&w=3840&q=100)
Pope Leo XIV condemns nationalist movements, calls for reconciliation
The pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square in front of tens of thousands of faithful and prayed to the Holy Spirit to break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred' read more
Pope Leo XIV (C) addresses the crowd during the jubilee of movements, associations and new communities at St. Peter's square in The Vatican. AFP
Pope Leo XIV criticised the rise of nationalist political movements throughout the world as he prayed Sunday for reconciliation and dialogue, a message consistent with his commitment to make the Catholic Church a beacon of peace.
The pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square in front of tens of thousands of faithful and prayed to the Holy Spirit to 'break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,' the first American pontiff said.
He didn't mention any particular country or politician.
Leo also recalled the words of late Pope Francis, who said that 'we are all connected, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anaesthetized by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude' on the feast of Pentecost in May 2023.
The pope also condemned conflicts, which 'are plaguing our world,' and prayed to the Holy Spirit for 'the gift of peace.'
'First of all, peace in our hearts, for only a peaceful heart can spread peace in the family, society and international relations,' Leo said, then prayed for reconciliation and dialogue wherever there is war in the world.
Soon after becoming pope, Leo pledged to work for unity and peace. His first message, 'Peace be with you all,' set the importance of peace as a pillar of his papacy.
He has also appealed for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
31 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Students living in U.S. being repeatedly mistreated but PM Modi is silent: Congress
The Congress on Tuesday (June 10, 2025) slammed the government after a video emerged showing an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned to the floor at a U.S. airport, and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately talk to President Donald Trump to appeal for intervention on the 'mistreatment' of Indians in America. Congress leaders shared the video and pictures of an Indian student handcuffed and pinned to the floor at U.S.'s Newark Airport before he was allegedly deported. The Consulate General of India in New York has said it is in touch with local authorities after the video surfaced online showing the young Indian man being handcuffed and allegedly being deported. 'We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard,' the Indian Consulate said in a post on X. U.S. crackdown on students | What are New Delhi's options | Worldview Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Modi Government is continuously failing to protect the honour of India and Indians. 'For the first time in history, a foreign head of state has declared ceasefire between India and Pakistan in India's absence. US President Trump is continuously claiming to have ensured a ceasefire by pressuring India,' Mr. Ramesh said in his post in Hindi on X. 'For the past one year, Indian citizens and students living in America are being repeatedly mistreated but Prime Minister Modi is maintaining silence or it should be assumed that he is unable to muster the courage to speak,' Mr. Ramesh said. He is the Prime Minister of India, it is his most important responsibility to protect the honour and respect of India and Indians, Mr. Ramesh asserted. 'We demand that Prime Minister Modi should immediately talk to President Trump and appeal for intervention on the mistreatment and atrocities being committed against Indians in America,' he said. Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera tagged a post on X carrying the video, which was posted online by an Indian-American social entrepreneur Kunal Jain. The video shows the Indian man pinned to the ground by Port Authority Police and being handcuffed. 'I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night — handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy,' Mr. Jain said in his post. Tagging Mr. Jain's post, Mr. Khera said, 'This is too painful, too humiliating and too distressing to watch. As a country, why should we tolerate this humiliation?' 'From the days where we showed the muscle to the U.S. during the Devyani Khobragade issue to now seeing our citizens being treated like animals, do we have no goodwill left in the world?' the Congress leader said.
