the kingdom’s intolerant ultra-conservative strand of Islam, highlighted his inter-faith outreach in an op-ed in Newsweek magazine. “I have travelled to the Vatican to elevate interfaith understanding with His Holiness, Pope Francis. I visited the Grand Synagogue of Paris and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I welcomed the highest-level delegation of US evangelical Christian leaders ever to visit Saudi Arabia… Among my proudest achievements (as justice minister) was licensing Saudi Arabia’s first women lawyers. I also reformed the Saudi judiciary system,” Al-Issa wrote. While segments of the justice system were indeed reformed, it remains a system that equates atheism with terrorism, enables authorities to imprison people for the slightest expression of criticism and allows for an anti-corruption campaign that lacks transparency and accountability and has the appearance of a power and asset grab. In line with ultra-conservative precepts, Al-Issa’s past track record includes denunciation of witchcraft defined as including, among other things astrology, the use of plants for medicine, palm-reading, and animal calling. In a bid to deprive the council as well as the league of a monopoly on Muslim empathy with non-Muslim groups, Iranian-born Australian Shiite Muslim imam Mohamad Tawhid tweeted on Sunday about his visit to Auschwitz, one of Nazi Germany’s foremost extermination camps for Jews. “I am proud to be the first ‘Shia’ Muslim Imam to pay his respects at Auschwitz,” Tawhid said in a tweet hashtagged #NeverAgain and featuring a picture of himself sporting a black T-shirt with the slogan #WeRemember. While there can be no doubt that the UAE’s example of tolerance of non-Muslim belief systems constitutes an important contribution to more harmonious inter-faith relations, there is also little question that it is part of an effort to fortify autocratic rule in the greater Middle East and cement an environment that is intolerant towards any form of criticism or dissent. In doing so, the UAE’s advocacy of religious tolerance and political intolerance is part of a global struggle about values that underlies tectonic shifts shaping a new world order. That struggle involves a redefinition of concepts of tolerance designed to ensure autocratic regime survival and enhance ways of avoiding and/or resolving conflict without bolstering transparency, accountability and a free flow of ideas. The dark side of the UAE’s concept of tolerance manifests itself in the country’s conduct together with Saudi Arabia of its four-year-old war in Yemen, the 20-month-old rift in the Gulf with Qatar, and its harsh repression of dissent and freedom of expression In a letter to the pope, Human Rights Watch called on Pope Francis to use his visit to press the government to address “the serious human rights violations by its forces in Yemen and to end its repression of critics at home.” The human rights group asserted that the Saudi-UAE military coalition in Yemen had “indiscriminately bombed homes, markets, and schools, impeded the delivery of humanitarian aid, and used widely banned cluster munitions. Domestically, UAE authorities have carried out a sustained assault on freedom of expression and association since 2011. And the many thousands of low-paid migrant workers in the country remain acutely vulnerable to forced labour.” Sarah Leah Whitson, the group’s Middle East and North Africa director, argued that the Pope was in a position to capitalise on the fact that the UAE is sensitive about its international image that is to a significant extent dependent on projecting itself as a cutting-edge proponent of tolerance in the Muslim world. In a more hard-hitting comment, Islam scholar Usaama al-Azmi warned that “whether engaged in brutal wars like the one in Yemen with hundreds of thousands displaced and tens of thousands killed or crushing dissent and political liberties at home, the UAE government is no better than its neighbour next door. Yet its savvy PR means that such matters frequently fall below the radar of international observers.” (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Pope visit boosts UAE efforts to redefine concepts of tolerance

Pope Francis acknowledged Saturday that the Catholic Church was "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-urges-predator-priests-who-sexually-abused-minors-to-turn-themselves-in-185719">wounded by sin</a>" in a message addressed to priests and seminarians reeling from sexual abuse scandals and coverups.

In a mass that he officiated at the centuries-old Cathedral of Santa Maria La Antigua in Panama City, Francis warned of the "weariness of hope that comes from seeing a Church wounded by sin, which has so often failed to hear all those cries."

It was the Argentine pontiff's first reference to the sex abuse scandals rocking the Church since he arrived in Panama on Wednesday for a global gathering of young Catholics.

It came up again during a lunch Francis hosted with the Archbishop of Panama, Cardinal Jose Domingo Ulloa, for 10 young people of different nationalities attending World Youth Day, held every three years.

There, sitting over lunch at a white linen covered table, the pope referred to clerical sex abuse as "a horrible crime."

He was responding to a question from a young Mexican immigrant to the US, Brenda Berenice Noriega, about the crisis.

'Horrible crime'

"He called it a horrible crime," Noriega told a press conference after the lunch, a tradition at the global gatherings.

"The Holy Father reminded us that it is important to accompany the victims," she said, a youth minister in San Bernadino, California.

"For me as representative of the US and a minister of young people, it means a lot. It's to keep in mind that all the victims of the sexual crisis are heard, and that the Church is committed to supporting them," she said.&nbsp;

Francis has called senior bishops from around the world to Rome next month to deal with widespread clergy sex abuse of children and young people.

The Vatican has billed the February 21-24 meeting as a unique chance to provide bishops with "concrete measures" to tackle the "terrible plague" of sex abuse by the clergy.

Addressing white-robed young seminarians and priests during the mass, the pope said "a subtle weariness" had entered Church communities that "calls into question the energy resources and viability of our mission in this changing and challenging world."

Those changes, he said, "call into doubt the very viability of religious life in today's world."

But the notion that religious communities had nothing to contribute -- that the world "has no room for our message" -- would be "one of the worst heresies possible in our time."

Vast, festive crowd

A vast, festive crowd of young people, many waving the flags of their countries, gathered throughout Saturday afternoon at a park outside Panama to await the pope for a giant prayer vigil at nightfall.

The organizers said they expected around 200,000 people at the event.&nbsp;

Francis, 82, drew the largest crowd of his five-day visit on Friday evening at a solemn ceremony commemorating Christ's crucifixion in another Panama park.

In a swipe at US President Donald Trump's plans to build a border wall against Central American migrants, the pope told hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims that it was "senseless" to condemn every immigrant "as a threat to society."

He has used his encounter with young people in Central America this week to speak out strongly in defence of migrants, and address other problems affecting the region such as poverty, drug trafficking, violence and what he said was a regional "plague" of murders of women.

At the mass in the basilica -- home of the first diocese on the American mainland -- the pope's homily to seminarians about the challenges of the priesthood raised the problem of dwindling vocations around the world.

Around the globe, there were 414,969 Catholic priests at the end of 2016, more than 800 less than in 2014, according to the Vatican. There were nearly 700 fewer people joining the priesthood over the same period.

Francis himself acknowledged at a general audience in August that the scandals of abuse and cover-up by Church leaders have caused a decline in vocations to the priesthood in Ireland.

Pope Francis acknowledged Saturday that the Catholic Church was "wounded by sin" in a message addressed to priests and seminarians reeling from sexual abuse scandals and coverups.

Pope Francis acknowledged Saturday that the Catholic Church was "wounded by sin" in a message addressed to priests and seminarians reeling from sexual abuse scandals and coverups. In a mass that he officiated at the centuries-old Cathedral of Santa Maria La Antigua in Panama City, Francis warned of the "weariness of hope that comes from seeing a Church wounded by sin, which has so often failed to hear all those cries." It was the Argentine pontiff's first reference to the sex abuse scandals rocking the Church since he arrived in Panama on Wednesday for a global gathering of young Catholics. It came up again during a lunch Francis hosted with the Archbishop of Panama, Cardinal Jose Domingo Ulloa, for 10 young people of different nationalities attending World Youth Day, held every three years. There, sitting over lunch at a white linen covered table, the pope referred to clerical sex abuse as "a horrible crime." He was responding to a question from a young Mexican immigrant to the US, Brenda Berenice Noriega, about the crisis. 'Horrible crime' "He called it a horrible crime," Noriega told a press conference after the lunch, a tradition at the global gatherings. "The Holy Father reminded us that it is important to accompany the victims," she said, a youth minister in San Bernadino, California. "For me as representative of the US and a minister of young people, it means a lot. It's to keep in mind that all the victims of the sexual crisis are heard, and that the Church is committed to supporting them," she said. Francis has called senior bishops from around the world to Rome next month to deal with widespread clergy sex abuse of children and young people. The Vatican has billed the February 21-24 meeting as a unique chance to provide bishops with "concrete measures" to tackle the "terrible plague" of sex abuse by the clergy. Addressing white-robed young seminarians and priests during the mass, the pope said "a subtle weariness" had entered Church communities that "calls into question the energy resources and viability of our mission in this changing and challenging world." Those changes, he said, "call into doubt the very viability of religious life in today's world." But the notion that religious communities had nothing to contribute -- that the world "has no room for our message" -- would be "one of the worst heresies possible in our time." Vast, festive crowd A vast, festive crowd of young people, many waving the flags of their countries, gathered throughout Saturday afternoon at a park outside Panama to await the pope for a giant prayer vigil at nightfall. The organizers said they expected around 200,000 people at the event. Francis, 82, drew the largest crowd of his five-day visit on Friday evening at a solemn ceremony commemorating Christ's crucifixion in another Panama park. In a swipe at US President Donald Trump's plans to build a border wall against Central American migrants, the pope told hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims that it was "senseless" to condemn every immigrant "as a threat to society." He has used his encounter with young people in Central America this week to speak out strongly in defence of migrants, and address other problems affecting the region such as poverty, drug trafficking, violence and what he said was a regional "plague" of murders of women. At the mass in the basilica -- home of the first diocese on the American mainland -- the pope's homily to seminarians about the challenges of the priesthood raised the problem of dwindling vocations around the world. Around the globe, there were 414,969 Catholic priests at the end of 2016, more than 800 less than in 2014, according to the Vatican. There were nearly 700 fewer people joining the priesthood over the same period. Francis himself acknowledged at a general audience in August that the scandals of abuse and cover-up by Church leaders have caused a decline in vocations to the priesthood in Ireland.

On sex abuse scandals, Pope says Catholic Church 'wounded by sin'

President Donald Trump has attributed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/top-republicans-oppose-border-emergency-as-shutdown-drags-on-190088">the partial government shutdown</a>, which is now into its 24th day, to the opposition Democrats who have blocked his proposal of $5.7 billion in Congressional funding to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

He also said that he will "never ever back down" when it comes to keeping the American people safe.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pompeo-hopes-for-imminent-end-to-us-government-shutdown-190082">The partial government shutdown</a>, which is the longest ever, has left more than 800,000 federal government workers out of work across the key departments.

"The government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only, the Democrats will not fund border security, our safety, our national security," Trump said on Monday while addressing to a rally of farmers in Louisiana.&nbsp;

Referring to his visit to the Mexico border last week, Trump said illegal aliens not only from Mexico but also from other nations enter the country from the southern border.&nbsp;

"People come from many countries. When I was at the wall the other day, Border Patrol said they have 150 people they caught that day who weren't from Mexico. I said that's a strange statement," he said.

"They said no, these are the people that weren't from Mexico and I was surprised. Three were from Pakistan, four from another Mideast, two Mideast countries and many were from other countries including China, countries all over the world.&nbsp;

"150 of the people, as he said, were not from Mexico. Now they caught, many, many more but that's 150 people coming from countries that you wouldn't believe," Trump said.

He said the Democrats will not approve the measures he needs to keep America safe.&nbsp;

"We can't do that. We can't do that because this is of paramount importance to our country and again, I could take it nice and easy. I could enjoy myself. I could relax. I have been in the White House because I think it's very important to be there," he said.

He alleged that the Democrat leaders went on a nice wonderful vacation over the weekend.

"They had a great time but I would have loved to have been with them. I didn't like the look of it. I would have loved to have been with them but we have a very big problem. This should have been done by other presidents just like the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem should have been done. It was promised by many other presidents," the US President said.

Trump insisted that the US needed a wall all around, all the length of the border.&nbsp;

"We have got to stop the drug packers bringing drugs to poison our people," he said, arguing that walls, as being said by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are not immoral.

