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New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
Pope Leo XIV receives a rock star's welcome at Catholic influencer festival
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday received a rock star's welcome at the Vatican's festival of Catholic influencers — priests, nuns and ordinary faithful who use their social media presence to preach and teach the faith — as he urged them to ensure that human relations don't suffer with the spread of digital ecosystems and artificial intelligence. History's first American pope was mobbed by hundreds of influencers, their cellphones hoisted high to stream the encounter, when he arrived in St. Peter's Basilica after a special Mass. The pilgrims have descended on Rome for a special Holy Year celebration of so-called 'digital missionaries,' part of the Vatican's weeklong Jubilee for young people that culminates this weekend with a vigil and Mass in a vast field on Rome's outskirts. 6 History's first American pope was mobbed by hundreds of influencers, their cellphones hoisted high to stream the encounter. AP Leo thanked the young people for using their digital platforms to spread the faith, and he gamely posed for selfies. But he warned them about neglecting human relationships in their pursuit of clicks and followers, and cautioned them to not fall prey to fake news and the 'frivolity' of online encounters. 'It is not simply a matter of generating content, but of creating an encounter between hearts,' Leo said in a speech that showed his ease switching from Italian to Spanish to English. 'Be agents of communion, capable of breaking down the logic of division and polarization, of individualism and egocentrism.' 'It is up to us – to each one of you – to ensure that this culture remains human,' he said. 'Our mission – your mission – is to nurture a culture of Christian humanism, and to do so together' in what he called the only networks that really matter: of friendship, love and the 'network of God.' Warnings against going off-message 6 The pilgrims have descended on Rome for a special Holy Year celebration of so-called 'digital missionaries.' REUTERS For the past two days, the Vatican's message to the young influencers has been one of thanks for their social media evangelizing, but also a warning to not allow their posting to go off-message or to neglect the human dimension of all encounters. For Leo, the issue is particularly heartfelt since he has said that addressing the threat to humanity posed by AI will be a priority of his pontificate. 6 Leo thanked the young people for using their digital platforms to spread the faith, and he gamely posed for selfies. IPA / The Rev. David McCallum, an American Jesuit who heads a leadership development program and spoke to the influencers at a conference Monday, held periodic breaks in his presentation with instructions for those in the audience to actually speak with the person next to them, for up to 10 minutes at a time. Cardinal Antonio Tagle, the head of the Vatican's evangelization office, urged the influencers to avoid anything that smacks of false advertising, coercion or brainwashing in their posting, or to use their platform to make money. He noted that he himself had been a victim of a fake video advertising arthritis medicine. 'Brothers and sisters, be discerning,' Tagle told the influencers in his homily at Tuesday's Mass. A mini World Youth Day in Rome 6 The pope warned them about neglecting human relationships in their pursuit of clicks and followers, and cautioned them to not fall prey to fake news. AP Tuesday began with groups of influencers and young pilgrims passing through the basilica's Holy Door, a rite of passage for the estimated 32 million people participating in the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year celebrations. This week, downtown Rome swarmed with energetic, singing and dancing masses of teenage Catholic scouts, church and Catholic school groups. It all had the vibe of a scaled-down World Youth Day, the once-every-three-year Catholic Woodstock festival that was inaugurated by St. John Paul II. 6 For Leo, the issue is particularly heartfelt since he has said that addressing the threat to humanity posed by AI will be a priority of his pontificate. AP The most recent one in Lisbon, Portugal, went viral thanks to the Rev. Guilherme Peixoto, a village priest in northern Portugal who also happens to be a DJ. He's in Rome this week, though it's not clear if he will reprise his now-famous set that woke young people up before Pope Francis' final Mass in Lisbon. In it, as he jammed to house music behind his console in full clerical collar, Peixoto spliced into the set both St. John Paul II's exhortation to young people to 'be not afraid' and Francis' insistence in Lisbon that the church had room for everyone, 'todos, todos, todos.' 6 This week, downtown Rome swarmed with energetic, singing and dancing masses of teenage Catholic scouts, church and Catholic school groups. AP That mantra has become something of the refrain for this year's youth Jubilee, with #todostodostodos being used across platforms by pilgrims posting about their time in Rome. Pablo Licheri, who founded the Catholic Mass Times app, which provides locations and times for Catholic liturgies around the world and has registered 2 million downloads, said he has been heartened by both Leo's message of unity and the enthusiasm of social media-savvy Catholics like him. 'I was especially moved to meet so many fellow Catholic influencers in person and to pray together with others who share the same passion for spreading the joy of God's love,' he said after Tuesday's Mass.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai is up for the award again with a long-awaited novel
