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Ecuador deports hundreds of Colombian inmates as Bogota cries foul
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Sub sinks Morocco as Nigeria are crowned African football queens
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Bournemouth stroll past Everton in Premier League friendly
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Thailand says open to 'dialogue' with Cambodia to end conflict
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England sweat on Stokes' bowling fitness in bid for India series win
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Powerhouse Gyokeres can give Arsenal missing edge
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Britain leads calls for airdrops as Gaza hunger crisis deepens
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Ecuador deports more than 800 Colombian inmates as Bogota cries foul
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Arsenal sign Swedish international Viktor Gyokeres
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Spain's pioneers 'knocking down walls' with run to Euro 2025 final
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Greece asks for EU help in battling wildfires
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Rahul and Gill frustrate England in fourth Test after Stokes century
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Norris reassured by pole after Belgian Grand Prix 'worries'
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England ready to meet challenge of 'fantastic' Spain in Euro 2025 final
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US migrant raids spark boom for private detention providers
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'Make America Gay Again': Amsterdam pride gets political
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Over 600 malnourished children die in six months in Nigeria: MSF
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Hamilton holds hands up after 'unacceptable' qualifying
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Norris on pole as McLaren lock-out front row at Belgian Grand Prix
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Johannesburg to host first LIV Golf event in Africa
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Pogacar on cusp of fourth Tour title as Groves solos to stage 20 win
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Motor rally accident kills three spectators in France
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Lando Norris claims pole for Belgian Grand Prix
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'Famine', 'starvation': the challenges in defining Gaza's plight
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Stokes ends two-year wait for Test hundred before Gill holds firm for India
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Australian Groves wins penultimate Tour stage, Pogacar in yellow
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Root has no interest in Tendulkar run-record hype
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Too early to judge Gill and his young India team, says Dev
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Liverpool beaten 4-2 by AC Milan in Hong Kong pre-season friendly
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NASA says it will lose about 20 percent of its workforce
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Farrell says win over Australia 'what dreams are made of'
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Trump plays golf in Scotland as protesters rally
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Stokes ends two-year wait for Test hundred before India collapse in fourth Test
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Lions stage stunning comeback to beat Wallabies and win series
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Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises
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Stokes ends two-year wait for Test hundred as England press for India series win
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Liverpool to remember Jota with permanent tribute
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'We are neighbours': fleeing Thais and Cambodians call for peace
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Verstappen begins new Red Bull era with Belgian sprint win
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French left urges Macron to act over US plan to destroy contraceptives
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Howe confident Isak will stay at Newcastle despite transfer talk
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Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal
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New-look Australia focused on LA 2028 at swimming worlds
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China urges global consensus on balancing AI development, security
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David's century sparks Aussies to T20I clincher over WIndies
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Death toll rises in Thai-Cambodian clashes despite ceasefire call
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China prodigy takes on swimming world aged 12
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UN gathering eyes solution to deadlocked Palestinian question
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Polls open in Taiwan's high-stakes recall election
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'Alien' lands at Comic-Con
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Pope Francis: A Transformative Legacy
The Catholic Church mourns the loss of Pope Francis, who passed away on 21 April 2025 at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped the Church and touched the world. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was the first Jesuit, the first Latin American, and the first non-European pontiff in over 1,200 years. His death, caused by a stroke, marked the end of a 12-year papacy defined by bold reforms, profound compassion, and inevitable controversies.
Francis ascended to the papacy in 2013, following the historic resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. From his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he chose the name Francis in homage to St. Francis of Assisi, he signalled a departure from tradition. Eschewing the opulent Apostolic Palace for a modest residence in Casa Santa Marta, he embodied humility. His early words, asking the crowd to pray for him, set the tone for a papacy rooted in accessibility and service.
His transformative vision centred on a “poor Church for the poor.” Francis prioritised the marginalised, visiting prisons, washing the feet of inmates, and advocating for refugees and the homeless. His 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, was a clarion call for environmental stewardship, urging global action on climate change and sustainable living. This landmark document resonated beyond the Catholic faithful, earning praise from world leaders and environmentalists alike. His commitment to interfaith dialogue also broke new ground. The 2019 Document on Human Fraternity, co-signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, promoted peace and coexistence, while his historic visits to Iraq and Indonesia furthered ecumenical ties.
Francis sought to modernise the Church through the Weltsynode, a global reform process launched in 2021. For the first time, laypeople and women were given voting rights at the 2023 Synod of Bishops, a move hailed by progressives as a step towards inclusivity. He appointed women to senior Vatican roles, challenging the Church’s male-dominated hierarchy. Yet, his refusal to ordain women as priests or deacons disappointed those hoping for deeper doctrinal change, highlighting the delicate balance he struck between reform and tradition.
His papacy was not without shadows. The ongoing clergy abuse scandal cast a long pall. While Francis expressed deep sorrow and implemented measures to address the crisis, critics argued he was too slow to act decisively. His handling of cases, such as those involving high-profile clerics, drew scrutiny. Geopolitically, his outspoken criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza strained Vatican-Israel relations, and his failure to sway the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on the Ukraine war underscored the limits of his influence. Within the Church, ultraconservative factions opposed his reforms, with some accusing him of diluting doctrine. His decision to sign a document affirming the diversity of religions sparked fierce debate, with critics claiming it undermined Catholic exclusivity.
Francis’s personal struggles added complexity to his tenure. Health challenges, including a prolonged hospital stay for pneumonia in early 2025, tested his resilience. Yet, even in his final days, he remained active, attending Easter services and visiting his beloved Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where he will be laid to rest on 26 April 2025, per his wishes for a simple burial. His choice of this basilica, rather than St. Peter’s, reflects his lifelong devotion to humility and his connection to the Marian icon Salus Populi Romani.
Tributes poured in from across the globe. World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden, lauded his compassion and advocacy for the vulnerable. Hollywood figures like Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio praised his moral leadership, while Argentina declared seven days of national mourning. In Rome, tens of thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Square, where his body was displayed for public homage until Friday, before a funeral attended by global dignitaries.
As the Vatican prepares for the conclave to elect the 267th pope, the Church stands at a crossroads. Francis’s reforms have opened doors, but his unfinished agenda—on women’s roles, abuse accountability, and doctrinal evolution—leaves his successor a daunting task. His papacy, a beacon of hope for many, was a tightrope walk between progress and tradition, light and shadow. His legacy endures as a call to compassion, a challenge to power, and a vision of a Church closer to the people it serves.

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