Thousands attend Pope Leo's first Angelus prayer
"I am happy to be among you... and thank you all for your warm welcome," the Pope declared, standing outside the gates of the Apostolic Palace, flanked by two Swiss Guards in full dress uniform.
Arriving on July 6, Leo is taking a two-week break at the Castel Gandolfo, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) southeast of Rome, reviving it as a summer papal residence.
His predecessor, Pope Francis, preferred to stay at the Vatican for the summer.
Undeterred by rainy weather, thousands of people crowded the streets of the village, perched on a hilltop and overlooking a lake, to get a glimpse of the new pope as he delivered for the first time the Angelus prayer, which popes usually deliver every Sunday.
The pope presided over mass in the Church of Saint Thomas of Villanova, before crossing the square to the cheers of the crowd.
"Let us not forget to pray for peace and for all those who find themselves in suffering and need because of war," he said.
cmk/yad/djt
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘She's going to be big': why Putin should fear Britain's next fighter jet
The first thing to know about Britain's flagship new fighter jet is that it's big. This becomes immediately clear when you see the full-scale mock-up that dominates a warehouse at the Warton factory near Preston, Lancashire, which is run by British defence giant BAE Systems. And here, size matters. Because it tells you a lot about what the UK, Italy and Japan are planning for the supersonic stealth jet they are building together. The three countries are aiming to bring the aircraft – which has been christened 'Tempest' in the UK – into service by 2035 under an agreement known as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). 'This won't be the final shape and size but, in terms of scale, it's about the same,' says Jonny Moreton, of BAE, during a visit by The Telegraph. 'Whatever GCAP as a core platform is going to be ... she is going to be big.' A bigger jet means bigger fuel tanks. That means more range and bigger payloads of explosive warheads. But the size also means weapons can be stored internally – ensuring a smooth exterior that makes the aircraft harder to detect with radar. At the same time, Tempest will be packed with technology allowing it to link up with other aircraft, drones, ground forces and satellites. All this suggests Tempest is being designed for long-haul missions deep into enemy territory, where communicating with home base may be impossible. If Nato ever ended up at war against Putin's Russia, experts say this means the aircraft would take off from a British airfield, fly to Russia undetected, destroy hostile air defences and then fly all the way back again. Not only that, but such a long range would allow Japanese pilots to strike deep into the Chinese mainland in any future Pacific conflict. Moreton, who is also an ex-commodore of the Royal Air Force, remains tight-lipped about whether these propositions are correct. But with modern warfare happening at ever-larger distances, he concedes that any deterrent to Russian and Chinese aggression must be able to operate 'at ranges that previously we've been unable to do'. 'You need to be able to get there safely, undetected and return home,' he adds. So critical is the need for range that project leaders have suggested the jet will be capable of crossing the Atlantic without mid-air refuelling – something no Royal Air Force fighter has ever been able to do. A Typhoon jet, the backbone of the RAF's existing fleet, has a combat radius of about 860 miles on a single tank of fuel. Meanwhile, the American-made F-35A stealth jet, which air force chiefs recently said they were planning to acquire, has a combat radius of about 680 miles. That is less than half the distance between London and Moscow, which is roughly 1,550 miles. It means Tempest will be in a league of its own when it comes to British fighters, says Francis Tusa, an independent defence analyst. 'As the requirements have changed over the years, so have the models,' he says. 'You can make your aircraft as stealthy as you like but if it has to be refuelled by a tanker then ultimately your adversary just needs to track down and destroy the tanker. 'So you need enough internal fuel to go a very, very long way – and stay out there.' Tempest in combat Imagine Nato and Russia did go to war in future – what does this mean for Tempest's role in the fight? Tusa says in week one of the conflict, Tempest would probably have to go into Russia and attack surface-to-air missile defences and air bases. Then in week two, when there is no threat from air defences, the jet can either be an air superiority fighter that loiters in the sky and takes out enemy fighters or continues in a ground support role. To fulfil that role, it is expected to be able to unleash massive arsenals of explosive weapons on its targets – potentially twice as much as an F-35 can deploy. Based on reports, Tusa says Tempest's maximum takeoff weight could be 'north of 30 tonnes' compared to Typhoon's 23 tonnes. That is more than the Lancaster bombers used in the Second World War. 'It is going to be in a completely different league to anything we have ever built,' Tusa says. The technology being built into Tempest will also ensure the jet can act as an airborne communications hub, even if contact with bases back in Britain has been disrupted. This means it can act as a central contact point for nearby friendly drones and missiles, as well as forces on the ground and satellites in space. 