"I've travelled around the world and the biggest wall I have ever seen is around the Vatican. Now you can't tell me that the wonderful priests and officials of the Roman Catholic church including the Pope are immoral. They have a wall. Why can't we?" he said.

Asserting that the defense of the nation is his highest and most important duty, Trump said when it comes to keeping the American people safe, he will never ever back down.

"I didn't need this fight. This is a real fight. We are dealing against people who think if they can stop me from building the wall again, we've already done a lot of work but they think that's a good thing for 2020 because they're not going to win.&nbsp;

"They think if they can't stop me from building the wall that's good. This is the reason why they don't want the wall built because they all know it works, they all approved it numerous times," he said.

The partial government shutdown, which is the longest ever, has left more than 800,000 federal government workers out of work across the key departments.

President Donald Trump has attributed the partial government shutdown, which is now into its 24th day, to the opposition Democrats who have blocked his proposal of $5.7 billion in Congressional funding to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. He also said that he will "never ever back down" when it comes to keeping the American people safe. The partial government shutdown, which is the longest ever, has left more than 800,000 federal government workers out of work across the key departments. "The government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only, the Democrats will not fund border security, our safety, our national security," Trump said on Monday while addressing to a rally of farmers in Louisiana. Referring to his visit to the Mexico border last week, Trump said illegal aliens not only from Mexico but also from other nations enter the country from the southern border. "People come from many countries. When I was at the wall the other day, Border Patrol said they have 150 people they caught that day who weren't from Mexico. I said that's a strange statement," he said. "They said no, these are the people that weren't from Mexico and I was surprised. Three were from Pakistan, four from another Mideast, two Mideast countries and many were from other countries including China, countries all over the world. "150 of the people, as he said, were not from Mexico. Now they caught, many, many more but that's 150 people coming from countries that you wouldn't believe," Trump said. He said the Democrats will not approve the measures he needs to keep America safe. "We can't do that. We can't do that because this is of paramount importance to our country and again, I could take it nice and easy. I could enjoy myself. I could relax. I have been in the White House because I think it's very important to be there," he said. He alleged that the Democrat leaders went on a nice wonderful vacation over the weekend. "They had a great time but I would have loved to have been with them. I didn't like the look of it. I would have loved to have been with them but we have a very big problem. This should have been done by other presidents just like the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem should have been done. It was promised by many other presidents," the US President said. Trump insisted that the US needed a wall all around, all the length of the border. "We have got to stop the drug packers bringing drugs to poison our people," he said, arguing that walls, as being said by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are not immoral. "I've travelled around the world and the biggest wall I have ever seen is around the Vatican. Now you can't tell me that the wonderful priests and officials of the Roman Catholic church including the Pope are immoral. They have a wall. Why can't we?" he said. Asserting that the defense of the nation is his highest and most important duty, Trump said when it comes to keeping the American people safe, he will never ever back down. "I didn't need this fight. This is a real fight. We are dealing against people who think if they can stop me from building the wall again, we've already done a lot of work but they think that's a good thing for 2020 because they're not going to win. "They think if they can't stop me from building the wall that's good. This is the reason why they don't want the wall built because they all know it works, they all approved it numerous times," he said.

Government shutdown because of opposition Democrats: US President Trump

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-urges-predator-priests-who-sexually-abused-minors-to-turn-themselves-in-185719">Pope Francis</a> has said it is okay for couples to fight — heck it's normal — but he added that they should not do it in front of the children.&nbsp;

Francis said couples should not fight in front of their children because of the anguish it causes them.&nbsp;

"It's normal for spouses to fight ... It'd be strange if they didn't. Do it, but so that the children don't hear it or see it." AP quoted Francis as saying.&nbsp;

Francis made his comment on Sunday during a ceremony to baptise 27 newborns. The exercise is an annual one and fills the Vatican's Sistine Chapel with newborns, their parents and godparents.&nbsp;

Francis told the gathered parents that they had taken on the important new job of transmitting their faith to their children, a job that begins at home.&nbsp;

Pope Francis has said it is okay for couples to fight — heck it's normal — but he added that they should not do it in front of the children. Francis said couples should not fight in front of their children because of the anguish it causes them.

Pope Francis has said it is okay for couples to fight — heck it's normal — but he added that they should not do it in front of the children. Francis said couples should not fight in front of their children because of the anguish it causes them. "It's normal for spouses to fight ... It'd be strange if they didn't. Do it, but so that the children don't hear it or see it." AP quoted Francis as saying. Francis made his comment on Sunday during a ceremony to baptise 27 newborns. The exercise is an annual one and fills the Vatican's Sistine Chapel with newborns, their parents and godparents. Francis told the gathered parents that they had taken on the important new job of transmitting their faith to their children, a job that begins at home.

Don't fight in front of the kids: Pope Francis

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-urges-predator-priests-who-sexually-abused-minors-to-turn-themselves-in-185719">Pope Francis vowed justice for victims </a>of clerical sex abuse Monday, describing paedophilia as one of the "vilest" crimes ahead of a historic global meet on the crisis roiling the church.

"I cannot refrain from speaking of one of the plagues of our time, which sadly has also involved some members of the clergy," he said in his annual address to ambassadors to the Holy See.

"The abuse of minors is one of the vilest and most heinous crimes conceivable. Such abuse inexorably sweeps away the best of what human life holds out for innocent children, and causes irreparable and lifelong damage," he said.

Francis swore to "render justice to minors", and said a meeting of the world's bishops in February was "meant to be a further step in the church’s efforts to shed full light on the facts and to alleviate the wounds caused by such crimes".

A litany of child sexual abuse scandals has rocked the Catholic church, which has 1.3 billion followers around the world.

In December the pontiff had vowed the church would never again treat abuse allegations without "seriousness and promptness", calling on abusers to hand themselves in to police.

The Argentine has struggled to resolve the problem as the steady drip of scandal corrodes the church's authority amid sharp divisions in Rome over how to handle the fallout and an apparently endless stream of bad news.

In the latest case to shake the Catholic church, the highest-profile Catholic cleric to be caught up in a paedophile scandal in France went on trial on Monday charged with failing to report a priest who abused boy scouts in the 1980s and 90s.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, in central eastern France, is accused along with five others from his diocese of helping cover up abuse in one of the parishes in the area.

On Friday the Vatican confirmed that an Argentinian bishop who has held a senior position at the Holy See since 2017, is under preliminary investigation over sex abuse claims.

'I cannot refrain from speaking of one of the plagues of our time, which sadly has also involved some members of the clergy,' Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis vowed justice for victims of clerical sex abuse Monday, describing paedophilia as one of the "vilest" crimes ahead of a historic global meet on the crisis roiling the church. "I cannot refrain from speaking of one of the plagues of our time, which sadly has also involved some members of the clergy," he said in his annual address to ambassadors to the Holy See. "The abuse of minors is one of the vilest and most heinous crimes conceivable. Such abuse inexorably sweeps away the best of what human life holds out for innocent children, and causes irreparable and lifelong damage," he said. Francis swore to "render justice to minors", and said a meeting of the world's bishops in February was "meant to be a further step in the church’s efforts to shed full light on the facts and to alleviate the wounds caused by such crimes". A litany of child sexual abuse scandals has rocked the Catholic church, which has 1.3 billion followers around the world. In December the pontiff had vowed the church would never again treat abuse allegations without "seriousness and promptness", calling on abusers to hand themselves in to police. The Argentine has struggled to resolve the problem as the steady drip of scandal corrodes the church's authority amid sharp divisions in Rome over how to handle the fallout and an apparently endless stream of bad news. In the latest case to shake the Catholic church, the highest-profile Catholic cleric to be caught up in a paedophile scandal in France went on trial on Monday charged with failing to report a priest who abused boy scouts in the 1980s and 90s. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, in central eastern France, is accused along with five others from his diocese of helping cover up abuse in one of the parishes in the area. On Friday the Vatican confirmed that an Argentinian bishop who has held a senior position at the Holy See since 2017, is under preliminary investigation over sex abuse claims.

Pope vows justice for victims of 'vile' sex abuse

Pope Francis urged European leaders on Sunday to stop bickering over the fate of 49 migrants stuck aboard two humanitarian rescue ships on the Mediterranean and let them land at a safe port of call.&nbsp;

With his comments in an address to 60,000 people in St. Peter`s Square for the feast of the Epiphany, Francis jumped into a diplomatic fracas between Italy and Malta and into an internal dispute among leaders of Italy`s populist government.&nbsp;

"I make a heartfelt appeal to European leaders to show concrete solidarity for these people," Francis said, raising his voice. They were only "seeking a safe port where they can disembark", he said.

Thirty-two people are aboard the Sea-Watch 3, a vessel run by a German humanitarian group, which plucked them from an unsafe boat off Libya on Dec. 22. They include three small children and four teenagers. Another ship run by the German group Sea-Eye is carrying 17 people rescued on Dec. 29.

Last week, nearly two dozen humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations` International Organization for Migration, called on the European Union to offer a safe port to both vessels.

Speaking at a political meeting shortly before the pope made his appeal, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat defended his country`s refusal to take the vessels, saying it had no legal responsibility for the rescue.

He accused Malta`s critics of playing "the Christmas saint" while themselves rejecting the ships.

"We need to find a balance between the human aspect and national security. This is an issue that might set a precedent and we should be vigilant about it," he said.

Italy`s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, leader of the 5-Star Movement, shot back at Muscat, saying Italy had for years taken migrants who arrived via the Mediterranean. "Now, Malta has to do its part. That is our position," he said.

Di Maio has said Italy will take in women and children if Malta allows the ships to dock. But Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who leads the anti-immigrant League party and has closed ports to rescue ships, opposes this.

Salvini has often criticised Francis, who has made defence of migrants a key feature of his pontificate.

Italy and Malta are predominantly Catholic nations but the Church`s influence in politics has waned significantly in recent years.

Pope Francis urged European leaders on Sunday to stop bickering over the fate of 49 migrants stuck aboard two humanitarian rescue ships on the Mediterranean and let them land at a safe port of call.

Pope Francis urged European leaders on Sunday to stop bickering over the fate of 49 migrants stuck aboard two humanitarian rescue ships on the Mediterranean and let them land at a safe port of call. With his comments in an address to 60,000 people in St. Peter`s Square for the feast of the Epiphany, Francis jumped into a diplomatic fracas between Italy and Malta and into an internal dispute among leaders of Italy`s populist government. "I make a heartfelt appeal to European leaders to show concrete solidarity for these people," Francis said, raising his voice. They were only "seeking a safe port where they can disembark", he said. Thirty-two people are aboard the Sea-Watch 3, a vessel run by a German humanitarian group, which plucked them from an unsafe boat off Libya on Dec. 22. They include three small children and four teenagers. Another ship run by the German group Sea-Eye is carrying 17 people rescued on Dec. 29. Last week, nearly two dozen humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations` International Organization for Migration, called on the European Union to offer a safe port to both vessels. Speaking at a political meeting shortly before the pope made his appeal, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat defended his country`s refusal to take the vessels, saying it had no legal responsibility for the rescue. He accused Malta`s critics of playing "the Christmas saint" while themselves rejecting the ships. "We need to find a balance between the human aspect and national security. This is an issue that might set a precedent and we should be vigilant about it," he said. Italy`s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, leader of the 5-Star Movement, shot back at Muscat, saying Italy had for years taken migrants who arrived via the Mediterranean. "Now, Malta has to do its part. That is our position," he said. Di Maio has said Italy will take in women and children if Malta allows the ships to dock. But Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who leads the anti-immigrant League party and has closed ports to rescue ships, opposes this. Salvini has often criticised Francis, who has made defence of migrants a key feature of his pontificate. Italy and Malta are predominantly Catholic nations but the Church`s influence in politics has waned significantly in recent years.