Mint
44 minutes ago
- Mint
US Deploys Marines to LA as Trump Standoff With Newsom Escalates
The Trump administration escalated its response to anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles with the mobilization of 700 Marines, deploying active-duty military on the ground and increasing tensions with California officials. The turmoil comes as Los Angeles saw a fourth night of clashes between police and demonstrators rallying against a rising number of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who local officials say have stoked fear in the immigrant-rich community. President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom clashed again over the response to the unrest in LA, with the state suing the administration for mobilizing National Guard troops in the city. Trump, meanwhile, suggested that Newsom, a Democrat widely seen as a potential presidential contender in 2028, could be arrested if he interferes with the federal immigration raids or response to the unrest. On Monday, largely peaceful daytime protests morphed into scattered clashes with police shooting less-lethal ammunition and some protesters throwing bottles. The LA protests have largely been limited to a few small parts of a city that spreads over several hundred square miles and is connected by a web of freeways. There was no sign of unrest in areas such as Century City, Hollywood Hills and Santa Monica that are miles away from downtown, with businesses and residents largely unaffected. However, incidents have started to spread beyond the city limits. Demonstrators rallied in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, and other major American cities as anti-ICE protests intensified. In Santa Ana, southeast of Los Angeles in Orange County, protesters faced off with law enforcement after immigration raids took place there. Police clashed with protesters in Dallas and Austin late Monday, according to local media reports, with tear gas deployed to disperse a crowd near the Texas state Capitol building. The Trump administration has argued the conditions in LA are spiraling and that federal forces are needed to support immigration agents and restore order. A Defense Department official said Monday that the Marines, based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, were on the move after getting notice over the weekend. US law generally bars the use of the active-duty US military — the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines — from carrying out domestic law enforcement. The deployment of the Marines adds to Trump's order over the weekend that directed the US Northern Command to assume control of the National Guard and dispatch them to LA. California and Newsom sued the Trump administration Monday, calling the mobilization of the state's National Guard and the Marines unnecessary and unlawful and accusing the president of 'another unprecedented power grab.' In a 22-page complaint filed late Monday in San Francisco federal court, the governor urged a judge to void the president's orders and transfer the National Guard from Defense Department control 'back to the rightful command' of the state. 'Deploying over 4,000 federalized military forces to quell a protest or prevent future protests despite the lack of evidence that local law enforcement was incapable of asserting control and ensuring public safety during such protests' is unconstitutional, according to the suit. Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass have accused Trump of making the situation worse. In an X post Monday, the governor called the decision to bring in Marines 'un-American,' and said the administration's deployment of National Guard troops was both 'reckless' and 'pointless.' Trump, in a series of posts on Truth Social, said sending in the National Guard was a 'great decision,' derided the idea that the protests were largely peaceful, and said that 'If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.' 'Just one look at the pictures and videos of the Violence and Destruction tells you all you have to know,' Trump said. 'We will always do what is needed to keep our Citizens SAFE, so we can, together, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' The president also backed comments from his border adviser Tom Homan, who threatened to arrest state and local officials who obstruct federal immigration enforcement, including Newsom and Bass. 'I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great,' Trump said at the White House. 'I like Gavin Newsom, he's a nice guy but he's grossly incompetent, everybody knows that.' Homan later said in a CNN interview Monday that the governor hasn't done anything at this time to warrant arrest. Waymo, the self-driving car service, owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc., suspended its taxi service in the downtown Los Angeles on Monday after demonstrators torched its driverless cars. It also limited service to areas of San Francisco where further protests were expected, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government had made representations to the Trump administration after an Australian television journalist was shot by police with a rubber bullet while covering the LA protests. 'We don't find it acceptable that it occurred and we think the role of the media is particularly important,' Albanese told reporters in Canberra. The United Nations on Monday warned against a further 'militarization' of the situation in LA. 'We certainly hope that all parties on the ground will de-escalate the situation,' deputy spokesman for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said at a press briefing. With assistance from Tyler Kendall, Malathi Nayak, Bob Van Voris, Magdalena Del Valle, Carrington York, Tony Capaccio, Isabela Fleischmann, Laura Curtis, Bill Faries and Alister Bull. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Indian students at Harvard navigate uncertainties