'We need to be able to operate at range, where our communications might be disrupted,' explains BAE's Moreton. 'Therefore we need to make sure we have a core platform that's crewed, that's in a position that it can be the heart of the network if we're unable to communicate back to home base for operations. 'It needs to be able to operate in an isolated environment.' Automation push BAE is part of 'Team Tempest', a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and industry that also includes Rolls-Royce, missile maker MBDA and Italy's Leonardo . Since 2023, however, the effort has been amalgamated with GCAP, with the UK, Italy and Japan combining research and development into a single programme. The British team, led by BAE, is working on a demonstrator jet that will road-test a key piece of equipment – a vent system that will feed air to Tempest's engines using an S-bend that wends its way through the aircraft's insides. This is vital to reducing the jet's radar signature. A trial has been scheduled for some time in 2027 and remains on schedule, according to BAE. At Warton, the company is trialling new production processes that will be used to fabricate the aircraft's wings and tail fins in the coming months. These include additive manufacturing, a form of 3D printing where material is added instead of removed, the production of large, carbon-based panels and more extensive use of robots. For example, reconfigurable robot arms are being used instead of specialist 'jigs' that were previously needed on the production lines of older aircraft such as the Typhoon. Jigs are tools that hold components in place or guide cutting tools during manufacturing and are often tailor-made for a certain stage of the process. Using robots instead will slash the cost of making the jigs – which often runs to tens of millions of pounds – and could shave up to three years off the run-up to full-rate production. It also means the factory floor is more easily reconfigurable, saving money for BAE at its facilities and letting the company easily switch to the production of a different product when required. All this will help to keep vital domestic skills alive as the company prepares to transition away from making Typhoon to producing Tempest in the next decade. That is still some way away, BAE stresses, with workers likely to be kept busy for at least the next 10 years by orders anticipated from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. But the development of Tempest will help to preserve Britain's sovereign capability to make its own aircraft, says Richard Hamilton, the managing director for Europe and International at BAE's air business. 'We're one of a small number of nations that have the whole aircraft capability,' he says. 'That means we can design an aircraft, we can make it and we can actually fly it from the site as well to our customers. 'Not many other countries still have that capability, so it's a freedom of action that our Government has at the moment.' This is one reason why other countries are also queuing up to join the GCAP consortium. Saudi Arabia is understood to be one of the countries in discussions with the three existing national partners, although it is not clear yet what level of involvement the Gulf nation could have. Riyadh is currently a buyer of the Typhoon jet but defence sources say the kingdom is looking for a potentially weightier role in GCAP that would give it more influence over capabilities and a greater role in manufacturing as well. But Herman Claesen, the head of future combat air at BAE, says the window for new joiners is narrowing, particularly given the brisk pace the founding countries want to maintain. 'To be part of the core programme today in the same way as Japan, Italy and the UK, because of the pace we've achieved and where we are today, becomes quite challenging and will have an impact which the three governments will have to either reject or accept,' Claesen says. 'It's never impossible ... we can make anything happen. But I see the likelihood as diminishing all the time, considering the pace we have on the programme.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
EY Report Says Italy's GDP Could Fall 1.4 Percent If U.S. Tariffs Hit 30 Percent
MILAN – There are still a lot of ifs, but failure to negotiate U.S. President Donald Trump's 30 percent tariffs on European goods by the Aug. 1 deadline could reverse Italian economic growth forecasts for 2025. According to EY's recent Parthenon Bulletin, Italy's gross domestic product could fall as much as 1.4 percent as a result of the tariffs, which would have a negative impact of just under 30 billion euros, said EY Parthenon managing partner Marco Daviddi. Parthenon is the accounting firm's strategy and transaction division. More from WWD Veralab Sets International Expansion Plans, Starting From Spain Tariffs Are Weighing Heavily on the Industry, But Shoe Price Increases Have Been Minimal - So Far Tariffs at 30 Percent Would Be a Tipping Point for European Furniture- and Lighting-makers According to economists at Istat, forecasts in June said the Italian economy was actually expected to grow 0.6 percent in 2025 and 0.8 percent in 2026, lifted by improving domestic demand. 'Taking these factors into account, it seems unrealistic to foresee a final agreement between the EU and the U.S. that would set tariffs around 10 percent, as indicated in the estimates and expectations of European institutions,' the EY report said, adding that tariffs will unlikely settle at under 20 percent. 