Pope enters migrant ships dispute with appeal for safe ports

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gunmen-kill-at-least-28-in-raid-on-afghan-government-building-186252">Gunmen kill at least 28 in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gunmen-kill-at-least-28-in-raid-on-afghan-government-building-186252">raid</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gunmen-kill-at-least-28-in-raid-on-afghan-government-building-186252"> on </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gunmen-kill-at-least-28-in-raid-on-afghan-government-building-186252">Afghan</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gunmen-kill-at-least-28-in-raid-on-afghan-government-building-186252"> government building</a>

Gunmen who raided a government building in the Afghan capital killed at least 28 people - mostly government employees - and wounded more than 20 others in a seven-hour standoff with police that ended on Monday night, Afghan authorities said.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/as-markets-slump-trump-calls-fed-only-problem-in-us-economy-186249">Trump attacks US central bank, says it is 'only problem' in economy</a>

President Donald Trump blasted the Federal Reserve on Monday, describing it as the "only problem" for the US economy, as top officials convened to discuss the growing rout in stock markets caused in part by the president's attacks on the central bank.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/democrats-say-trump-plunging-country-into-chaos-with-multiple-crises-186247">'Trump is plunging the country into chaos'</a>

US Democratic leaders charged Monday that President Donald Trump was "plunging the country into chaos" with multiple crises and said he was offering no way to end a government shutdown.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-to-inaugurate-indias-longest-rail-road-bridge-today-186250">Modi to inaugurate India's longest </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-to-inaugurate-indias-longest-rail-road-bridge-today-186250">rail-road</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-to-inaugurate-indias-longest-rail-road-bridge-today-186250"> bridge today in Assam</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Bogibeel bridge in Dibrugarh, Assam today. Bogibeel will be the country longest rail-road bridge.&nbsp;

The first passenger train passing through Bogibeel will be flagged off by Modi.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/on-christmas-pope-assails-insatiable-greed-of-todays-consumerism-186257">On Christmas, Pope assails 'insatiable greed' of today's consumerism</a>

Pope Francis assailed the "insatiable greed" of today's consumerism at the Vatican and pilgrims crowded into the church at the traditional site of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem on Tuesday as Christmas celebrations began worldwide.

Gunmen kill at least 28 in raid on Afghan government building Gunmen who raided a government building in the Afghan capital killed at least 28 people - mostly government employees - and wounded more than 20 others in a seven-hour standoff with police that ended on Monday night, Afghan authorities said.

Gunmen kill at least 28 in raid on Afghan government building Gunmen who raided a government building in the Afghan capital killed at least 28 people - mostly government employees - and wounded more than 20 others in a seven-hour standoff with police that ended on Monday night, Afghan authorities said. Trump attacks US central bank, says it is 'only problem' in economy President Donald Trump blasted the Federal Reserve on Monday, describing it as the "only problem" for the US economy, as top officials convened to discuss the growing rout in stock markets caused in part by the president's attacks on the central bank. 'Trump is plunging the country into chaos' US Democratic leaders charged Monday that President Donald Trump was "plunging the country into chaos" with multiple crises and said he was offering no way to end a government shutdown. Modi to inaugurate India's longest rail-road bridge today in Assam Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Bogibeel bridge in Dibrugarh, Assam today. Bogibeel will be the country longest rail-road bridge. The first passenger train passing through Bogibeel will be flagged off by Modi. On Christmas, Pope assails 'insatiable greed' of today's consumerism Pope Francis assailed the "insatiable greed" of today's consumerism at the Vatican and pilgrims crowded into the church at the traditional site of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem on Tuesday as Christmas celebrations began worldwide.

News brief: Big stories of the day

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/hungary-protest-pope-defends-migrants-says-dont-blame-migrants-for-everything-185143">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;said Wednesday that Christmas cannot just be about swapping presents and indulging in a massive consumer binge, urging the faithful to remember its original purpose to mark Christ's birth.

"The advertising machine tells us we have to exchange more and more new presents to give us a surprise. But is that the sort of celebration that God wants?" Francis asked a regular open audience in the Vatican.

"No, Christmas is about listening to the silent voice of God," he said.

"Please, I ask you, let us not turn Christmas into a fashionable event!"

"It is not Christmas if we seek out the bright lights, if we load up on presents but then don't help even one poor person," said the Pope who is well known for his criticism of social inequality and injustices.

Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christmas cannot just be about swapping presents and indulging in a massive consumer binge, urging the faithful to remember its original purpose to mark Christ's birth.

Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christmas cannot just be about swapping presents and indulging in a massive consumer binge, urging the faithful to remember its original purpose to mark Christ's birth. "The advertising machine tells us we have to exchange more and more new presents to give us a surprise. But is that the sort of celebration that God wants?" Francis asked a regular open audience in the Vatican. "No, Christmas is about listening to the silent voice of God," he said. "Please, I ask you, let us not turn Christmas into a fashionable event!" "It is not Christmas if we seek out the bright lights, if we load up on presents but then don't help even one poor person," said the Pope who is well known for his criticism of social inequality and injustices.

Merry Christmas but remember, the Pope says it's not about consumerism

Pope Francis railed against social inequality Sunday, lamenting "the din of the rich few" drowning out the voice of the needy, as he marked the second "World Day of the Poor".

At a mass attended by about 6,000 poor people at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the pope noted that "injustice is the perverse root of poverty".

"The cry of the poor daily becomes stronger but heard less, drowned out by the din of the rich few, who grow ever fewer and more rich," he said ahead of a lunch at the Vatican for 1,500 destitute people and their helpers.

"Let us ask for the grace to hear the cry of all those tossed by the waves of life," the pope said.

"It is the cry of all those forced to flee their homes and native land for an uncertain future. It is the cry of entire peoples, deprived even of the great natural resources at their disposal... While the wealthy few feast on what, in justice, belongs to all."&nbsp;

The pope then had a lunch of lasagna, mashed potatoes and tiramisu with the poor in the immense Paul VI Hall, which adjoins the Vatican Basilica and usually hosts papal audiences and conferences.

The Vatican has also made available a team of doctors to provide free healthcare to the poor. Over 600 people were treated last year at the first World Day of the Poor, a tradition introduced by the pope.

Similar initiatives were held at other dioceses across Italy and elsewhere in the world.

The pope has often spoken about social inclusion, indirectly criticising governments that do not pay attention to those on the margins of society.&nbsp;

Pope Francis railed against social inequality Sunday, lamenting "the din of the rich few" drowning out the voice of the needy, as he marked the second "World Day of the Poor".

Pope Francis railed against social inequality Sunday, lamenting "the din of the rich few" drowning out the voice of the needy, as he marked the second "World Day of the Poor". At a mass attended by about 6,000 poor people at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the pope noted that "injustice is the perverse root of poverty". "The cry of the poor daily becomes stronger but heard less, drowned out by the din of the rich few, who grow ever fewer and more rich," he said ahead of a lunch at the Vatican for 1,500 destitute people and their helpers. "Let us ask for the grace to hear the cry of all those tossed by the waves of life," the pope said. "It is the cry of all those forced to flee their homes and native land for an uncertain future. It is the cry of entire peoples, deprived even of the great natural resources at their disposal... While the wealthy few feast on what, in justice, belongs to all." The pope then had a lunch of lasagna, mashed potatoes and tiramisu with the poor in the immense Paul VI Hall, which adjoins the Vatican Basilica and usually hosts papal audiences and conferences. The Vatican has also made available a team of doctors to provide free healthcare to the poor. Over 600 people were treated last year at the first World Day of the Poor, a tradition introduced by the pope. Similar initiatives were held at other dioceses across Italy and elsewhere in the world. The pope has often spoken about social inclusion, indirectly criticising governments that do not pay attention to those on the margins of society.

Pope denounces 'din of rich few' on World Day of Poor

Taiwan has invited Pope Francis to visit, its President Tsai Ing-wen said, just weeks after the Vatican reached a milestone deal on the appointment of bishops with China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/rome-will-appoint-bishops-china-let-it-be-clear-pope-francis-167721">Also Read:&nbsp;Rome will appoint bishops in China, let it be clear: Pope Francis</a>

Last month's deal gives the Holy See, Taiwan's last remaining diplomatic ally in Europe, a long-sought say over such appointments, although both sides call it "provisional" and sources have said some key issues remain unresolved.

Taiwan vice president Chen Chien-jen met Francis on Sunday and invited him to visit, Tsai's office said in a statement, adding that the Pope had replied he would pray for Taiwan. But it gave no date for the proposed visit.

Chen emphasized the provisional nature of the agreement between the Vatican and China, saying it did not involve a "diplomatic element" or affect the friendship between Taiwan and the Vatican, the statement added.

"We urge everyone not to excessively interpret and worry about this (deal)," it quoted Chen as saying.

On social media, Tsai thanked the Pope for his blessings. "We will take active and concrete actions to support the pope and to transmit our common values of freedom, justice, peace and care to all corners of the world," she wrote.

Although the Vatican says its September&nbsp;22 deal is not political, some Taiwan officials worry it could be a prelude to establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing, and Taiwan's Vatican envoy has said China wants to make the island irrelevant.

Taipei has routinely accused China, which considers it a breakaway province and has never ruled out the use of force to return it to the fold, of using dollar diplomacy and bullying to lure away its allies, charges Beijing has denied.

This year, former allies El Salvador, Burkina Faso and the Dominican Republic switched ties to Beijing from Taipei, leaving it with just 17 formal allies, mostly less developed nations in Central America and the Pacific.

On October&nbsp;1st, in the first sign of a thaw after the pact, which was more than 10 years in the making, the Vatican said Beijing would, for the first time, allow Chinese bishops to attend a major Vatican meeting.

The meeting, known as a synod, began on October&nbsp;3 and runs until October&nbsp;28th.

However, Michael Yeung, the bishop of Hong Kong, told Reuters it will take time to tackle issues beyond the appointment of bishops and he feared suppression of Catholics in mainland China would continue despite the accord.

About a dozen bishops and priests, some elderly, remain in detention in China. Some have not been heard from in decades. Beijing has provided little clear information about their fate.

Taiwan has invited Pope Francis to visit, its President Tsai Ing-wen said, just weeks after the Vatican reached a milestone deal on the appointment of bishops with China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own.

Taiwan has invited Pope Francis to visit, its President Tsai Ing-wen said, just weeks after the Vatican reached a milestone deal on the appointment of bishops with China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own. Also Read: Rome will appoint bishops in China, let it be clear: Pope Francis Last month's deal gives the Holy See, Taiwan's last remaining diplomatic ally in Europe, a long-sought say over such appointments, although both sides call it "provisional" and sources have said some key issues remain unresolved. Taiwan vice president Chen Chien-jen met Francis on Sunday and invited him to visit, Tsai's office said in a statement, adding that the Pope had replied he would pray for Taiwan. But it gave no date for the proposed visit. Chen emphasized the provisional nature of the agreement between the Vatican and China, saying it did not involve a "diplomatic element" or affect the friendship between Taiwan and the Vatican, the statement added. "We urge everyone not to excessively interpret and worry about this (deal)," it quoted Chen as saying. On social media, Tsai thanked the Pope for his blessings. "We will take active and concrete actions to support the pope and to transmit our common values of freedom, justice, peace and care to all corners of the world," she wrote. Although the Vatican says its September 22 deal is not political, some Taiwan officials worry it could be a prelude to establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing, and Taiwan's Vatican envoy has said China wants to make the island irrelevant. Taipei has routinely accused China, which considers it a breakaway province and has never ruled out the use of force to return it to the fold, of using dollar diplomacy and bullying to lure away its allies, charges Beijing has denied. This year, former allies El Salvador, Burkina Faso and the Dominican Republic switched ties to Beijing from Taipei, leaving it with just 17 formal allies, mostly less developed nations in Central America and the Pacific. On October 1st, in the first sign of a thaw after the pact, which was more than 10 years in the making, the Vatican said Beijing would, for the first time, allow Chinese bishops to attend a major Vatican meeting. The meeting, known as a synod, began on October 3 and runs until October 28th. However, Michael Yeung, the bishop of Hong Kong, told Reuters it will take time to tackle issues beyond the appointment of bishops and he feared suppression of Catholics in mainland China would continue despite the accord. About a dozen bishops and priests, some elderly, remain in detention in China. Some have not been heard from in decades. Beijing has provided little clear information about their fate.

