Madonna asks Pope Leo to visit Gaza ‘before it's too late'
The American superstar, who was raised a Roman Catholic, pleaded with the new pontiff to visit the enclave in an Instagram post Monday and said:
'Most Holy Father. Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it's too late. As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering. The children of the world belong to everyone. You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry.'
Madonna said she was calling on Leo to visit Gaza because 'politics cannot affect change,' but 'consciousness can.'
In the post, published on her son Rocco's birthday, Madonna said the best gift she could give to him is 'to ask everyone to do what they can to help save the innocent children caught in the crossfire in Gaza.'
CNN has reached out to the Vatican for comment.
Since his papacy began in May, the pope has been robust in his criticisms of Israel's war in Gaza, consistently voicing his concern for Palestinian civilians facing Israeli bombardment.
'I am following with great concern the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the civilian population is suffering from severe hunger and remains exposed to violence and death,' he said in July, calling for a ceasefire.
According to UNICEF, the United Nations' children's agency, more than 18,000 children have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.
An average of 28 children have been killed a day there, the agency said last week.
An Israeli blockade on aid to the enclave has resulted in what the World Health Organization (WHO) has called 'man-made mass starvation.'
Madonna said that she is 'not pointing fingers, placing blame or taking sides.'
'Everyone is suffering. Including the mothers of the hostages. I pray that they are released as well,' she said.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responded to Madonna's post on Monday, thanking her for her 'compassion, solidarity and commitment to care for everyone caught in the Gaza crisis, especially the children.'
'This is greatly needed. Humanity and peace must prevail,' he said.
At least 222 people – including 101 children – have died from malnutrition since the beginning of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Ramesh Rajasingham, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told a UN security council meeting Sunday: 'This is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.'
Israel tightly controls the flow of aid and personnel to the enclave.
In a rare instance in July, Israel allowed two church leaders to visit after Israel struck Gaza's sole Catholic church, killing three people and wounding several others.
The church had served as a shelter for Gaza's tiny Christian community throughout nearly two years of war.
Since then, Gaza's starvation crisis has deepened, with images of emaciated children causing global alarm.
'We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children,' Madonna said. 'There is no more time. Please say you will go,' she wrote.
Whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government would grant the pope entry to the enclave is not certain, but Madonna's appeal underlines growing condemnation of the 22-month war, which has caused tensions between Israel and its allies.
Australia, Canada and France have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state, with the United Kingdom conditionally saying last month that it will recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel does not meet criteria that includes agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Madonna's comments come as a growing number of artists, including Massive Attack, Brian Eno and most recently U2, have highlighted the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
During a performance in late 2023, Madonna also criticized the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel, and Israel's military response.
She called the war 'heartbreaking.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
China hawks skeptical of Trump chip deal
Trump on Monday agreed to allow tech giants Nvidia and AMD to secure export licenses to sell their advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips in China in exchange for a 15 percent cut of the profits. The White House said Tuesday that more such deals could be on the table. The unusual deal doesn't just raise legal questions. Experts say the U.S. should be wary of turning over American-made technology that could boost its adversary's AI capabilities, at a time when the two countries are fiercely competing for dominance. The security concerns appear to be a two-way street. China urged tech companies there to avoid any purchase of Nvidia's H20 chip, citing security issues. The move once again has Trump at odds with Congress's China hawks, who argue the administration is shortchanging America's national security interests to make a buck. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.), the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, in a statement said the most troubling part of the deal was a contradiction at the heart of the policy. 'The administration cannot simultaneously treat semiconductor exports as both a national security threat and a revenue opportunity,' he said. 'By putting a price on our security concerns, we signal to China and our allies that American national security principles are negotiable for the right fee.' The same panel's GOP chair, Rep. John Moolenaar (Mich.), said there are 'questions about the legal basis' for such a deal. 'Export controls are a frontline defense in protecting our national security, and we should not set a precedent that incentivizes the Government to grant licenses to sell China technology that will enhance its AI capabilities,' he said in a statement.