LONDON (AP) — Indian author Kiran Desai, who won the Booker Prize and then didn't publish a novel for almost two decades, is up for the award again with her long-awaited follow-up. 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,' the 677-page tale of two young Indians making their way in the United States, is one of 13 books announced Tuesday as semifinalists for the prestigious 50,000-pound ($67,000) prize. The contenders include authors from nine countries on four continents. It's Desai's first novel since 'The Inheritance of Loss,' which won the Booker in 2006. Two previous finalists are up for the prize again: U.K. writer Andrew Miller, for 'The Land in Winter,' and Hungarian-British writer David Szalay for 'Flesh.' Tash Aw, who has been a semifinalist twice before, will be the first Malaysian winner if he takes the prize for 'The South.' Five of the contenders are from Britain: Miller, Szalay, Natasha Brown ('Universality'), Jonathan Buckley ('One Boat') and Benjamin Wood ('Seascraper'). Books by U.S. writers in the running include Susan Choi's 'Flashlight,' Katie Kitamura's 'Audition' and Ben Markovits' 'The Rest of Our Lives.' Also on the list are 'Misinterpretation' by Albanian-American Ledia Xhoga, 'Love Forms' by Trinidad's Claire Adam, and 'Endling,' a debut novel by Canadian-Ukrainian opera librettist Maria Reva. 'The 13 longlisted novels bring the reader to Hungary, Albania, the north of England, Malaysia, Ukraine, Korea, London, New York, Trinidad and Greece, India and the West Country,' said Irish novelist Roddy Doyle, chair of a five-member judging panel that includes actor Sarah Jessica Parker. 'All, somehow, examine identity, individual or national, and all, I think, are gripping and excellent,' he said. Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize has a reputation for transforming writers' careers and is open to novels from any country published in the U.K. and Ireland. Last year's winner was 'Orbital,' by British writer Samantha Harvey. A list of six finalists will be announced Sept. 23, and this year's winner will be crowned on Nov. 10 at a ceremony in London.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
England's Euro 2025 champions given a heroes' welcome with some surprise guests getting involved
Thousands of fans came out to celebrate England's back-to-back Women's European Champions in London on Tuesday as coach Sarina Wiegman and her players were given a homecoming to remember. Led by a marching band along the iconic Mall and later serenaded on stage by music stars Burna Boy and Heather Small, England's players and staff partied in front of Buckingham Palace. 'I was crying all the way down The Mall. This is unbelievable. This is probably one of the best things we've ever been a part of,' said captain Leah Williamson, fighting back more tears. England made history by becoming the country's first national soccer team across the men's and women's game to win a tournament on foreign soil with the penalty shootout victory against world champion Spain in Basel on Sunday. Arriving on two open-top buses with 'Champions' emblazoned on them, the players waved to the fans who, wearing face paint and waving flags, had lined the streets to welcome their heroes. 'We didn't really know what to expect coming into it today, but everyone was so excited on the bus and it was so nice to come back to England and celebrate with our fans,' said Alessia Russo, who scored England's equalizing goal in the final, which ended 1-1 after extra time. 'It's just a bit surreal. It's crazy to see this many people come out in the home of England, in London, heading up to Buckingham Palace, I'd never have dreamt of anything like it.' The central band of the Royal Air Force got the atmosphere going — playing England soccer anthems 'Three Lions' and 'Sweet Caroline.' There was more music on stage with a special surprise for Wiegman, who is a fan of Burna Boy. The Nigerian Afro-fusion star joined her to sing his hit song 'For my Hand,' with Wiegman dancing along and joining in. The Dutch coach completed a three-peat of Euros titles, having previously won with her native Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022. She has a remarkable record of reaching the final of her last five major tournaments as coach of the Netherlands and England. 'I hoped for a little less chaos,' she said of the her latest triumph, which featured comebacks from England in each of the knockout rounds through to the final. 'They just showed up when it was really necessary.' Heather Small was next on stage to sing 'Proud' with England's players joining in again before lifting the trophy in front of the thousands of fans who had gathered, with fireworks filling the sky. For Williamson, triumph was another benchmark as she became the first England captain to lift two major trophies. 'Obviously we do it for us and our team, but we do it for the country and for young girls. This job never existed 30, 40 years ago and we are making history every single step,' she said. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