Taiwan invites Pope Francis; no dates announced

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited Pope Francis to Pyongyang, South Korea's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will deliver Kim's invitation when he meets Francis next week during his trip to Europe, Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a news briefing.

During the summit of the two leaders last month, Kim told Moon he wanted to invite the pope to North Korea, the spokesman added.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited Pope Francis to Pyongyang, South Korea's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in will deliver Kim's invitation when he meets Francis next week during his trip to Europe, Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a news briefing.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited Pope Francis to Pyongyang, South Korea's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in will deliver Kim's invitation when he meets Francis next week during his trip to Europe, Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a news briefing. During the summit of the two leaders last month, Kim told Moon he wanted to invite the pope to North Korea, the spokesman added.

North Korea's Kim has invited Pope to Pyongyang, says South Korea

Pope Francis said today that he<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/in-sicily-pope-slams-blasphemous-mafia-165819"> and not China will have final say </a>in the appointment of bishops after the Vatican and China struck a historic deal last week ending decades of conflict.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-begs-for-gods-forgiveness-for-sexual-abuse-scandal-161672">Read:&nbsp;Pope Francis 'begs for God's forgiveness' for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-begs-for-gods-forgiveness-for-sexual-abuse-scandal-161672">sexual</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-begs-for-gods-forgiveness-for-sexual-abuse-scandal-161672"> abuse scandal</a>

Francis, however, conceded "Catholics will suffer" but added that in a "peace accord or negotiation both sides lose something".

"I think of the endurance of the Catholics who suffered. It is true that they will suffer. There is always suffering in an accord, but they have great faith," the Pope said.

According to the deal, new bishops first will be proposed by members of local Catholic communities together with Chinese authorities and the names of candidates will be sent to the Vatican.

"It's not (that the government) names them. It is a dialogue. But Rome will appoint them. Let that be clear," he said of the deal, which was more than 10 years in the making, the Pope said, adding,"This was no improvisation. It is a journey, a real journey."

"My thoughts are with the resistance, the Catholics who have suffered, it's true," the Pope said.

There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China split between the underground church and serving state-led Catholic Patriotic Association.

A Vatican statement had said the agreement was "not political but pastoral." The pact effectively means the Chinese government recognises the Pope as leader of all Catholics in China.

In the deal, Pope Francis posthumously recognised seven clergies appointed by China who "had expressed the desire to be reconciled with the Apostolic See". The Vatican had cut ties with&nbsp;China in 1951, two years after the Communist party came to power.

The Catholic Church is among 17 countries that recognise Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. Beijing has however not made any precondition to derecognise Taiwan in the pact with the Vatican, according to reports.

Pope Francis said today that he and not China will have final say in the appointment of bishops after the Vatican and China struck a historic deal last week ending decades of conflict.

Pope Francis said today that he and not China will have final say in the appointment of bishops after the Vatican and China struck a historic deal last week ending decades of conflict. Read: Pope Francis 'begs for God's forgiveness' for sexual abuse scandal Francis, however, conceded "Catholics will suffer" but added that in a "peace accord or negotiation both sides lose something". "I think of the endurance of the Catholics who suffered. It is true that they will suffer. There is always suffering in an accord, but they have great faith," the Pope said. According to the deal, new bishops first will be proposed by members of local Catholic communities together with Chinese authorities and the names of candidates will be sent to the Vatican. "It's not (that the government) names them. It is a dialogue. But Rome will appoint them. Let that be clear," he said of the deal, which was more than 10 years in the making, the Pope said, adding,"This was no improvisation. It is a journey, a real journey." "My thoughts are with the resistance, the Catholics who have suffered, it's true," the Pope said. There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China split between the underground church and serving state-led Catholic Patriotic Association. A Vatican statement had said the agreement was "not political but pastoral." The pact effectively means the Chinese government recognises the Pope as leader of all Catholics in China. In the deal, Pope Francis posthumously recognised seven clergies appointed by China who "had expressed the desire to be reconciled with the Apostolic See". The Vatican had cut ties with China in 1951, two years after the Communist party came to power. The Catholic Church is among 17 countries that recognise Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. Beijing has however not made any precondition to derecognise Taiwan in the pact with the Vatican, according to reports.

Rome will appoint bishops in China, let it be clear: Pope Francis

Pope Francis has asked all the Chinese Catholics to&nbsp;reconcile while accepting that a historic deal with Beijing on nominating bishops may have caused "confusion"

In a written message to Roman Catholics in China on Wednesday, the Pope said, "I now invite all Chinese Catholics to work towards reconciliation".

"Some feel doubt and perplexity, while others sense themselves somehow abandoned by the Holy See".

"I am aware that this flurry of thoughts and opinions may have caused a certain confusion and prompted different reactions in the hearts of many", he added.

Pope Francis had said earlier during the day that he&nbsp;and not China will have final say&nbsp;in the appointment of bishops after the Vatican and China struck a historic deal last week ending decades of conflict.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-begs-for-gods-forgiveness-for-sexual-abuse-scandal-161672">Read:&nbsp;Pope Francis 'begs for God's forgiveness' for&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-begs-for-gods-forgiveness-for-sexual-abuse-scandal-161672">sexual</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-begs-for-gods-forgiveness-for-sexual-abuse-scandal-161672">&nbsp;abuse scandal</a>

Francis, however, conceded "Catholics will suffer" but added that in a "peace accord or negotiation both sides lose something".

"I think of the endurance of the Catholics who suffered. It is true that they will suffer. There is always suffering in an accord, but they have great faith," the Pope said.

Saturday's historic deal has paved the way for rapprochement between the Vatican and the Communist country, despite the fears of some in the persecuted underground Church.

According to the deal, new bishops first will be proposed by members of local Catholic communities together with Chinese authorities and the names of candidates will be sent to the Vatican.

There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China split between the underground church and serving state-led Catholic Patriotic Association.

(With inputs from agencies)

Pope Francis has asked all the Chinese Catholics to reconcile while accepting that a historic deal with Beijing on nominating bishops may have caused "confusion" In a written message to Roman Catholics in China on Wednesday, the Pope said, "I now invite all Chinese Catholics to work towards reconciliation".

Pope Francis has asked all the Chinese Catholics to reconcile while accepting that a historic deal with Beijing on nominating bishops may have caused "confusion" In a written message to Roman Catholics in China on Wednesday, the Pope said, "I now invite all Chinese Catholics to work towards reconciliation". "Some feel doubt and perplexity, while others sense themselves somehow abandoned by the Holy See". "I am aware that this flurry of thoughts and opinions may have caused a certain confusion and prompted different reactions in the hearts of many", he added. Pope Francis had said earlier during the day that he and not China will have final say in the appointment of bishops after the Vatican and China struck a historic deal last week ending decades of conflict. Read: Pope Francis 'begs for God's forgiveness' for sexual abuse scandal Francis, however, conceded "Catholics will suffer" but added that in a "peace accord or negotiation both sides lose something". "I think of the endurance of the Catholics who suffered. It is true that they will suffer. There is always suffering in an accord, but they have great faith," the Pope said. Saturday's historic deal has paved the way for rapprochement between the Vatican and the Communist country, despite the fears of some in the persecuted underground Church. According to the deal, new bishops first will be proposed by members of local Catholic communities together with Chinese authorities and the names of candidates will be sent to the Vatican. There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China split between the underground church and serving state-led Catholic Patriotic Association. (With inputs from agencies)

Pope calls on divided Chinese Catholics to reconcile

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his sadness over the ongoing protests in Nicaragua and called for an end to the violence.

At least six people have been reported dead in protests fueled against unpopular changes in social security.

While speaking to people at St. Peter's Square during his Sunday address, the Pope wished for "an end to every form of violence and to avoid the useless shedding of blood."

He also expressed that differences must be "resolved peacefully and with a sense of responsibility".

On Saturday, after four days of protests, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, facing the biggest crisis of his leadership, said he was ready to consider changing an unpopular social security overhaul. The measures increase worker contributions and lower pensions.

Meanwhile, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said on Saturday he was ready to consider changing an unpopular social security overhaul that has sparked days of deadly protests and one of the biggest crises of his leadership.

At least six people have died since Nicaraguans began demonstrating on Wednesday against measures that increase worker contributions and lower pensions, in an unusually direct challenge to Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla.

Late on Saturday, local media said a reporter was shot and killed during a live broadcast from Bluefields, a town on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast that has been hit by the violence.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Pope also expressed that differences must be 'resolved peacefully and with a sense of responsibility'

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his sadness over the ongoing protests in Nicaragua and called for an end to the violence. At least six people have been reported dead in protests fueled against unpopular changes in social security. While speaking to people at St. Peter's Square during his Sunday address, the Pope wished for "an end to every form of violence and to avoid the useless shedding of blood." He also expressed that differences must be "resolved peacefully and with a sense of responsibility". On Saturday, after four days of protests, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, facing the biggest crisis of his leadership, said he was ready to consider changing an unpopular social security overhaul. The measures increase worker contributions and lower pensions. Meanwhile, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said on Saturday he was ready to consider changing an unpopular social security overhaul that has sparked days of deadly protests and one of the biggest crises of his leadership. At least six people have died since Nicaraguans began demonstrating on Wednesday against measures that increase worker contributions and lower pensions, in an unusually direct challenge to Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla. Late on Saturday, local media said a reporter was shot and killed during a live broadcast from Bluefields, a town on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast that has been hit by the violence. (With inputs from Reuters)

Nicaragua protests: Pope calls for end to deadly violence

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-envoy-to-pakistan-not-allowed-to-meet-sikh-pilgrims-india-lodges-protests-130568">Indian envoy to Pakistan not allowed to meet Sikh pilgrims, India lodges protests</a>

India today lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over blocking of access of visiting Sikh pilgrims to Indian diplomats in that country and even "compelling" the Indian envoy to return while on way to a prominent gurudwara there.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jk-cm-mehbooba-mufti-accepts-resignation-of-bjp-state-ministers-130581">J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti accepts resignations of 2 BJP ministers</a>

The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has accepted&nbspthe resignation of BJP state ministers Chandra Prakash Ganga and Lal&nbspSingh.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistani-soldiers-killed-in-attack-at-afghanistan-border-130604">Pakistani soldiers killed in attack at Afghanistan border</a>

Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in cross-border fire from Afghanistan while working on a fence intended to cover nearly all of the disputed 2,500km border separating the countries, the Pakistani military said on Sunday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-deeply-disturbed-by-lack-of-efforts-to-bring-peace-to-syria-130584">Pope deeply disturbed by lack of efforts to bring peace to Syria</a>

Pope Francis called on world leaders on Sunday to renew efforts to bring peace to Syria, saying he was deeply troubled by their failure to agree on a joint plan to end the bloodshed.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-gunmen-open-fire-at-home-of-supreme-court-judge-130560">Pakistan: Gunmen open fire at home of Supreme Court judge</a>

Unidentified gunmen opened fire at the residence of Pakistan's Supreme Court judge Ijaz ul Ahsan here in two separate incidents only hours apart, media reports said today.

&nbsp

&nbsp

Indian envoy to Pakistan not allowed to meet Sikh pilgrims, India lodges protests India today lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over blocking of access of visiting Sikh pilgrims to Indian diplomats in that country and even "compelling" the Indian envoy to return while on way to a prominent gurudwara there. J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti accepts resignations of 2 BJP ministers The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has accepted&nbspthe resignation of BJP state ministers Chandra Prakash Ganga and Lal&nbspSingh. Pakistani soldiers killed in attack at Afghanistan border Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in cross-border fire from Afghanistan while working on a fence intended to cover nearly all of the disputed 2,500km border separating the countries, the Pakistani military said on Sunday. Pope deeply disturbed by lack of efforts to bring peace to Syria Pope Francis called on world leaders on Sunday to renew efforts to bring peace to Syria, saying he was deeply troubled by their failure to agree on a joint plan to end the bloodshed. Pakistan: Gunmen open fire at home of Supreme Court judge Unidentified gunmen opened fire at the residence of Pakistan's Supreme Court judge Ijaz ul Ahsan here in two separate incidents only hours apart, media reports said today.

