<![CDATA[EL PAÍS]]>https://english.elpais.comFri, 08 May 2026 14:49:45 +0000en1hourly1<![CDATA[The year in which Leo XIV became the moral antagonist of the far right]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-05-08/the-year-in-which-leo-xiv-became-the-moral-antagonist-of-the-far-right.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-05-08/the-year-in-which-leo-xiv-became-the-moral-antagonist-of-the-far-right.htmlFri, 08 May 2026 08:37:31 +0000A week before the conclave to elect a new pope that began on May 7, 2025, 120 major Catholic donors from the United States met at the luxurious St. Regis Hotel in the center of Rome, on the invitation of the Papal Foundation. This organization was created in 1988 by John Paul II, in line with Ronald Reagan during the Cold War and following the establishment of relations between the two countries in 1984. It was created to overcome the Vatican’s financial scandals and channel money to the Holy See from the U.S., the country that is the largest benefactor of the Catholic Church: it is estimated that this foundation has donated $250 million up to 2024. But that was until Francis’ pontificate: at that point, the flow dropped drastically, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio was seen by conservatives as a communist pope who hated the United States.

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]]>ANGELO CARCONI<![CDATA[Leo XIV positions himself as the anti-Trump pope]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-04-14/pope-leo-xiv-positions-himself-as-the-anti-trump.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-04-14/pope-leo-xiv-positions-himself-as-the-anti-trump.htmlTue, 14 Apr 2026 10:38:32 +0000If we recall the election of Leo XIV almost a year ago, on May 8, 2025, the prevailing interpretation was that it was the Catholic Church’s response to Donald Trump, a kind of antidote or even an anti-Trump. That expectation quickly deflated because Robert Prevost practically disappeared, adopting a prudent and observant stance that avoided direct confrontation with the president of his homeland. But he has managed to become that figure through a much more effective tactical maneuver.

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]]>LUCA ZENNARO<![CDATA[Sarajevo ‘human safaris’ case in Italy continues with three people under investigation]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-20/sarajevo-human-safaris-case-in-italy-continues-with-three-people-under-investigation.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-20/sarajevo-human-safaris-case-in-italy-continues-with-three-people-under-investigation.htmlFri, 20 Mar 2026 12:01:25 +0000Four months have passed since an investigation into a chilling allegation from the Bosnian War in the 1990s came to light in Italy: weekend snipers from various European countries allegedly paid to go to the hills surrounding Sarajevo, besieged by Bosnian Serb troops, to shoot civilians there. A writer, Ezio Gavazzeni, had compiled information about this and handed it over to the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office, which opened an investigation. It is a matter so appalling it borders on the unbelievable; it is also difficult to investigate, because 30 years have passed and it is based on a handful of testimonies. The fate of the case is uncertain, but some progress has been made: the Public Prosecutor’s Office has already registered three people as suspects, according to the Italian press.

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]]>AP<![CDATA[Trapped in Europe’s largest migrant settlement: The forces sustaining Italy’s informal economy]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-14/trapped-in-europes-largest-migrant-settlement-the-forces-sustaining-italys-informal-economy.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-14/trapped-in-europes-largest-migrant-settlement-the-forces-sustaining-italys-informal-economy.htmlSat, 14 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000Abdul Camara, a 31-year-old Senegalese man, agrees to show EL PAÍS his house: it took him seven years to build it with his own hands.

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]]>Paolo Manzo<![CDATA[Italy’s investigation into ‘human safaris’ in Sarajevo calls in first suspect]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-04/italys-investigation-into-human-safaris-in-sarajevo-calls-in-first-suspect.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-04/italys-investigation-into-human-safaris-in-sarajevo-calls-in-first-suspect.htmlWed, 04 Feb 2026 19:00:39 +0000The investigation in Italy into alleged organized trips to the Serbian siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, in which Italian and other European citizens paid to shoot civilians from the city’s hills, has its first suspect. According to several Italian media outlets, the Milan Attorney General’s Office, which opened proceedings last November following a writer’s complaint, has formally registered as a suspect an 80‑year‑old former truck driver who lives in Pordenone, a city in the northeast near the Slovenian border. He has been summoned to testify next Monday.

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]]><![CDATA[Marzio G. Mian, journalist: ‘The Arctic is the new Congo’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-23/marzio-g-mian-journalist-the-arctic-is-the-new-congo.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-23/marzio-g-mian-journalist-the-arctic-is-the-new-congo.htmlFri, 23 Jan 2026 18:54:12 +0000Italian journalist and explorer Marzio G. Mian is one of the world’s greatest experts on the Arctic, where he has been traveling for 30 years. He founded The Arctic Times Project, an association of international journalists for the documentation of climate change in this frozen landscape. He has just returned from Canada and will soon be going to South Korea, to see the ports and shipyards created to serve the Chinese polar route.

