The new head of state urges Beijing to end its political and military threats, upholding outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen's political line. He will face several domestic challenges, such as a deeply divided parliament and the rising cost of living.
Inaugurated by Card. Gracias on the eve of Pentecost, it proposes the twenty mysteries of the Rosary through 252 statues at natural height and in a setting that recalls the time of Jesus. The Archbishop of Mumbai: "A great gift from which many will benefit".
At the Kazan International Economic Forum, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov - former president and adre of the current Turkmen head of state - called for "an Islamic initiative in the name of peace, mutual understanding and trust" to be presented to the UN. He pointed to the relations between Russia and Islamic countries as a model.
During the Mass in St. Peter's, the pontiff spoke of the Holy Spirit's characteristics of ‘strength’ and ‘kindness’. The invitation ‘to proclaim the Gospel to all’. ‘Let us continue to speak of peace to those who want war, to speak of forgiveness to those who sow revenge,’ he added. After the recitation of the Regina Caeli: may the Holy Spirit ‘give rulers the courage to make gestures of dialogue’.
Entitled ‘From Samurai to Manga, the Christian epic in Japan’, an exhibition is on display until 13 July at the Mep premises. On display are objects from various collections that trace the history of persecutions and ‘hidden Christians’ but also the vitality of today's ‘little flock’.
In Verona for the Arena of Peace the gesture of two people who have both lost loved ones in the Gaza conflict. The pontiff told the weavers of dialogue in the Holy Land: ‘Ask world leaders to listen to your voice, so that agreements are born from reality and not from ideologies’. ‘The sin of political regimes that have ended in dictatorships is not to admit plurality: only a society where conflicts are addressed and dialogue takes place has a future’.