Pope Francis called on world leaders on Sunday to renew efforts to bring peace to Syria, saying he was deeply troubled by their failure to agree on a joint plan to end the bloodshed.

"I appeal again to all the political leaders, so that justice and peace prevail," he said in his weekly address to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

"I am deeply disturbed by the current world situation, in which, despite the tools available to the international community, it is difficult to agree on a common action in favour of peace in Syria and other regions of the world," he said.

Last Sunday, the pope denounced a reported gas attack in Syria as an unjustifiable use of "instruments of extermination".

The United States, France and Britain fired dozens of missiles early Saturday to strike at Syria's chemical weapons program -- the biggest intervention yet by Western countries against Syria, which is backed by Russia and Iran.&nbsp;

Last Sunday, the pope denounced a reported gas attack in Syria as an unjustifiable use of 'instruments of extermination'

Pope Francis called on world leaders on Sunday to renew efforts to bring peace to Syria, saying he was deeply troubled by their failure to agree on a joint plan to end the bloodshed. "I appeal again to all the political leaders, so that justice and peace prevail," he said in his weekly address to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. "I am deeply disturbed by the current world situation, in which, despite the tools available to the international community, it is difficult to agree on a common action in favour of peace in Syria and other regions of the world," he said. Last Sunday, the pope denounced a reported gas attack in Syria as an unjustifiable use of "instruments of extermination". The United States, France and Britain fired dozens of missiles early Saturday to strike at Syria's chemical weapons program -- the biggest intervention yet by Western countries against Syria, which is backed by Russia and Iran.

Pope deeply disturbed by lack of efforts to bring peace to Syria

Pope Francis issued a warning to Catholics who criticise his calls to welcome migrants with open arms, in a much-awaited text published Monday.

The Argentine pontiff has put the plight of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at the heart of his five-year papacy, putting him at odds with a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world.&nbsp

In the third apostolic exhortation of his pontificate -- a guideline on how Catholics can strive for "holiness" -- the 81-year-old unexpectedly hit out at his critics.

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"Some Catholics consider the situation of migrants to be a secondary issue," he wrote.

"That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children."

Citing a passage from the Old Testament urging the welcoming of foreigners, Francis remarked sharply that the issue was not "a notion invented by some pope, or a momentary fad".

In April 2016, he flew to a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, Lesbos, and returned to Rome with three families of Syrian Muslims.

The pontiff also took the opportunity to reiterate his staunch opposition to abortion in the text entitled "Gaudete et exsultate" (Rejoice and be glad). &nbsp

"Our defence of the innocent unborn needs to be clear, firm and passionate," he said, adding that the "lives of the poor" were "equally sacred."

The first years of Francis' papacy were peppered with strong words against governments, which he has accused of not doing enough to welcome the millions of refugees and migrants fleeing their home countries.

But over the years, he has moderated his discourse, suggesting that host countries had the right to regulate the number of arrivals according to their capacity to accommodate and integrate foreigners.

"There are those who feel encouraged by the pope's stance on migrants and it is still a majority," Christophe Dufour, archbishop of the French city of Aix-en-Provence, told AFP.&nbsp

"And there is a small number who say: 'he is naive, let him come and live among migrants, it is not so simple'." &nbsp

The Argentine pontiff has put the plight of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at the heart of his five-year papacy, putting him at odds with a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world

Pope Francis issued a warning to Catholics who criticise his calls to welcome migrants with open arms, in a much-awaited text published Monday. The Argentine pontiff has put the plight of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at the heart of his five-year papacy, putting him at odds with a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world. In the third apostolic exhortation of his pontificate -- a guideline on how Catholics can strive for "holiness" -- the 81-year-old unexpectedly hit out at his critics. In April 2016, Francis flew to a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, Lesbos, and returned to Rome with three families of Syrian Muslims × "Some Catholics consider the situation of migrants to be a secondary issue," he wrote. "That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children." Citing a passage from the Old Testament urging the welcoming of foreigners, Francis remarked sharply that the issue was not "a notion invented by some pope, or a momentary fad". In April 2016, he flew to a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, Lesbos, and returned to Rome with three families of Syrian Muslims. The pontiff also took the opportunity to reiterate his staunch opposition to abortion in the text entitled "Gaudete et exsultate" (Rejoice and be glad). "Our defence of the innocent unborn needs to be clear, firm and passionate," he said, adding that the "lives of the poor" were "equally sacred." The first years of Francis' papacy were peppered with strong words against governments, which he has accused of not doing enough to welcome the millions of refugees and migrants fleeing their home countries. But over the years, he has moderated his discourse, suggesting that host countries had the right to regulate the number of arrivals according to their capacity to accommodate and integrate foreigners. "There are those who feel encouraged by the pope's stance on migrants and it is still a majority," Christophe Dufour, archbishop of the French city of Aix-en-Provence, told AFP. "And there is a small number who say: 'he is naive, let him come and live among migrants, it is not so simple'."

Pope hits out at critics of his pro-migrant policy

Pope Francis today said he was "ashamed" that younger generations would inherit a world "fractured by divisions and wars".

Speaking in Rome at the end of the traditional Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession, the pontiff said the world was "devoured by egotism in which the young, the sick, the old are marginalised".

Amid tight security, around 20,000 faithful, many holding candles, gathered around Rome's Colosseum for the religious ritual that evokes the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion.

The Italian capital has been put under tight surveillance following a week marked by a series of anti-terror arrests.

Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti warned this week of the high risk of an attack in Italy, and some 10,000 officers have been deployed to guarantee safety in Rome, in particular during the Easter celebrations presided over by the Pope this weekend culminating with the Easter day celebrations on Sunday.&nbsp

Pope spoke in Rome at the end of the traditional Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession

Pope Francis today said he was "ashamed" that younger generations would inherit a world "fractured by divisions and wars". Speaking in Rome at the end of the traditional Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession, the pontiff said the world was "devoured by egotism in which the young, the sick, the old are marginalised". Amid tight security, around 20,000 faithful, many holding candles, gathered around Rome's Colosseum for the religious ritual that evokes the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion. The Italian capital has been put under tight surveillance following a week marked by a series of anti-terror arrests. Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti warned this week of the high risk of an attack in Italy, and some 10,000 officers have been deployed to guarantee safety in Rome, in particular during the Easter celebrations presided over by the Pope this weekend culminating with the Easter day celebrations on Sunday.

Pope 'ashamed' young to inherit fractured world

Monsignor Dario Vigano, the Italian head of the Vatican communications department who was caught up in the so-called &quot;Lettergate&quot; scandal, has resigned, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

A brief Vatican statement said Pope Francis had &quot;accepted&quot; Vigano&#39;s resignation but a Vatican source said the prelate had been told to offer it, meaning he was fired.

Vigano, 55, whose formal title was Prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, had come under sharp criticism for blurring part of a photograph of a letter by former Pope Benedict and citing it selectively for a week before releasing the entire text on Saturday.

The episode cast a shadow over the Vatican and was a public relations fiasco, particularly because earlier this year, the Pope wrote a document on the dangers of &quot;fake news&quot;.

The letter was meant to remain confidential but Vigano read selected passages of it at the presentation on March 12 of a Vatican-published 11-booklet series on the theology of Pope Francis.

Vatican statement said Pope Francis had "accepted" Vigano's resignation

Monsignor Dario Vigano, the Italian head of the Vatican communications department who was caught up in the so-called "Lettergate" scandal, has resigned, the Vatican said on Wednesday. A brief Vatican statement said Pope Francis had "accepted" Vigano's resignation but a Vatican source said the prelate had been told to offer it, meaning he was fired. Vigano, 55, whose formal title was Prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, had come under sharp criticism for blurring part of a photograph of a letter by former Pope Benedict and citing it selectively for a week before releasing the entire text on Saturday. The episode cast a shadow over the Vatican and was a public relations fiasco, particularly because earlier this year, the Pope wrote a document on the dangers of "fake news". The letter was meant to remain confidential but Vigano read selected passages of it at the presentation on March 12 of a Vatican-published 11-booklet series on the theology of Pope Francis.

Vatican communications chief Vigano resigns over 'lettergate' scandal

U.S. evangelist Billy Graham, who counseled presidents and preached to millions across the world from his native North Carolina to communist North Korea during his 70 years in the pulpit, died on Wednesday at the age of 99, a spokesman said.

Graham died at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, according to Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

According to his ministry, he preached Christianity to more people than anyone else in history, reaching hundreds of millions of people either in person or via TV and satellite links.

Graham became the de facto White House chaplain to several U.S. presidents, most famously Richard Nixon. He also met with scores of world leaders and was the first noted evangelist to take his message behind the Iron Curtain.

&quot;He was probably the dominant religious leader of his era,&quot; said William Martin, author of &quot;A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story.&quot; &quot;No more than one or two popes, perhaps one or two other people, came close to what he achieved.&quot;

Graham found himself at times in controversy over his disapproving stand on gay rights, as well as over a secretly recorded conversation with Nixon in which the cleric complained that Jews had too much influence on the U.S. media. In the later years of his career he intentionally muted his political beliefs to focus on the Gospel.

Graham was no longer a close associate of presidents in recent years but many former U.S. leaders paid tribute on Wednesday. President Donald Trump said on Twitter: &quot;The GREAT Billy Graham is dead. There was nobody like him! He will be missed by Christians and all religions. A very special man.&quot;

In a rare trip away from his home in his later years, Graham had celebrated his 95th birthday on Nov. 7, 2013, at a hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, where some 800 guests, including Trump, business magnate Rupert Murdoch and television hostess Kathie Lee Gifford paid tribute.

The event featured a video of a sermon that his son Franklin said was Graham&#39;s last message to the nation. Graham had been working for a year on the video, which was aired on Fox News. In it, he said America was &quot;in great need of a spiritual awakening.&quot;

With his steely features and piercing blue eyes, Graham was a powerful figure when he preached in his prime, roaming the stage and hoisting a Bible as he declared Jesus Christ to be the only solution to humanity&#39;s problems.

In his heyday Graham had a thunderous, quick-burst speaking style that earned him the nickname &quot;God&#39;s Machine Gun.&quot; Through his &quot;Crusades for Christ,&quot; Graham sowed fields of devotion across the American heartland that would become fertile ground for the growth of the religious right&#39;s conservative political movement.

MEDIA MASTERY

His influence was fueled by an organization that carefully planned his religious campaigns, putting on international conferences and training seminars for evangelical leaders, Martin said.

Graham&#39;s mastery of the media was ground-breaking. In addition to radio and publishing, he used telephone lines, television and satellites to deliver his message to homes, churches and theaters around the world.

Some 77 million saw him preach in person while nearly 215 million more watched his crusades on television or through satellite link-ups, a Graham spokeswoman said.

Graham started meeting with presidents during the tenure of Harry Truman. He played golf with Gerald Ford, skinny-dipped in the White House pool with Lyndon Johnson, vacationed with George H.W. Bush and spent the night in the White House on Nixon&#39;s first day in office.

George W. Bush gave Graham credit for helping him rediscover his faith and in 2010, when it was difficult for Graham to travel, Barack Obama made the trip to the preacher&#39;s log cabin home in North Carolina&#39;s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Graham&#39;s ties to the White House were mutually beneficial. His reputation was enhanced as preacher to the presidents, while the politicians boosted their standing with religiously inclined voters.

&quot;Their personal lives - some of them - were difficult,&quot; Graham, a registered Democrat, told Time magazine in 2007 of his political acquaintances. &quot;But I loved them all. I admired them all. I knew that they had burdens beyond anything I could ever know or understand.&quot;

Graham&#39;s reputation took a hit because of Nixon after the release of 1972 White House tapes in which the two were heard making anti-Semitic comments. Graham later said he did not remember the conversation and apologized.