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]]>Lorenzo Palmieri<![CDATA[Fashion designer Valentino dies at 93]]>https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-01-19/fashion-designer-valentino-dies-at-93.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-01-19/fashion-designer-valentino-dies-at-93.htmlMon, 19 Jan 2026 17:24:17 +0000Fashion designer Valentino Garavani — known around the world simply as Valentino — passed away on Monday in Rome at the age of 93, “surrounded by his loved ones,” according to the foundation that bears his name. Valentino, one of those rare figures who can be recognized by just a first name, and even more uniquely associated with a color — red — was the other great king of Italian fashion on the global stage, alongside Giorgio Armani, who passed away last year.

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]]>Franco Origlia<![CDATA[The complicated life of Francesca Albanese: A rising figure in Italy but barred from every bank by Trump’s sanctions ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-28/the-complicated-life-of-francesca-albanese-a-rising-figure-in-italy-but-barred-from-every-bank-by-trumps-sanctions.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-28/the-complicated-life-of-francesca-albanese-a-rising-figure-in-italy-but-barred-from-every-bank-by-trumps-sanctions.htmlSun, 28 Dec 2025 04:00:00 +0000The life of Italian legal scholar Francesca Albanese, who has been the U.N. special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 2022, began to change this summer on the day she presented her report From the Economy of Occupation to the Economy of Genocide, in which she accused major corporations of being complicit in Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

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]]>MOHAMED MESSARA<![CDATA[Media and political earthquake in Italy over sale of ‘La Repubblica’ and ‘La Stampa’, the two main opposition newspapers ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-16/media-and-political-earthquake-in-italy-over-sale-of-la-repubblica-and-la-stampa-the-two-main-opposition-newspapers.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-16/media-and-political-earthquake-in-italy-over-sale-of-la-repubblica-and-la-stampa-the-two-main-opposition-newspapers.htmlTue, 16 Dec 2025 15:05:16 +0000The Italian media and political landscape is experiencing a seismic shift with the potential sale of two historic newspapers, La Repubblica and La Stampa, the country’s second and third best-selling newspapers after Corriere della Sera, and currently the two main progressive opposition media outlets to the government of far-right leader Giorgia Meloni. La Repubblica and other media outlets belonging to the GEDI group, such as the Italian edition of the Huffington Post and three radio stations (M20, Deejay, and Capital), could end up in the hands of the Antenna group, headed by Greek businessman Theodore Kyriakou, a conservative and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Kyriakou is also a partner in Greece of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose PIF fund holds a 30% stake in Antenna Greece BV.

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]]>Simona Granati - Corbis<![CDATA[‘Human safaris’ in Sarajevo: Milan investigates 1990s trips where tourists allegedly paid to kill civilians]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-11/human-safaris-in-sarajevo-milan-investigates-1990s-trips-where-tourists-allegedly-paid-to-kill-civilians.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-11/human-safaris-in-sarajevo-milan-investigates-1990s-trips-where-tourists-allegedly-paid-to-kill-civilians.htmlTue, 11 Nov 2025 15:40:57 +0000The Milan Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into a chilling case that recalls the infamous Sniper Alley of Sarajevo — the city besieged from 1992 to 1996 by Serb-Bosnian militias during the Bosnian War. From the surrounding hills, they shot at passersby who had no choice but to cross that street and expose themselves to being killed. It is estimated that more than 11,000 civilians were murdered in this way.

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]]>AP<![CDATA[The investigation into ‘human safaris’ in Sarajevo: ‘We hope to identify some of those responsible’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-12/the-investigation-into-human-safaris-in-sarajevo-we-hope-to-identify-some-of-those-responsible.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-12/the-investigation-into-human-safaris-in-sarajevo-we-hope-to-identify-some-of-those-responsible.htmlWed, 12 Nov 2025 19:55:35 +0000Milan’s Attorney General’s Office is moving to learn more about the alleged “human safaris” in Sarajevo, denounced in Italy by a writer and two prominent lawyers experienced in complex cases. It is suspected that during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, some Italians paid to travel to Sarajevo and shoot civilians from the hills controlled by Serb-Bosnian militias.