Miami Herald
22 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
New Miami U.S. Attorney sworn in by Attorney General Bondi in Washington
Former Miami-Dade County Judge Jason A. Reding Quiñones was sworn in Wednesday as the new U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. But the afternoon ceremony making his appointment by President Donald Trump official didn't happen in the district's home base, Miami, according to tradition. Nor was he sworn in by the district's chief judge, which has been customary for decades. Reding Quiñones was administered the oath of office by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi at the Justice Department in Washington — indicating that the nation's first top federal prosecutor confirmed by the Senate earlier this month will be an ardent loyalist as the Trump administration carries out its agenda against illegal immigrants, gangs and drug traffickers. 'I think it's unusual, if not rare — in the old days, the chief judge would swear in the U.S. Attorney,' said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who carefully follows presidential nominations. 'I'm wondering how the judges in the Southern District will feel about this. It seems like an unnecessary affront to them.' Tobias said the symbolism of Reding Quiñones' being sworn in by Bondi, a former Florida Attorney General, is unmistakable, noting how she has aggressively led the Trump administration's confrontations with federal judges over immigration disputes, higher tariffs and government cutbacks. There has also been widespread speculation that Bondi might move a potential grand jury investigation from Washington to South Florida to look into the Obama administration's role in the FBI probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, which brought the Trump campaign under intense scrutiny. 'I wondered at first why he would be the first U.S. Attorney to be confirmed by the Senate; it didn't make sense,' Tobias said. 'But I now think it does make sense, making Florida first.' On Aug. 2, Reding Quiñones secured a 52-44 confirmation vote along party lines in the U.S. Senate — Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin was the only Democrat to vote for him. Reding Quiñones, 44, will now head the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida, replacing interim U.S. Attorney Hayden O'Byrne, as he oversees about 250 prosecutors and support staff in one of the busiest districts in the country. READ MORE: Trump picks U.S. attorney in Miami. As criminal prosecutor, he received poor evaluations 'As the son of a Cuban political refugee and a proud Miami native, I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence that President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and the United States Senate have placed in me,' Reding Quiñones said in a statement. 'As the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, I will work tirelessly to protect the American people, restore impartial justice, and defend the rule of law without fear or favor.' Several colleagues touted Reding Quiñones as the new U.S. Attorney, while others privately questioned whether his loyalties would be to Trump and Bondi or to the federal prosecutors in South Florida. 'I think it's very special that Judge Reding Quiñones was the first U.S. Attorney confirmed by U.S. Senate since President Trump was inaugurated,' said Coral Gables lawyer Jesus Suarez, chairman of the 11th Judicial Nominating Commission in Miami-Dade, which had recommended him as a county judge to Gov. Ron DeSantis. 'I'm confident he will bring the same kind of fearless respect for the rule of law we have seen from AG Pam Bondi and the rest of President Trump's DOJ,' he said. Jon Sale, a prominent white-collar defense attorney and the former First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, said: 'That AG Bondi performed the swearing in personally demonstrates that Jason is held in high esteem by the Department of Justice. 'As a result of the confidence shown by AG Bondi, the district will benefit from getting more high visibility cases,' he said. 'Jason's many years in public service, including his time on the bench and protecting our country in the military, show he is up for the challenges of this position and qualifies him to be an excellent U.S. Attorney.' Reding Quiñones, formerly a federal prosecutor in the Miami office, was appointed as a Miami-Dade County judge last year by Gov. DeSantis and is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve. After graduating from Florida International University's law school in 2008, he began his career practicing corporate law and then did a stint as military lawyer for the U.S. Air Force before joining the Justice Department in Washington in 2018. Later that year, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami hired Reding Quiñones as a prosecutor in the major crimes section, the starting place