In the early half of his career, Graham often spoke his mind on social and political issues of the day, including his strong anti-communist sentiments. He dismissed Vietnam War protesters as attention-seekers and, while he eventually refused to hold segregated revival meetings, he did not take an active role in the 1960s civil rights movement.

But Graham&#39;s politics were not as overt as those of some religious leaders who came after him, such as Pat Robertson, who ran for president in 1988, and Jerry Falwell, co-founder of the Moral Majority, an organization whose purpose was to promote Christian-oriented politics.

As he grew older, Graham said he felt he had become too involved in some issues and shifted to a middle-of-the-road position in order to reach more people. He did, however, dive into the gay marriage issue in 2012 when he came out in support of a state amendment to ban same-sex marriages in North Carolina. He also met with Republican Mitt Romney in October 2012 and told him he supported Romney&#39;s run for the presidency.

FROM FARM TO PULPIT

William Franklin Graham was born on Nov. 7, 1918, into a Presbyterian family and was known as Billy Frank while growing up on a farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. As a teenager, he said he was mostly preoccupied with baseball and girls until he was moved by God after hearing a fiery revivalist in Charlotte.

After attending Bob Jones College, Graham ended up at a Bible school in Florida, where he would preach at his first revival, and was ordained in 1939 by a church in the Southern Baptist Convention. He received a scholarship to Wheaton College near Chicago, where he met Ruth Bell, whose parents were missionaries in China. They married in 1943.

Rather than work from a home church, Graham went on the road, preaching in tents and building a following. His breakthrough came with a 1949 Los Angeles tent crusade that was scheduled for three weeks but extended to eight because of the overflow crowds he attracted.

The success of the Los Angeles campaign and the fame it brought Graham was attributed to media magnate William Randolph Hearst, who had liked Graham&#39;s style and anti-communist stance so much that he ordered his newspapers to give Graham a boost.

Graham eventually outgrew tent revivals and would preach at some of the most famous venues in the world, such as Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden in New York and London&#39;s Wembley Stadium. He delivered sermons around the globe, including in remote African villages, China, North Korea, the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

Liberals accused him of giving credibility to abusive governments while fundamentalist Christians criticized him for going to godless countries and promoting peaceful relations with them. Graham said he simply saw the trips as apolitical opportunities to win souls for Christ.

Graham concluded his career of religious campaigns in June 2005 in New York with a three-day stand that attracted more than 230,000 people, his organization said. He turned over his evangelical association to his son Franklin, who did not shy away from politics and frequently praised Trump once he became president.

Graham&#39;s other four children were also evangelists.

A funeral at a venue that holds about 2,300 people is planned for March 2 in front of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, his organization said. It said he will be buried on library premises next to his wife, Ruth. She died on June 14, 2007. The couple had two sons and three daughters.

Graham&#39;s body will lie in repose next Monday and Tuesday at the Graham family house which is now at the library site, having been moved from its original location, also in Charlotte, said family spokesman Mark DeMoss.

When Graham began his ministry in 1950, he would preach under a tent he called a &ldquo;canvas cathedral,&quot; DeMoss said. He said having Graham&#39;s funeral service under a tent is a reminder of how his ministry began.

Graham himself &ldquo;personally approved the planning and details of the service some years ago,&quot; said DeMoss, speaking at a press conference in Charlotte on Wednesday night.

REPUTATION

Graham maintained his public integrity even as other TV star evangelists such as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart were hit in the 1980s by financial and sex scandals. To keep his reputation pristine, Graham had a policy of never being alone with any woman other than Ruth.

Graham&#39;s closest presidential relationship was with Nixon, who offered him any government job he wanted - including ambassador to Israel. It turned out to be a painful relationship for Graham, who said Nixon and his circle misled him on the Watergate scandal.

Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman first mentioned Graham&#39;s anti-Semitic remarks in a 1994 book, which Graham strongly denied. But when audio tapes from the Nixon White House were released in 2002, Graham could be heard referring to Jews as pornographers and agreeing with Nixon that the U.S. media was dominated by liberal Jews and could send the United States &quot;down the drain.&quot;

Graham, who had a long history of supporting Israel, apologized again after the tapes&#39; release and said he had no recollection of the conversation.

&quot;If it wasn&#39;t on tape, I would not have believed it,&quot; Graham told Newsweek. &quot;I guess I was trying to please. I felt so badly about myself - I couldn&#39;t believe it. I went to a meeting with Jewish leaders and I told them I would crawl to them to ask their forgiveness.&quot;

The author of more than two dozen books with titles such as &quot;How to Be Born Again,&quot; Graham also ran the weekly &quot;Hour of Decision&quot; radio program broadcast around the world on Sundays for more than 50 years.

Graham helped bring religion into the television age. He first put together a television show, which was eventually syndicated, in 1951 and began live broadcasts of his revival meetings in 1957 from New York&#39;s Madison Square Garden.

In a 2011 Fox News interview, Graham was asked what he would do differently in his career.

&quot;I would study more. I would pray more, travel less, take less speaking engagements,&quot; he said. &quot;I took too many of them in too many places around the world. If I had it to do over again I&#39;d spend more time in meditation and prayer and just telling the Lord how much I love him.&quot;

In addition to suffering with Parkinson&#39;s disease for many years, Graham&#39;s health problems in his later years included a broken hip, a broken pelvis, prostate cancer and installation of a shunt in his brain to control excess fluid. He was hospitalized in 2011, 2012 and 2013 for respiratory problems. 
&nbsp;

'He was probably the dominant religious leader of his era,' said William Martin, author of A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story. 'No more than one or two popes, perhaps one or two other people, came close to what he achieved'

U.S. evangelist Billy Graham, who counseled presidents and preached to millions across the world from his native North Carolina to communist North Korea during his 70 years in the pulpit, died on Wednesday at the age of 99, a spokesman said. Graham died at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, according to Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. According to his ministry, he preached Christianity to more people than anyone else in history, reaching hundreds of millions of people either in person or via TV and satellite links. Graham became the de facto White House chaplain to several U.S. presidents, most famously Richard Nixon. He also met with scores of world leaders and was the first noted evangelist to take his message behind the Iron Curtain. "He was probably the dominant religious leader of his era," said William Martin, author of "A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story." "No more than one or two popes, perhaps one or two other people, came close to what he achieved." Graham found himself at times in controversy over his disapproving stand on gay rights, as well as over a secretly recorded conversation with Nixon in which the cleric complained that Jews had too much influence on the U.S. media. In the later years of his career he intentionally muted his political beliefs to focus on the Gospel. Graham was no longer a close associate of presidents in recent years but many former U.S. leaders paid tribute on Wednesday. President Donald Trump said on Twitter: "The GREAT Billy Graham is dead. There was nobody like him! He will be missed by Christians and all religions. A very special man." In a rare trip away from his home in his later years, Graham had celebrated his 95th birthday on Nov. 7, 2013, at a hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, where some 800 guests, including Trump, business magnate Rupert Murdoch and television hostess Kathie Lee Gifford paid tribute. The event featured a video of a sermon that his son Franklin said was Graham's last message to the nation. Graham had been working for a year on the video, which was aired on Fox News. In it, he said America was "in great need of a spiritual awakening." With his steely features and piercing blue eyes, Graham was a powerful figure when he preached in his prime, roaming the stage and hoisting a Bible as he declared Jesus Christ to be the only solution to humanity's problems. In his heyday Graham had a thunderous, quick-burst speaking style that earned him the nickname "God's Machine Gun." Through his "Crusades for Christ," Graham sowed fields of devotion across the American heartland that would become fertile ground for the growth of the religious right's conservative political movement. MEDIA MASTERY His influence was fueled by an organization that carefully planned his religious campaigns, putting on international conferences and training seminars for evangelical leaders, Martin said. Graham's mastery of the media was ground-breaking. In addition to radio and publishing, he used telephone lines, television and satellites to deliver his message to homes, churches and theaters around the world. Some 77 million saw him preach in person while nearly 215 million more watched his crusades on television or through satellite link-ups, a Graham spokeswoman said. Graham started meeting with presidents during the tenure of Harry Truman. He played golf with Gerald Ford, skinny-dipped in the White House pool with Lyndon Johnson, vacationed with George H.W. Bush and spent the night in the White House on Nixon's first day in office. George W. Bush gave Graham credit for helping him rediscover his faith and in 2010, when it was difficult for Graham to travel, Barack Obama made the trip to the preacher's log cabin home in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. Graham's ties to the White House were mutually beneficial. His reputation was enhanced as preacher to the presidents, while the politicians boosted their standing with religiously inclined voters. "Their personal lives - some of them - were difficult," Graham, a registered Democrat, told Time magazine in 2007 of his political acquaintances. "But I loved them all. I admired them all. I knew that they had burdens beyond anything I could ever know or understand." Graham's reputation took a hit because of Nixon after the release of 1972 White House tapes in which the two were heard making anti-Semitic comments. Graham later said he did not remember the conversation and apologized. In the early half of his career, Graham often spoke his mind on social and political issues of the day, including his strong anti-communist sentiments. He dismissed Vietnam War protesters as attention-seekers and, while he eventually refused to hold segregated revival meetings, he did not take an active role in the 1960s civil rights movement. But Graham's politics were not as overt as those of some religious leaders who came after him, such as Pat Robertson, who ran for president in 1988, and Jerry Falwell, co-founder of the Moral Majority, an organization whose purpose was to promote Christian-oriented politics. As he grew older, Graham said he felt he had become too involved in some issues and shifted to a middle-of-the-road position in order to reach more people. He did, however, dive into the gay marriage issue in 2012 when he came out in support of a state amendment to ban same-sex marriages in North Carolina. He also met with Republican Mitt Romney in October 2012 and told him he supported Romney's run for the presidency. FROM FARM TO PULPIT William Franklin Graham was born on Nov. 7, 1918, into a Presbyterian family and was known as Billy Frank while growing up on a farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. As a teenager, he said he was mostly preoccupied with baseball and girls until he was moved by God after hearing a fiery revivalist in Charlotte. After attending Bob Jones College, Graham ended up at a Bible school in Florida, where he would preach at his first revival, and was ordained in 1939 by a church in the Southern Baptist Convention. He received a scholarship to Wheaton College near Chicago, where he met Ruth Bell, whose parents were missionaries in China. They married in 1943. Rather than work from a home church, Graham went on the road, preaching in tents and building a following. His breakthrough came with a 1949 Los Angeles tent crusade that was scheduled for three weeks but extended to eight because of the overflow crowds he attracted. The success of the Los Angeles campaign and the fame it brought Graham was attributed to media magnate William Randolph Hearst, who had liked Graham's style and anti-communist stance so much that he ordered his newspapers to give Graham a boost. Graham eventually outgrew tent revivals and would preach at some of the most famous venues in the world, such as Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden in New York and London's Wembley Stadium. He delivered sermons around the globe, including in remote African villages, China, North Korea, the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Liberals accused him of giving credibility to abusive governments while fundamentalist Christians criticized him for going to godless countries and promoting peaceful relations with them. Graham said he simply saw the trips as apolitical opportunities to win souls for Christ. Graham concluded his career of religious campaigns in June 2005 in New York with a three-day stand that attracted more than 230,000 people, his organization said. He turned over his evangelical association to his son Franklin, who did not shy away from politics and frequently praised Trump once he became president. Graham's other four children were also evangelists. A funeral at a venue that holds about 2,300 people is planned for March 2 in front of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, his organization said. It said he will be buried on library premises next to his wife, Ruth. She died on June 14, 2007. The couple had two sons and three daughters. Graham's body will lie in repose next Monday and Tuesday at the Graham family house which is now at the library site, having been moved from its original location, also in Charlotte, said family spokesman Mark DeMoss. When Graham began his ministry in 1950, he would preach under a tent he called a “canvas cathedral," DeMoss said. He said having Graham's funeral service under a tent is a reminder of how his ministry began. Graham himself “personally approved the planning and details of the service some years ago," said DeMoss, speaking at a press conference in Charlotte on Wednesday night. REPUTATION Graham maintained his public integrity even as other TV star evangelists such as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart were hit in the 1980s by financial and sex scandals. To keep his reputation pristine, Graham had a policy of never being alone with any woman other than Ruth. Graham's closest presidential relationship was with Nixon, who offered him any government job he wanted - including ambassador to Israel. It turned out to be a painful relationship for Graham, who said Nixon and his circle misled him on the Watergate scandal. Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman first mentioned Graham's anti-Semitic remarks in a 1994 book, which Graham strongly denied. But when audio tapes from the Nixon White House were released in 2002, Graham could be heard referring to Jews as pornographers and agreeing with Nixon that the U.S. media was dominated by liberal Jews and could send the United States "down the drain." Graham, who had a long history of supporting Israel, apologized again after the tapes' release and said he had no recollection of the conversation. "If it wasn't on tape, I would not have believed it," Graham told Newsweek. "I guess I was trying to please. I felt so badly about myself - I couldn't believe it. I went to a meeting with Jewish leaders and I told them I would crawl to them to ask their forgiveness." The author of more than two dozen books with titles such as "How to Be Born Again," Graham also ran the weekly "Hour of Decision" radio program broadcast around the world on Sundays for more than 50 years. Graham helped bring religion into the television age. He first put together a television show, which was eventually syndicated, in 1951 and began live broadcasts of his revival meetings in 1957 from New York's Madison Square Garden. In a 2011 Fox News interview, Graham was asked what he would do differently in his career. "I would study more. I would pray more, travel less, take less speaking engagements," he said. "I took too many of them in too many places around the world. If I had it to do over again I'd spend more time in meditation and prayer and just telling the Lord how much I love him." In addition to suffering with Parkinson's disease for many years, Graham's health problems in his later years included a broken hip, a broken pelvis, prostate cancer and installation of a shunt in his brain to control excess fluid. He was hospitalized in 2011, 2012 and 2013 for respiratory problems.