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]]>Rikard Larma<![CDATA[Arrest in Italy shines a light on the murky ties between the Mafia, neo-fascists and the secret service during the Cold War]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-03/arrest-in-italy-shines-a-light-on-the-murky-ties-between-the-mafia-neo-fascists-and-the-secret-service-during-the-cold-war.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-03/arrest-in-italy-shines-a-light-on-the-murky-ties-between-the-mafia-neo-fascists-and-the-secret-service-during-the-cold-war.htmlMon, 03 Nov 2025 17:28:10 +0000In Italy, the past is unpredictable — it is constantly being rewritten, especially when it comes to grave tragedies that never fully come to an end. This is seen most often in the years of the Cold War, when Italy was a crucial battleground because it had the largest Communist Party in the West. In a dark web of mafia, terrorists, secret services, and illegal freemasonry, a series of attacks and assassinations unfolded — crimes for which the truth is still being sought. And so, from time to time, there are surprises.

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]]>Letizia Battaglia<![CDATA[Victim in Peru abuse case used against the Pope speaks out, confirming that her lawyer exploited her: ‘His intention was never to help us’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-10-01/victim-in-peru-abuse-case-used-against-the-pope-speaks-out-confirming-that-her-lawyer-exploited-her-his-intention-was-never-to-help-us.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-10-01/victim-in-peru-abuse-case-used-against-the-pope-speaks-out-confirming-that-her-lawyer-exploited-her-his-intention-was-never-to-help-us.htmlWed, 01 Oct 2025 14:33:11 +0000In 2018, EL PAÍS launched an investigation into pedophilia in the Spanish Catholic Church and has an updated database of all known cases. If you are aware of any cases that have not been reported, please write to us at: abusos@elpais.es. If the case is in Latin America, the address is: abusosamerica@elpais.es.

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]]><![CDATA[The decline of summer vacations in Italy: Families now only go to the beach on weekends]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-08-19/the-decline-of-summer-vacations-in-italy-families-now-only-go-to-the-beach-on-weekends.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-08-19/the-decline-of-summer-vacations-in-italy-families-now-only-go-to-the-beach-on-weekends.htmlTue, 19 Aug 2025 19:50:50 +0000July, and then August, have set off alarm bells on Italy’s beaches, as a trend becomes more established: fewer and fewer families are spending one or two weeks in a seaside town because they can no longer afford it, and the beach is only filling up on weekends. In contrast, the number of foreign tourists staying for longer holidays is growing, and they are the ones most visible from Monday to Friday.

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]]>Burton Zaro<![CDATA[The photo that was never taken of John Lennon’s death]]>https://english.elpais.com/culture/2025-08-18/the-photo-that-was-never-taken-of-john-lennons-death.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2025-08-18/the-photo-that-was-never-taken-of-john-lennons-death.htmlMon, 18 Aug 2025 16:29:42 +0000Robert Morgan, an 82-year-old American painter who has been living in Venice for half a century, says he is not famous and downplays his importance, though he has crossed paths with others who were. For example, his friend, the Russian poet Joseph Brodsky, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1987, who dedicated his beautiful and celebrated book on Venice, Watermark, to him. He also knew Peggy Guggenheim when he arrived in the city in 1973.

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]]>Ewa Gorniak Morgan<![CDATA[Roberto Saviano: ‘To be believed, you have to die, like Falcone, or risk dying. What kind of world do we live in?’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-07-27/roberto-saviano-to-be-believed-you-have-to-die-like-falcone-or-risk-dying-what-kind-of-world-do-we-live-in.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-07-27/roberto-saviano-to-be-believed-you-have-to-die-like-falcone-or-risk-dying-what-kind-of-world-do-we-live-in.htmlSun, 27 Jul 2025 04:00:00 +0000Last Monday, Roberto Saviano partially healed a wound opened 17 years ago. The Rome Court of Appeal, the court of second instance, ruled that in March 2008, the Casalesi clan, the most feared Camorra clan at the time, had indeed threatened to kill him. The court convicted capo Roberto Bidognetti and the clan’s lawyer, Michele Santonastaso, who had read a text in the courtroom during a major Camorra trial requesting the transfer of the case to another court, and directly accused Saviano, who had published Gomorrah in 2006, and journalist Rosaria Capacchione of influencing the judges with their information. In other words, Santonastaso placed the responsibility for a possible conviction, which later actually arrived, on them.

