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Young Catholics Converge On Rome For Pope Leo’s Vigil

Published

3 months ago

August 2, 2025

Thousands of young Catholics began assembling Saturday for an evening prayer vigil led by Pope Leo XIV, the culmination of a week-long pilgrimage and a key event in the Jubilee holy year that is expected to draw up to a million people.

The “Jubilee of Youth” — when the Vatican invites Catholics aged 18 to 35 to the seat of the global Church’s power — has seen young pilgrims from around the world flood Rome, waving flags, singing or praying in groups.

It comes nearly three months after Leo, 69, the first American pontiff, began his papacy, and 25 years after the last such massive youth gathering in Rome under Poland’s Pope John Paul II.

On Saturday morning, thousands of young pilgrims had already gathered at the vast open space in Rome’s eastern Tor Vergata neighbourhood where the pope will lead the vigil, the ground already dotted with blankets and mattresses.

Elsewhere in the Eternal City, numerous groups of young people were seen preparing to set off for the venue.

On the plaza outside the Basilica of St John Lateran, they filled water bottles, applied suncream and checked bags of food and snacks — ready to spend the next 24 hours surrounded by a swarm of people and then sleep under the stars.

Victoria Perez, who carried a Spanish flag, could not contain her excitement at seeing “the Pope up close.

“It’s the first time I’m going to see him, and I can’t wait,” the 21-year-old told AFP, excited to experience the “night of prayers under the stars”.

French pilgrim, Quentin Remaury, 26, said he had been inspired by the late Pope Francis’s rousing message to youth during a 2016 visit to Krakow, Poland.

“Pope Francis told us to ‘get off your couches,’ and that really gave me a boost,” he said.

– ‘What is his message?’ –

Since the youth jubilee began on Monday, attendees have participated in various Church-planned events throughout the city.

On Friday, approximately 1,000 priests were on hand to take confession at Circus Maximus, one of Rome’s top tourist spots.

Some 200 white gazebos lined the hippodrome where chariot races were once held, and youths lined up to speak to priests in 10 different languages.

Of the many languages heard on the streets of the Italian capital this week, Spanish seemed to dominate. The Vatican has said that more than 146 countries were represented, and it expects up to a million people to attend the vigil.

The pilgrimage is taking place as economic uncertainty and anxiety over climate change rise among the under-30s, with many saying they were curious to hear the Church’s position on global warming, wars and economic inequalities.

Samarei Semos, 29, said she had travelled three days from her native Belize to get to Rome.

“We are still trying to understand his leadership,” she said of the new pope, adding she hoped he would have a strong say about “third world countries”.

As Parisian student Alice Berry exclaimed, “What does he have to say to us? What is his message for young people?”

– Raising voices –

The youth pilgrimage also comes amid global alarm over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and more than three years of war in Ukraine.

The Vatican has praised young Catholics who managed to travel to Rome from war-scarred countries, with Pope Leo saying the voices of the world’s youth “will be heard to the end of the earth”.

In an unprecedented move, Leo hosted a mass on Tuesday for Catholic social media influencers, signalling the Vatican’s openness to supporting the Internet-savvy youth.

More than 4,300 volunteers will be working the event to welcome the young pilgrims, along with over 1,000 police, according to organisers.

Roman authorities have tightened security in the city — which has seen an unprecedented number of people, with both tourists and pilgrims inundating the city.

AFP

Headline

Madagascar Revokes Ousted President’s Nationality

Published

21 minutes ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

Madagascar’s new government has stripped ousted president Andry Rajoelina of his Malagasy nationality in a decree published Friday, 10 days after he was removed in a military takeover.

According to AFP, the decree means that Rajoelina, who was impeached on October 14 after fleeing the island nation in the wake of weeks of protests, would not be able to contest future election.

The decree published in the official gazette said Rajoelina’s Malagasy nationality was revoked because he had acquired French nationality in 2014, local media reported, as photographs of the document were shared online.