US: Billy Graham, 'preacher to presidents', dies at 99

Pope Francis renewed a commission on clergy sexual abuse on Saturday, confirming a U.S. cardinal as its head, as the Vatican promised to give victims a greater say in its work.

The renewal of the commission and the confirmation of Cardinal Sean O`Malley of Boston as its head comes as the pope is dealing with an abuse scandal in Chile that has created one of the greatest image crises of his papacy, which marks its fifth anniversary next month.[L8N1Q56UY].

The first, three-year mandate of the commission ended in December and its future had been uncertain.

Its first term was marred by two high-profile resignations, that of Marie Collins of Ireland and Peter Saunders of Britain. Both were victims of clergy sexual abuse when they were young and both stepped down in what they said was frustration over lack of change and insufficient cooperation by top Vatican officials.

A Vatican statement said victims of sexual abuse were among the members but that it was up to them to decide to disclose this outside the 16-member international commission, made up of nine new members and seven returning ones.

It said plans were at an advanced stage to create a group made up of victims of sexual abuse known as the International Survivor Advisory Panel (ISAP) to offer consultation on &quot;abuse prevention from the survivor`s perspective&quot;.

Protect minors

The mandate of the commission, which includes lay academics and psychologists, priests and nuns, is to promote best practice initiatives and educational programmes to protect minors and vulnerable adults in local Catholic institutions around the world.

Its experts come from the United States, Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Tonga, Germany, Brazil, Poland, South Africa, the Philippines, and Zambia. Ten are non-clerics and eight are women, including three nuns.

Francis has been under fire for remarks he made last month in Chile.

He initially said accusations against a Chilean bishop were &quot;slander&quot; and told reporters the Vatican had received no concrete evidence against him.

But days later, he appointed the Church`s most experienced sexual abuse investigator to look into the accusations that Bishop Juan Barros had covered up crimes against minors.

The investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, starts his work in New York on Saturday when he is due to meet Juan Carlos Cruz, who says he was sexually abused when he was a teenager in Chile by a priest called Fernando Karadima.

Karadima was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing teenage boys over many years. Karadima denies the allegations and Barros denied accusations that he witnessed Karadima carrying out the abuse.

&nbsp;

Pope Francis has been under fire for remarks he made last month in Chile

Pope Francis renewed a commission on clergy sexual abuse on Saturday, confirming a U.S. cardinal as its head, as the Vatican promised to give victims a greater say in its work. The renewal of the commission and the confirmation of Cardinal Sean O`Malley of Boston as its head comes as the pope is dealing with an abuse scandal in Chile that has created one of the greatest image crises of his papacy, which marks its fifth anniversary next month.[L8N1Q56UY]. The first, three-year mandate of the commission ended in December and its future had been uncertain. Its first term was marred by two high-profile resignations, that of Marie Collins of Ireland and Peter Saunders of Britain. Both were victims of clergy sexual abuse when they were young and both stepped down in what they said was frustration over lack of change and insufficient cooperation by top Vatican officials. A Vatican statement said victims of sexual abuse were among the members but that it was up to them to decide to disclose this outside the 16-member international commission, made up of nine new members and seven returning ones. It said plans were at an advanced stage to create a group made up of victims of sexual abuse known as the International Survivor Advisory Panel (ISAP) to offer consultation on "abuse prevention from the survivor`s perspective". Protect minors The mandate of the commission, which includes lay academics and psychologists, priests and nuns, is to promote best practice initiatives and educational programmes to protect minors and vulnerable adults in local Catholic institutions around the world. Its experts come from the United States, Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Tonga, Germany, Brazil, Poland, South Africa, the Philippines, and Zambia. Ten are non-clerics and eight are women, including three nuns. Francis has been under fire for remarks he made last month in Chile. He initially said accusations against a Chilean bishop were "slander" and told reporters the Vatican had received no concrete evidence against him. But days later, he appointed the Church`s most experienced sexual abuse investigator to look into the accusations that Bishop Juan Barros had covered up crimes against minors. The investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, starts his work in New York on Saturday when he is due to meet Juan Carlos Cruz, who says he was sexually abused when he was a teenager in Chile by a priest called Fernando Karadima. Karadima was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing teenage boys over many years. Karadima denies the allegations and Barros denied accusations that he witnessed Karadima carrying out the abuse.

Pope renews commission on sexual abuse, Vatican promises victims more say

Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the &ldquo;evil&rdquo; of fake news, saying journalists and social media users should shun and unmask manipulative &ldquo;snake tactics&rdquo; that foment division to serve political and economic interests.

&ldquo;Fake news is a sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred. That is the end result of untruth,&rdquo; Francis said in the first document by a pope on the subject.

It was issued after months of debate on how much fake news may have influenced the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and the election of President Donald Trump.

The document, called &ldquo;The truth will set you free - Fake news and journalism for peace&rdquo;, was issued in advance of the Catholic Church&rsquo;s World Day of Social Communications on May 13.

&ldquo;Spreading fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions, and serve economic interests,&rdquo; the pope writes, condemning the &ldquo;manipulative use of social networks&rdquo; and other forms of communication.

&ldquo;This false but believable news is &lsquo;captious&rsquo;, inasmuch as it grasps people&rsquo;s attention by appealing to stereotypes and common social prejudices, and exploiting instantaneous emotions like anxiety, contempt, anger and frustration,&rdquo; he said.

False stories spread so quickly that even authoritative denials often could not contain the damage done and many people run the risk of becoming &ldquo;unwilling accomplices in spreading biased and baseless ideas&rdquo;, he said.

He called for &ldquo;education for truth&rdquo; that would help people discern, evaluate and understand news in order to recognise the &ldquo;sly and dangerous form of seduction that worms its way into the heart with false and alluring arguments&rdquo;.

Francis compared the use of fake news to the Bible story of the devil, who, disguised as a serpent, persuaded Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. He said she was fed wrong information by Satan.

&ldquo;We need to unmask what could be called the &lsquo;snake-tactics&rsquo; used by those (purveyors of fake news) who disguise themselves in order to strike at any time and place,&rdquo; he said.

He said the role of journalists was &ldquo;not just a job, it is a mission&rdquo; and they had particular responsibility to stem fake news.

&ldquo;Amid feeding frenzies and the mad rush for a scoop, they must remember that the heart of information is not the speed with which it is reported or its audience impact, but persons,&rdquo; he said. He said journalism should be &ldquo;less concentrated on breaking news than on exploring the underlying causes of conflicts ... a journalism committed to pointing out alternatives to the escalation of shouting matches and verbal violence.&rdquo;&nbsp;

'Fake news is a sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred. That is the end result of untruth,' Francis said in the first document by a pope on the subject.

Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the “evil” of fake news, saying journalists and social media users should shun and unmask manipulative “snake tactics” that foment division to serve political and economic interests. “Fake news is a sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred. That is the end result of untruth,” Francis said in the first document by a pope on the subject. It was issued after months of debate on how much fake news may have influenced the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and the election of President Donald Trump. The document, called “The truth will set you free - Fake news and journalism for peace”, was issued in advance of the Catholic Church’s World Day of Social Communications on May 13. “Spreading fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions, and serve economic interests,” the pope writes, condemning the “manipulative use of social networks” and other forms of communication. “This false but believable news is ‘captious’, inasmuch as it grasps people’s attention by appealing to stereotypes and common social prejudices, and exploiting instantaneous emotions like anxiety, contempt, anger and frustration,” he said. False stories spread so quickly that even authoritative denials often could not contain the damage done and many people run the risk of becoming “unwilling accomplices in spreading biased and baseless ideas”, he said. He called for “education for truth” that would help people discern, evaluate and understand news in order to recognise the “sly and dangerous form of seduction that worms its way into the heart with false and alluring arguments”. Francis compared the use of fake news to the Bible story of the devil, who, disguised as a serpent, persuaded Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. He said she was fed wrong information by Satan. “We need to unmask what could be called the ‘snake-tactics’ used by those (purveyors of fake news) who disguise themselves in order to strike at any time and place,” he said. He said the role of journalists was “not just a job, it is a mission” and they had particular responsibility to stem fake news. “Amid feeding frenzies and the mad rush for a scoop, they must remember that the heart of information is not the speed with which it is reported or its audience impact, but persons,” he said. He said journalism should be “less concentrated on breaking news than on exploring the underlying causes of conflicts ... a journalism committed to pointing out alternatives to the escalation of shouting matches and verbal violence.”

Pope condemns 'evil' of fake news and its use for political gain

Pope Francis, in an extremely rare act of self-criticism, apologised to victims of clerical sex abuse on Sunday, acknowledging he had &quot;wounded many&quot; in comments defending a Chilean bishop who is under scrutiny.

But while the pope said he was sorry for his choice of words and tone of voice when he testily answered a reporter&#39;s question last Thursday in Chile, he also said he was certain that the prelate, Juan Barros, was innocent.

&quot;I have to apologise,&quot; an unusually contrite pope told reporters aboard the plane returning to Rome from a week-long trip to Chile and Peru, saying he realised he had &quot;wounded many people who were abused&quot;.

&quot;I apologise to them if I hurt them without realising it, but it was a wound that I inflicted without meaning to,&quot; he said. &quot;It pains me very much.&quot;

In the latest twist to a saga that has gripped Chile, Francis said Barros, who is accused of protecting a notorious paedophile, would remain in his place in the diocese of Osorno because there currently was no credible evidence against him.

Last Thursday, a Chilean reporter managed to get close the pope at the end of an event and shouted out a question about Barros.

&quot;The day I see proof against Bishop Barros, then I will talk. There is not a single piece of evidence against him. It is all slander. Is that clear?&quot; the pope replied in a snippy tone.

His comments were seen as trying to dismiss the credibility of accusers and were widely criticised by victims, their advocates and newspaper editorials in Chile and the pope&#39;s native Argentina.

On Saturday, even Cardinal Sean O&#39;Malley of Boston, a key papal adviser, distanced himself with a statement saying the pope had caused &quot;great pain&quot;.

Slap in the face

Francis said on the plane: &quot;I know how much they (abuse victims) suffer in hearing the pope say to them &#39;bring me a letter with the proof,&#39;&nbsp;I realise that it is a slap in their faces, and now I realise that my expression was an unfortunate one&quot;.