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]]>Claudio Furlan//LaPresse<![CDATA[African flare in Sicily: European heat record of 48.8ºC could be broken]]>https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-07-23/african-flare-in-sicily-european-heat-record-of-488c-could-be-broken.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-07-23/african-flare-in-sicily-european-heat-record-of-488c-could-be-broken.htmlWed, 23 Jul 2025 10:14:39 +0000Catania is shrouded in a white mist, obscuring the horizon at sea, as if the earth were evaporating, as EL PAÍS arrives at the airport at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. The thermometer is already reading 35 degrees Celsius (95ºF), but that’s nothing compared to what is expected, or rather feared, throughout the day: that Sicily will surpass its own heat record, the European record of 48.8ºC (119.8ºF) recorded on August 11, 2021, in Floridia, a small town 65 kilometers from Catania, in the province of Syracuse. Back then, newspaper headlines were already stating “Hell is in Sicily,” and similar things, but the Italian meteorological services have warned that perhaps new hyperbole will be necessary this week, as a heat wave threatens to break the record. For now, the metaphor being used is an “African flare,” due to the torrid winds blowing from the continent, which are responsible for rising temperatures. In more technical terms, it’s a subtropical anticyclone, and it is expected to last until Saturday.

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]]><![CDATA[The accusations of abuse cover-up against Pope Leo XIV: A campaign that was also spread inside the Vatican ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-06-12/the-accusations-of-abuse-cover-up-against-pope-leo-xiv-a-campaign-that-was-also-spread-inside-the-vatican.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-06-12/the-accusations-of-abuse-cover-up-against-pope-leo-xiv-a-campaign-that-was-also-spread-inside-the-vatican.htmlThu, 12 Jun 2025 10:51:45 +0000The election of Pope Leo XIV on May 8 brought with it renewed accusations against him of having covered up past cases of sexual abuse. These accusations were not new, having circulated for the past year and a half. Vatican sources told this newspaper that they were unfounded, and that actions taken by then-cardinal Robert Prevost were appropriate. They connected the allegations to an ultra-right media campaign. A month after Prevost became the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, EL PAÍS has run an analysis that has come to the conclusion that there is no proof that he ever covered up accusations. To the contrary, during the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae scandal in Peru, he was one of the few bishops who took the side of victims. He also supported the journalists Pedro Salinas and Paola Ugaz, who first denounced the religious society in 2015, and who later became targets of an intense campaign involving the media and legal system. Sodalitium was a powerful ultra-conservative organization founded in Peru in 1971 that had sect-like characteristics inspired by the fascist Falange Española political organization. It has been the subject of dozens of abuse and pederasty cases. After years of controversy, the organization wound up being dissolved by Pope Francis in January of this year.

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]]>Julio Reano<![CDATA[Spectacular eruption on Mount Etna sends up 5,000-meter column of smoke]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-06-02/spectacular-eruption-on-mount-etna-sends-up-5000-meter-column-of-smoke.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-06-02/spectacular-eruption-on-mount-etna-sends-up-5000-meter-column-of-smoke.htmlTue, 03 Jun 2025 07:55:48 +0000Mount Etna, the Sicilian volcano that towers over the city of Catania in the east of the island, reawakened on Monday afternoon with a thunderous eruption that sent a column of smoke some five kilometers (3.1 miles) into the sky and generated lava flows. The Italian Civil Protection Agency has issued a red alert, although for the moment the activity is limited to the crater area, at an altitude of around 2,800 meters. In any case, the violent explosions of Europe’s most active volcano, accompanied by strong tremors, were heard in all the nearby towns.

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]]>GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO<![CDATA[What happened inside the conclave? At lunchtime, the Italian favorite lost ground and Prevost took the lead]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-09/what-happened-inside-the-conclave-at-lunchtime-the-italian-favorite-lost-ground-and-prevost-took-the-lead.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-09/what-happened-inside-the-conclave-at-lunchtime-the-italian-favorite-lost-ground-and-prevost-took-the-lead.htmlFri, 09 May 2025 12:48:34 +0000In the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, the popular Roman saying was relentlessly repeated: “He who enters as pope leaves as cardinal.” Sometimes this hasn’t been the case, as with Pius XII in 1939 or Benedict XVI in 2005, when the clear favorites were selected in very quick conclaves, with three and four votes respectively. This conclave was also swift, with four ballots. But the chosen candidate wasn’t the favorite, Pietro Parolin, but rather the dark horse: Robert Francis Prevost.