French broadcaster RFI said it had confirmed the decree with the entourage of the new prime minister, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, who signed the order.

The decree cited laws stipulating that a Malagasy who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses their Malagasy nationality.

Rajoelina’s French nationality caused a scandal when it was revealed ahead of the November 2023 elections, nearly 10 years after it was granted.

Headline

Kamala Harris Hints At Running For President Again

Published

32 minutes ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

Former US vice president Kamala Harris said in a British television interview previewed in Saturday that she may “possibly” run again to be president.

Harris, who replaced Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate but lost to Donald Trump, told the BBC that she had not yet decided whether to make another White House bid.

But the 61-year-old insisted she was “not done” in American politics and that her young grandnieces would see a female president in the Oval Office “in their lifetime, for sure”.

“I have lived my entire career a life of service, and it’s in my bones, and there are many ways to serve.

“I’ve not decided yet what I will do in the future, beyond what I am doing right now,” Harris told the British broadcaster in an interview set to air in full on Sunday.

The comments are the strongest hint yet that Harris could attempt to be the Democratic Party nominee for the 2028 election.

The interview follows the release of her memoir last month, in which she argued it had been “recklessness” to let Biden run for a second term as president.

She also accused his White House team of failing to support her while she was his deputy, and at times of actively hindering her.

AFP

Headline

India Police Arrest Three Nigerian Women For Cocaine, MDMA

Published

58 minutes ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

The Police in India have uncovered a transnational drug distribution network allegedly operated by a group of Nigerian nationals, following a series of coordinated raids across the Delhi-NCR region over the weekend.

According to a report by thetimesofindia, three suspects, including two Nigerian women, were arrested for their roles in the trafficking of synthetic drugs such as MDMA and cocaine. The suspects, identified as Precious and Gift (believed to be a misspelling of Gift), were apprehended near Bakhtawar Chowk by officers from the Crime Unit, Sector 43.

According to investigators, the women had been staying at Food Empire, near the Bajaj showroom on Devli Road in Delhi, from where they allegedly managed deliveries to clients across Gurgaon and parts of Delhi.

“A total of 39 grams of MDMA, classified as a commercial quantity, was recovered from their possession,” the news platform quoted an unnamed police officer as saying. “They have been booked under Section 21(C) of the NDPS Act at Sadar Police Station, Gurgaon.”

Quoting police sources, the newspaper reported that the Nigerians entered India on medical visas two years ago but remained in India illegally after their visas expired. Apart from supplying drugs, they were said to be involved in sex work around MG Road at night.

It added that based on information obtained during interrogation, a team led by Inspector Narendra raided a building in Khanpur Extension, Delhi, on Sunday morning with assistance from the Delhi Police.

The operation led to the seizure of additional narcotics and drug-making equipment, including 22 grams of white MDMA, 3 grams of brown MDMA, 9 grams of cocaine, an electronic weighing machine, packaging materials, and mobile phones.

Another Nigerian woman, identified as Joy, was found at the premises. Police said her boyfriend, believed to be a key figure in the drug ring, had escaped a day earlier.

“The entire building had been rented by Nigerians who were running a drug manufacturing and distribution setup,” Inspector Narendra said. “They produced MDMA and cocaine using chemical substances and distributed them nationwide through the dark web and other covert channels.”

Recall that in October, Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Police in India arrested a Nigerian national following the seizure of 523 grams of cocaine valued at approximately ₹5.23 crore (worth about N861,705,887.60) during an early morning operation on Saturday.

According to https://www.lokmattimes.com police sources said the operation was conducted around 4:15 a.m. near Diamond Ayva Hostel on Hansmukh Road, Vakola, after a patrol team noticed a man loitering suspiciously on the pavement.

Officers reportedly invited independent witnesses to the scene before carrying out a search.

A white nylon bag was allegedly found in the suspect’s possession, which contained a transparent plastic pouch holding the cocaine.