Indian students at Harvard say they are navigating a 'rollercoaster' of uncertainty and anxiety amid the Trump administration's relentless battle against the university while also dealing with a dearth of job opportunities. 'It's just been a time of not quite knowing what to do, whether we should make our moves back home, or whether we should try and figure something out here,' an Indian student, who graduated last month from the Harvard Kennedy School, said, not wishing to be identified. Indian students at Harvard, speaking to PTI on condition of anonymity, shared their concerns and experiences of the last few months during which the prestigious university has seen relentless attacks by the Trump administration. The administration's actions include a freeze of USD 2.2 billion in grants, revocation of the university's eligibility to enrol international students and suspension of entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programmes at Harvard. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that Harvard's leadership has created an 'unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students, and otherwise obstruct its once-venerable learning environment." US President Donald Trump, in a proclamation last week, said Harvard had refused recent requests of the DHS for information about foreign students' "known illegal activity," "known dangerous and violent activity," "known threats to other students or university personnel," and other related data. Another Indian student, who graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Design after completing a two-year course, said students come to American institutions with plans of finishing their studies and then finding jobs to work for a few years in the US. But she described the situation of the past few months as being a 'rollercoaster.' 'With all the uncertainty, I can say that a lot of people who are hiring were generally hesitant of international students, and maybe the Harvard tag helped earlier, but that's not the same right now at this particular moment," she said. The student from Harvard Kennedy School pointed out that she is in a 'desperate job search" at the moment, noting how difficult it is to get a job in the current environment. 'Employers have just stopped entertaining any international students, forget international students from Harvard, because our visa statuses are so volatile that who would want to employ us right now.' She said she doesn't know whether she will be going back to India, staying back or heading to a different country altogether. 'That uncertainty is a lot in a country like America where you're paying' huge amounts of money in rent. She added that she thinks this is a short-term turbulence and things will settle down in the future. 'But while we're caught in the crossfire, I think it's been difficult to plan, and so it's stressful for sure.' The students also pointed out that funding cuts initiated by the Trump administration are impacting jobs in the policy space, climate change, healthcare and public health sectors. The Design School student recalled that just days before graduating last month, students found out that the Trump administration had terminated Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification, which meant the university could no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status. 'We had just finished our final presentations, we were celebrating over lunch, and we saw this news. It was quite unbelievable. Six months ago, you could never predict that something like this would happen,' she said. She however urged foreign students not to feel discouraged by the current situation. 'This should not discourage people. Because I think what institutions like Harvard also do is that they make you a global citizen. And if not America, people are finding pathways elsewhere,' she said. Several students say they had planned to move back to India eventually but had hoped to work in the US for the initial few years, both to get experience in the American job market and also to earn to pay back the significant student loans they have. Another young student, who graduated from Harvard Kennedy School, said while the current situation has been full of 'unpredictability', at some levels students are building some kind of resistance, immunity to respond to developments in real time because the Trump administration's moves against Harvard have been blocked and stalled by the courts. 'The challenges that we face on a day-to-day basis probably are in terms of job opportunities, how we plan our future and the next steps,' he said. 'I know of some classmates of mine who have been in the final stages of interviews with a few companies, but once they found out that these students were from Harvard, they were like 'that might pose a few issues later on. So we'll move on with another candidate',' the student said. 'I've seen a higher number of people who are going back (to India). They have made up their mind that it's not worth staying and then being in a state of uncertainty, away from family and home, sacrificing a lot of things for a future that remains highly, highly uncertain. So that holds lesser value now for a lot of my peers,' he said. He cited media reports that said the State Department has told US consulates globally to resume processing visa applications for students planning to attend Harvard University. "All this is a signalling effect currently, which is hurting all of us a lot. Because you don't really know what, where you can apply, what you can do, employees are hesitant.' He added that he has also been talking to a lot of students from India who are set to arrive in the US to commence studies at Harvard around September this year. 'Generally, yes, the concern has increased a lot in terms of what kind of opportunities exist, because they would be leaving a lot of things back home. The opportunity cost is higher than ever.' He said incoming students or those planning to come to the US in future to study are hesitant and are considering whether they should apply to universities in Europe and elsewhere given 'the kind of environment which has been created for international students generally in the US', which will have far-reaching consequences. He said that while no one he has spoken to among the incoming students has been denied a visa, 'some are reconsidering. They are unsure since there's fear of losing funding and scholarships they've received this year if they defer or don't join.' According to statistics on the website of Harvard International Office, there are 788 students and scholars from India at all schools under Harvard University for the 2024-25 academic year. The Harvard Global Support Services said on its website that each year, anywhere from 500-800 Indian students and scholars study at Harvard. Harvard hosts a total of about 10,158 students and scholars from around the world across its schools, according to Harvard International Office estimates. The Kennedy School student pointed to the "American Dream' that used to bring students from India and elsewhere to the US. 'I think that has been significantly affected. It's definitely not the same what it used to be, even, I would say five years ago, because a lot of this damage is unrepairable.' But amid all this what he found 'heartening' was the university administration 'stepping up' and putting forward a more resolute and strong show of support for the students. 'The other thing which has been absolutely amazing to see is students showing more support for their international peers.'