for most newly hired assistants. During his four years in the major crimes section, which focuses on lower-level felony cases, Reding Quiñones received poor evaluations from supervisors who cited his incompetence, the Miami Herald learned. In turn, Reding Quiñones filed a complaint against the U.S. Attorney's Office, claiming it was discriminating against him as a white man whose temporary work as an Air Force reservist prevented him from performing at the same full-time level as other federal prosecutors in the major crimes section. Reding Quiñones then took an extended leave from the office in 2020-2021 to serve in the Air Force Reserve. When he returned to his prosecutor's job, Reding dropped his discrimination complaint and agreed to be reassigned to the civil division, which deals mostly with non-criminal prosecutions. In the civil division, Reding Quiñones received satisfactory job evaluations. READ MORE: Miami U.S. Attorney, first Haitian-American in post, to resign before Trump takes office
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
Pressure builds for Trump-Putin summit
The stakes are being laid out for President Donald Trump's meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Flooding caused by a melting glacier was avoided in Alaska. And see which major city has the wealthiest suburb. 👋 Hello! Rebecca Morin here. Look what I got for you! It's Wednesday's news. But first: Be that well-read dinner guest. 📚 The 10 niche nonfiction reads that will impress your friends or further your quest for knowledge. Trump sets stakes for Putin summit It's a high-stakes one-on-one summit that could lead to an even bigger meeting. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants Vladimir Putin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "almost immediately" after his upcoming Alaskan summit with the Russian leader. Trump said there would be 'very severe consequences' if Putin does not agree to end the Ukraine war when they meet. He added that the summit between him and Putin would be "setting the table" for a possible Putin-Zelenskyy meeting that he might attend as well. 👉 What Trump wants to see from the summit. Where will the Alaska summit take place? Friday's summit will take place at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, which spans 13,000 acres, to discuss Russia's three-year war with Ukraine. The meeting will be the first time in four years that a U.S. president has met Putin since the war began. 👉 What to know about the base. Speaking of Alaska … A crisis dodged. Emergency barriers installed throughout Alaska's capital city, Juneau, appear to have successfully funneled floodwaters away from neighborhoods during a "glacial outburst" supercharged by climate change. The flood risk was dropping Wednesday after the Mendenhall River crested at a record-setting 16.65 feet as of 7:15 a.m. Alaska time (12:15 Eastern) and began to recede, according to National Weather Service experts. Fooding has been a growing concern for Juneau in recent years, and federal scientists say climate change is causing the glacier to melt faster. 👉 What to know about the flooding. Real quick An honor for cultural icons It's an annual tradition at the Kennedy Center: honoring those in performing arts – from the radio to the stage to the screen – for contributing to American culture. President Donald Trump, who is also the Kennedy Center's new chairman, announced the nominees for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors on Wednesday. The nominees include country music legend George Strait, Michael Crawford, who originated the role of the Phantom in Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera," Sylvester Stallone, disco star Gloria Gaynor and rock band KISS. Emcee-in-chief: Trump did not just announce the nominees to be honored; he also named himself host of the ceremony. Trump revealed he had agreed to emcee the event after he said organizers begged him to take the role, arguing he would bring better ratings. The show will air later this year on CBS. 🎤 What to know about the ceremony. Not your average suburb In Washington, DC, the nation's capital and one of largest metropolitan areas, it is well-known that the suburb of McLean is a high-earner enclave, housing diplomats and spies alike. But it is just one of the wealthiest suburbs in the country. A new report from the personal finance site GOBankingRates identifies the wealthiest suburbs of America's 50 largest metropolitan areas in 2025. It's a spinoff from an earlier analysis that listed the wealthiest suburbs in America. To compile the report, researchers found the suburb with the highest mean household income for each of the 50 largest metropolitan areas. 🏠 See the wealthiest suburbs of the nation's largest cities. A break from the news Rebecca Morin is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY. Got thoughts or feedback? Reach out to her at rdmorin@