'The implications for global growth and financial markets are significant, although the most significant effects will be felt during 2026,' the report added. Trump posted letters to Truth Social detailing the new duty rates for Mexico and the 27-member European trade bloc on July 12. Prior to Trump's letter, Confindustria's president Emanuele Orsini had already raised alarm over the original 10 percent tariffs and said together, with the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, higher tariffs would result in a loss of 20 billion euros in exports and 118,000 jobs by 2026. The dollar hit its lowest point against the euro in four years at the end of June. Confindustria is Italy's main industrial federation. In 2024 the textile and apparel sector exported over 2.75 billion euros worth of goods to the U.S., making it the third largest market for the sector, Luca Sburlati, president of Confindustria Moda, told WWD. FederlegnoArredo, the Italian federation of woodworking and furniture industries which represents the majority of Europe's luxury furniture-makers, said the U.S. was Italy's largest extra EU market and exports to the U.S. were worth 2.8 billion euros in 2024. FederlegnoArredo's president Claudio Feltrin said a 30 percent tariff on goods would be a tipping point for the industry and would have a severe impact jobs and growth. 'Faced with the news of Trump's decision to introduce 30 percent tariffs on EU exports to the U.S., we can only be concerned and alarmed. Europe must avoid a tariff-against-tariff battle that would benefit no one,' Feltrin said, adding that the entire European production system would be severely impacted. 'Failing to defend our businesses now could result in the industrial desertification of the Old Continent,' he added. Negotiations at the EU Level The EU and continues to weigh its options with the goal of reaching some sort of middle ground. Economists have said that the EU has a few negotiating chips to play, like offering to boost its imports of U.S. military equipment, and reduce tariffs and restrictions on U.S. imports like cars. There is also the option of negotiating down the U.S. goods trade deficit with the EU, which swelled to $235.6 billion in 2024, according to U.S. government data. The EU, on the other hand, has a trade surplus with the U.S., which stood at 17.9 billion euros in December 2024. Trump's letter to the EU included a demand that Europe drop its own tariffs. 'The European Union will allow complete, open market access to the United States, with no tariff being charged to us, in an attempt to reduce the large trade deficit,' he wrote. — With contributions from Andrea Onate in Milan Best of WWD Pandemic Has Stoked Appetite for French Luxury, Survey Finds U.S. Sets Strategic Vision for China Trade Policy Furmark's Farm-to-Shopfloor Tracing Tags Set for International Debut Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Christian leaders make rare visit to Gaza following deadly Israeli church attack
Leaders from the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Church visited Gaza's only Catholic church on Friday, where a day earlier three people were killed in an Israeli strike. The visit is highly unusual given Israel's tight control over access in and out of the territory. Israel says it 'deeply regrets' the incident, blaming stray ammunition for the strike. An investigation is underway. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited the enclave to show their support for Gaza's Catholics, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The two expressed 'the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza,' the Patriarchate - which has jurisdiction for Roman Catholics in Gaza - said. They brought in food aid and medical supplies to the territory, which is facing a humanitarian crisis. The Patriarchate also said the leaders ensured those injured in the Israeli attack would be evacuated outside Gaza for treatment. The church in Gaza has become a shelter for the enclave's tiny Christian community and others during the conflict. Some 600 people, most of them children, were given refuge in the church before it was struck, the Patriarchate said in a statement Thursday. Pope Leo received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, in which the pontiff expressed the importance of protecting places of worship, the Vatican said. During the call, Leo renewed his calls for a ceasefire to be reached by the warring sides in Gaza. Pope Leo 'again expressed his concern for the dramatic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose heartbreaking price is paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,' according to the statement. Netanyahu's office confirmed the call, saying that the Israeli leader 'expressed Israel's regret for the tragic incident' and that he offered his 'heartfelt condolences' to the families of the victims of the strike. There has been international condemnation of the attack, including from key Israeli ally the US, which comes at a time when there has been no let up in the offensive in Gaza. Nearly 59,000 people have died during the conflict, the Palestinian health ministry says, and ceasefire talks remain deadlocked. Dr. Fadl Naim, Director of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, asked why those injured in the attack were able to leave when others are barred. 'Is it an attempt to polish the image of the occupation, or a discriminatory act — treating the wounded differently based on religion?' he asked on X. 'What about the tens of thousands of injured Palestinians who are denied their basic right to travel for treatment?' This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN's Dana Karni contributed to this report.