Barros has been accused of protecting his former mentor, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing teenage boys over many years. Karadima denies the allegations, and Barros said he was unaware of any wrongdoing.

Barros was among the men Karadima trained about 20 years ago. Barros and three others went on to become bishops. A Chilean, Juan Carlos Cruz, said Barros saw Karadima abuse him.

In his comments on the plane, the pope disclosed that Barros had offered to resign twice in recent years but Francis rejected the offers.

&quot;I can&#39;t condemn him because I don`t have evidence and because I am convinced he is innocent,&quot; Francis said.

He said Barros would remain in his place unless credible evidence is found against him.

The statement from O&#39;Malley on Saturday implicitly criticising the pope was even more remarkable because O&#39;Malley heads a papal commission advising the pontiff on how to root out sexual abuse in the Church.

Critics decry dismal record

Victims group have criticised the pope&#39;s record on abuse.

He defended it on the plane, saying that since he started his papacy in 2013, he had received about 25 requests for pardons by priests convicted of paedophilia, most of them very old.&nbsp;

&quot;I have not signed even one,&quot; he said, denying a U.S. media report last year.

While the pope has vowed &quot;zero tolerance&quot; for sexual abuse, his efforts have sputtered.

A planned Vatican tribunal to judge bishops accused of covering up sexual abuse or mishandling cases never started and the much-touted commission O&#39;Malley heads has been hit by defections by high-profile non-clerical members who had been victims of abuse when they were children.

Marie Collins of Ireland quit in frustration last year, citing a &quot;shameful&quot; lack of cooperation within the Vatican. Another, Peter Saunders of Britain, also quit in frustration.

The pope reminded reporters on the plane that on the first day of his trip to Chile he had expressed his &quot;pain and shame&quot; for the rape and molestation of children by priests and later met with two victims.

Juan Carlos Claret, a spokesman for anti-Barros Catholics in Osorno, southern Chile, said during the trip that he worried the pope&#39;s response to the reporter before the apology would discourage more victims from speaking out.&nbsp;

&quot;What incentive will victims have to come forward when even if the courts and the Vatican have said they are right, in the end, the pope says they are pure lies?&quot; he said in a telephone interview.

While the pope said he was sorry for his choice of words, he also said he was certain that the prelate, Juan Barros, was innocent

Pope Francis, in an extremely rare act of self-criticism, apologised to victims of clerical sex abuse on Sunday, acknowledging he had "wounded many" in comments defending a Chilean bishop who is under scrutiny. But while the pope said he was sorry for his choice of words and tone of voice when he testily answered a reporter's question last Thursday in Chile, he also said he was certain that the prelate, Juan Barros, was innocent. "I have to apologise," an unusually contrite pope told reporters aboard the plane returning to Rome from a week-long trip to Chile and Peru, saying he realised he had "wounded many people who were abused". "I apologise to them if I hurt them without realising it, but it was a wound that I inflicted without meaning to," he said. "It pains me very much." In the latest twist to a saga that has gripped Chile, Francis said Barros, who is accused of protecting a notorious paedophile, would remain in his place in the diocese of Osorno because there currently was no credible evidence against him. Last Thursday, a Chilean reporter managed to get close the pope at the end of an event and shouted out a question about Barros. "The day I see proof against Bishop Barros, then I will talk. There is not a single piece of evidence against him. It is all slander. Is that clear?" the pope replied in a snippy tone. His comments were seen as trying to dismiss the credibility of accusers and were widely criticised by victims, their advocates and newspaper editorials in Chile and the pope's native Argentina. On Saturday, even Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, a key papal adviser, distanced himself with a statement saying the pope had caused "great pain". Slap in the face Francis said on the plane: "I know how much they (abuse victims) suffer in hearing the pope say to them 'bring me a letter with the proof,' I realise that it is a slap in their faces, and now I realise that my expression was an unfortunate one". Barros has been accused of protecting his former mentor, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing teenage boys over many years. Karadima denies the allegations, and Barros said he was unaware of any wrongdoing. Barros was among the men Karadima trained about 20 years ago. Barros and three others went on to become bishops. A Chilean, Juan Carlos Cruz, said Barros saw Karadima abuse him. In his comments on the plane, the pope disclosed that Barros had offered to resign twice in recent years but Francis rejected the offers. "I can't condemn him because I don`t have evidence and because I am convinced he is innocent," Francis said. He said Barros would remain in his place unless credible evidence is found against him. The statement from O'Malley on Saturday implicitly criticising the pope was even more remarkable because O'Malley heads a papal commission advising the pontiff on how to root out sexual abuse in the Church. Critics decry dismal record Victims group have criticised the pope's record on abuse. He defended it on the plane, saying that since he started his papacy in 2013, he had received about 25 requests for pardons by priests convicted of paedophilia, most of them very old. "I have not signed even one," he said, denying a U.S. media report last year. While the pope has vowed "zero tolerance" for sexual abuse, his efforts have sputtered. A planned Vatican tribunal to judge bishops accused of covering up sexual abuse or mishandling cases never started and the much-touted commission O'Malley heads has been hit by defections by high-profile non-clerical members who had been victims of abuse when they were children. Marie Collins of Ireland quit in frustration last year, citing a "shameful" lack of cooperation within the Vatican. Another, Peter Saunders of Britain, also quit in frustration. The pope reminded reporters on the plane that on the first day of his trip to Chile he had expressed his "pain and shame" for the rape and molestation of children by priests and later met with two victims. Juan Carlos Claret, a spokesman for anti-Barros Catholics in Osorno, southern Chile, said during the trip that he worried the pope's response to the reporter before the apology would discourage more victims from speaking out. "What incentive will victims have to come forward when even if the courts and the Vatican have said they are right, in the end, the pope says they are pure lies?" he said in a telephone interview.

Pope apologises for sexual abuse comments that 'wounded many'

Pope Francis on Saturday urged Latin America&#39;s faithful to fight rampant violent crime against women including murder, while holding mass in Trujillo, Peru&#39;s largest northern city.

&quot;I wish to invite you to combat a plague across our Latin American region: the numerous cases of violent crimes against women, from beatings to rape to murder,&quot; the visiting pontiff told thousands in Trujillo&#39;s main colonial-era square.

Half of the 25 countries with the greatest number of murders of women are in Latin America, according to UN Women.

In Argentina, the pope&#39;s homeland, there were at least 254 murders of women in 2016 that authorities think were gender-related, which helped spark the online campaign #NotOneMore murder.

&quot;There are so many cases of violence that stay silenced behind so many walls,&quot; Francis said, arousing cheers from the crowd. &quot;I&#39;m calling on you to fight against this source of suffering including legislation and a culture that rejects every type of violence.&quot;&nbsp;

The northwestern city Trujillo is still struggling to rebuild after deadly devastating floods one year ago.

More than 130 people were killed across Peru between January and April 2017 in heavy rains, floods and landslides fueled by the El Nino weather phenomenon, which also left at least 300,000 homeless. Hardest-hit was Peru&#39;s northern coastal region.

Francis acknowledged that many families still could not rebuild their homes after the floods -- then warned of the &quot;storms&quot; of organized crime.

The high crime rate means fewer educational and work opportunities, preventing young people &quot;from building a future with dignity,&quot; Francis said.

The mass took place on a stretch of beach in Huanchaco, a town in Trujillo some 560 kilometers (350 miles) north of Lima. Huanchaco is popular with surfers and known for its distinctive reed watercraft known as &quot;caballitos de totora.&quot;

The pope then boarded his Popemobile to visit Trujillo&#39;s impoverished &quot;Buenos Aires&quot; neighborhood, which was especially hard hit by last April&#39;s flooding.&nbsp;

&quot;We will see if the pope brings along some blessings. And if we can recover completely from everything lost in the floods. We need him to bring some mercy,&quot; said local resident Lidia Garcia.

As on Friday, Francis was accompanied by Peru&#39;s president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

On Sunday he is slated to hold another beachside mass in Lima.

The visit is a change of pace after a politically charged first day in the South American country where the pope railed against &quot;great business interests&quot; for endangering the Amazon and its indigenous people.

And he lashed out at corruption in politics.

&quot;There is so much damage done by this... thing that infects everything,&quot; Francis said. &quot;And it&#39;s always the poorest and the environment that get the short end of the stick.&quot;

On Friday, he sounded a stark warning about the future of the rainforest and tribe members, saying they had &quot;never been so threatened.&quot;

Bare-chested tribesmen, their bodies painted and their heads crowned with colorful feathers, danced and sang for the pope when he arrived in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado.

Thousands of indigenous people had traveled to meet the pontiff from throughout the Amazon basin region of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.

Pope Francis, 81, arrived Thursday afternoon in Peru, the second and last leg of a week-long South American visit.&nbsp;

During the first part of his visit, in Chile, Francis highlighted the plight of vulnerable immigrants, offered an apology to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, prayed with survivors of Augusto Pinochet&#39;s brutal dictatorship, and called for protection of Chile&#39;s persecuted indigenous people.

'I wish to invite you to combat a plague across our Latin American region: the numerous cases of violent crimes against women, from beatings to rape to murder,' the visiting pontiff told thousands in Trujillo's main colonial-era square

Pope Francis on Saturday urged Latin America's faithful to fight rampant violent crime against women including murder, while holding mass in Trujillo, Peru's largest northern city. "I wish to invite you to combat a plague across our Latin American region: the numerous cases of violent crimes against women, from beatings to rape to murder," the visiting pontiff told thousands in Trujillo's main colonial-era square. Half of the 25 countries with the greatest number of murders of women are in Latin America, according to UN Women. In Argentina, the pope's homeland, there were at least 254 murders of women in 2016 that authorities think were gender-related, which helped spark the online campaign #NotOneMore murder. "There are so many cases of violence that stay silenced behind so many walls," Francis said, arousing cheers from the crowd. "I'm calling on you to fight against this source of suffering including legislation and a culture that rejects every type of violence." The northwestern city Trujillo is still struggling to rebuild after deadly devastating floods one year ago. More than 130 people were killed across Peru between January and April 2017 in heavy rains, floods and landslides fueled by the El Nino weather phenomenon, which also left at least 300,000 homeless. Hardest-hit was Peru's northern coastal region. Francis acknowledged that many families still could not rebuild their homes after the floods -- then warned of the "storms" of organized crime. The high crime rate means fewer educational and work opportunities, preventing young people "from building a future with dignity," Francis said. The mass took place on a stretch of beach in Huanchaco, a town in Trujillo some 560 kilometers (350 miles) north of Lima. Huanchaco is popular with surfers and known for its distinctive reed watercraft known as "caballitos de totora." The pope then boarded his Popemobile to visit Trujillo's impoverished "Buenos Aires" neighborhood, which was especially hard hit by last April's flooding. "We will see if the pope brings along some blessings. And if we can recover completely from everything lost in the floods. We need him to bring some mercy," said local resident Lidia Garcia. As on Friday, Francis was accompanied by Peru's president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. On Sunday he is slated to hold another beachside mass in Lima. The visit is a change of pace after a politically charged first day in the South American country where the pope railed against "great business interests" for endangering the Amazon and its indigenous people. And he lashed out at corruption in politics. "There is so much damage done by this... thing that infects everything," Francis said. "And it's always the poorest and the environment that get the short end of the stick." On Friday, he sounded a stark warning about the future of the rainforest and tribe members, saying they had "never been so threatened." Bare-chested tribesmen, their bodies painted and their heads crowned with colorful feathers, danced and sang for the pope when he arrived in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado. Thousands of indigenous people had traveled to meet the pontiff from throughout the Amazon basin region of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. Pope Francis, 81, arrived Thursday afternoon in Peru, the second and last leg of a week-long South American visit. During the first part of his visit, in Chile, Francis highlighted the plight of vulnerable immigrants, offered an apology to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, prayed with survivors of Augusto Pinochet's brutal dictatorship, and called for protection of Chile's persecuted indigenous people.

Pope urges end to violence against women

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