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Breaking: Pope Francis Dies at 88

DailyDatesNG — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 09:39:16 +0000

Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the first pontiff from Latin America, has died at the age of 88.

The Vatican officially confirmed that the Pope passed away peacefully on Easter Monday at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis made history in 2013 when he was elected as the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

During his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis became globally recognized for his humility, progressive stance on social issues, and strong advocacy for the poor, the environment, and global peace. He often broke with long-standing traditions, focusing on compassion, inclusivity, and open dialogue within and outside the Church.

“With deep sorrow, we announce that His Holiness Pope Francis has returned to the house of the Father,” the Vatican said in an official statement on Monday.

In recent years, Pope Francis faced multiple health challenges, including a recent bout of pneumonia that required hospitalization. Despite these issues, he remained active in leading the Church and championing humanitarian causes until his final days.

Following the Pope’s passing, tributes have poured in from world leaders, religious authorities, and millions of Catholics worldwide. Many are honoring him as a transformative figure who brought renewed relevance and compassion to the modern Catholic Church.

In line with Vatican tradition, the College of Cardinals will convene in the coming days to begin the process of electing a new pope in a papal conclave.

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Pope Urges Catholics To Pick ‘lesser evil’ Between Trump and Harris

DailyDatesNG — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 15:03:04 +0000

Pope Francis has called both major US presidential candidates “against life” and advised Catholic voters to choose the “lesser evil” when casting their ballots in the November election.

The pontiff said not welcoming migrants – seemingly referring to Trump – is a “grave” sin, and compared Kamala Harris’s stance on abortion to an “assassination”. The Pope did not refer to Harris or Trump by name in his comments.

“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ the Pope said in rare political comments at a Friday news conference as he wrapped up a 12-day tour through southeast Asia.

American Catholics make up 52 million of the 1.4 billion Catholics globally.

Pope Francis was asked to counsel Catholic voters during the in-flight news conference and noted in his remarks that he was not an American and would not be voting in the election.

“Not voting is ugly. It is not good. You must vote,” he said.

“You must choose the lesser evil. Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone, in conscience, (has to) think and do this.”

The Pope has frequently criticised abortion, which is forbidden by Catholic teaching, in sharp terms.

“Forcing a child from the mother’s womb is an assassination because there is life there,” Francis said.

And this is not his first time making critical comments about Trump.

During the 2016 election, he described Trump as “not Christian” because of the presidential contender’s anti-immigrant language.

“Expelling migrants, not letting them develop, not letting them have a life is an ugly thing, it’s mean,” he said on Friday.

Trump has repeatedly promised to crack down on illegal immigration and as recently as Friday afternoon said he would deport millions of immigrants if re-elected.

Harris has promised to expand nationwide protections for access to abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Pope Francis’s remarks come days after Trump and Harris debated one another for the first time. The pair was expected to take the debate stage one more time before election day, but Trump has said he would not debate Harris again.

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Breaking: Twitter’s Blue Badge Vanishes

DailyDatesNG — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 14:53:55 +0000

Twitter began the mass removal of its blue ticks on Thursday, as the symbol previously used to signify a verified account vanished from users.

Accounts of world leaders, celebrities have been hit by the development.

Pope, Donald Trump and Justin Bieber have lost their blue badge.

Owner Elon Musk, who invested $44 billion in buying Twitter earlier pledged to get rid of what he described as a “lords & peasants system.”

He offered instead to sell the blue badge to anyone who would pay $8 a month, in a move he said last year would “democratize journalism & empower the voice of the people.”

Earlier dates set for the rollback of the ticks — predominately used by celebrities, journalists and politicians — have slipped by without noticeable action.

But on Thursday high-profile accounts, as well as those of many reporters at AFP and other news organizations, appeared to have had the checkmarks removed.

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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Dies At Age 95

DailyDatesNG — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 10:33:58 +0000

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is dead.

Pope Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95.

A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “With pain I inform that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be released as soon as possible.”

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