Pope Visits Mexico

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hFzBFEbX-Qzv6_dB2Q8CtdIUAQ5g?docId=5f06d574846d4a10b59aa272db06d38f 


Pope Benedict XVI recently visited Mexico to urge citizens to use their faith as a way to stray away from drug use and poverty. 


Mexicans feel that the Pope was reminding them to stay strong midst daily struggles against criminality, corruption, and economic hardship. In the past, Mexican citizens have not connected with Pope Benedict as well as they did with the Pope before him, Pope John Paul. 


Benedict won over people with this prayer at the end of Mass, "At this time when so many families are separated or forced to emigrate, when so many are suffering due to poverty, corruption, domestic violence, drug trafficking, the crisis of values and increased crime, we come to Mary in search of consolation, strength and hope." The reference to Mary is particularly important for Mexicans, who revere the Virgin of Guadalupe as their patron saint. 


The Pope was told to give the crowd a message of hope because their lives have been consumed by "fear, helplessness, and grief" over the immense violence stemming from Mexico's drug trade.


Benedict chose to visit Guanajuato because John Paul II had never visited that area and he needed to bless the Christ the King statue which "expresses an identity of the Mexican people that contains a whole history in relation to the testimony of faith and those who fought for religious freedom at the time," said Monsignor Victor Rene Rodriguez, secretary general of the Mexican bishops conference. Also, this region is Mexico's most conservatively Catholic.

Current Event #4 - Putin's Opposition Seeks New Tack

Ever since Putin and his cronies announced his presidency, Putin's opposition has taken some time off to think. Since trying to beat him in an election didn't work, they are considering "more pragmatic methods." 


Saturday, 20,000 peaceful protesters held a rally, chanting "RUSSIA WITHOUT PUTIN!" Although they were angry, the mood was somber and the protesters left with no clear plan of action.


Unlike the success of the Arab Spring, the movement to overthrow Putin in Russia has not been able to spread anywhere outside of Moscow, establish a strong leader, or crack the unjust system. 


Regardless of the outrage, Russian stocks and the ruble rose in trading today, due to what analysts are calling a lower perceived risk of political uncertainty and instability. 


However, it is clear that middle-class citizens are angry and are demanding greater political openness in larger numbers than ever before. Many people believe that even if there was no cheating or fraud involved in the elections, Putin would have won anyway, saying that most Russian citizens do not have the right mentality right now. 


State-controlled radio and television stations are also showing evidence of a gradual change, reporting on rallies and political events very straightforwardly. 


"I felt a new attitude, new energy," crime novelist and protest leader Grigory Chkhartishvili wrote in his blog. "There were a lot of new people on the stage who spoke without tedious bravado, without demands for an immediate victory of the forces of good over the forces of evil."




http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303717304577275373135551522.html

Current Event #3 - Suicide Bomber in Nigeria

As worshipers prayed today in a Catholic church in Jos, Nigeria, a suicide car bomber detonated his device, killing at least 10 people.


Jos has been a place of intense violence and conflict in the past decade that has been centered around religious and ethnic tensions.


The bomber was allegedly stopped at a security checkpoint where he decided to detonate, causing riots and chaos to break out later that day. Angry young protesters burned homes and set fires in neighborhoods across the city, causing more deaths. 


Although nobody has claimed responsibility for this horrendous attack, officials believe it could have been the doing of a radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram. 


Boko Haram has been responsible for bombings in Jos on Christmas Eve and Feb 26, killing a total of 118 people. 


Christian and Islamic groups have been in constant conflict for a long time in Nigeria. At least 1,000 people died as a result in Jos in 2010. Though the groups squaring off are religious, the things they are fighting over are not: both groups have been competing for local politics, economics, and the rights to grazing lands. The Muslims are angry because the Christian-led government does not recognize them as citizens. 


This newest attack brings attention to the fact that Nigeria is having trouble dealing with terrorism, especially in the Muslim north. 


President Goodluck Johnathon has condemned the attack and assured citizens that the government is "winning the war against the terrorists." Johnathon has also warned citizens to not engage in reprisal attacks against Muslims. 




http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/explosion-hits-catholic-church-in-central-nigeria-town-where-thousands-killed-in-past-violence/2012/03/11/gIQAr8Xs4R_story.html


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17331707