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]]>Stefano Spaziani<![CDATA[Leo XIV: The first pope from the United States, a figure in the spirit of Francis]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-09/leo-xiv-the-first-pope-from-the-united-states-a-figure-in-the-spirit-of-francis.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-09/leo-xiv-the-first-pope-from-the-united-states-a-figure-in-the-spirit-of-francis.htmlFri, 09 May 2025 06:40:05 +0000Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost, 69, became the first pope from the United States on Thursday. The Church has placed Prevost — a conciliatory, soft-spoken Augustinian with a humble demeanor — at the forefront in the face of growing polarization fueled by Donald Trump and the rise of populist politics in the United States and around the world.

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]]>MASSIMILIANO MINOCRI<![CDATA[Leo XIV, the new Pope]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-08/white-smoke-rises-as-cardinals-reach-swift-agreement-on-new-pope.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-08/white-smoke-rises-as-cardinals-reach-swift-agreement-on-new-pope.htmlThu, 08 May 2025 16:24:24 +0000Leo XIV is the new Pope. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church. The 133 cardinals of the most multicultural conclave in history elected the new pontiff in a conclave that was swifter than anticipated. The chosen candidate secured 89 votes, the two-thirds majority required for election.

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]]>Dylan Martinez<![CDATA[Pope Leo XIV: The agenda that the cardinals have set for the new pontiff]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-08/pope-leo-xiv-the-agenda-that-the-cardinals-have-set-for-the-new-pontiff.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-08/pope-leo-xiv-the-agenda-that-the-cardinals-have-set-for-the-new-pontiff.htmlThu, 08 May 2025 18:56:52 +0000Over the past two weeks, the 12 general congregations have sparked an intense debate about the state of the Church. In more than 260 interventions, cardinals eligible to enter the conclave (those under 80) and those excluded due to age have together mapped out a shared landscape of concerns and pressing issues. From this agenda, they seek the right man to become Pope — someone capable of confronting these challenges.

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]]>Associated Press/LaPresse<![CDATA[Secret history of the conclaves: The internal battles of the last 10 papal elections]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-07/secret-history-of-the-conclaves-the-internal-battles-of-the-last-10-papal-elections.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-07/secret-history-of-the-conclaves-the-internal-battles-of-the-last-10-papal-elections.htmlWed, 07 May 2025 08:41:09 +0000What happens in a conclave is not only secret — though more or less everything eventually becomes known — but also deeply mysterious. Votes shift and fluctuate until they finally converge on a single name, which is often not among the initial favorites. Alongside the influence of the Holy Spirit, far more earthly factors come into play — patterns that tend to repeat themselves.

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]]>Anadolu<![CDATA[The Catholic Church faces an uncertain conclave with a crowded field of candidates]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-07/the-catholic-church-faces-an-uncertain-conclave-with-a-crowded-field-of-candidates.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-07/the-catholic-church-faces-an-uncertain-conclave-with-a-crowded-field-of-candidates.htmlWed, 07 May 2025 07:07:21 +0000The search is on for a pope who is both a pastor and a manager — a combination that is proving difficult to find. The legacy of Francis’ 12-year papacy still lingers, casting a long shadow over the process. Cardinals are looking for someone who matches his charisma and empathy; as electing a pontiff who lacks personal chemistry and retreats into the insularity of the Vatican would feel like a step backward.

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]]>Claudia Greco<![CDATA[World leaders and faithful bid farewell to Pope Francis as the Church prepares to choose his successor ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-26/world-leaders-and-ordinary-people-bid-farewell-to-pope-francis-as-the-church-prepares-to-choose-his-successor.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-26/world-leaders-and-ordinary-people-bid-farewell-to-pope-francis-as-the-church-prepares-to-choose-his-successor.htmlSat, 26 Apr 2025 15:48:57 +0000“He was a Pope in the midst of the people.” The dean of the cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, described Pope Francis as such during the Pontiff’s funeral this Saturday. Francis died on Monday at the age of 88 after 12 years of an intense pontificate that has shaken the Church. The ceremony drew a huge crowd: 400,000 people, according to the authorities, adding those who came to St. Peter’s Square (250,000) and to the funeral procession through the city (150,000). An overwhelming response of popular affection for a Pope sometimes more understood and loved in the streets and in neighborhood parishes than in his own offices and those of governments. On the esplanade outside the Vatican Basilica, there were delegations from 146 countries, with 10 monarchs and 50 heads of state and government. Many of them criticized him, even insulted him, like Javier Milei, president of Argentina, who was in the front row closest to the coffin.

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]]>massimiliano minocri<![CDATA[World leaders gather for Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-26/world-leaders-gather-for-pope-francis-funeral-in-rome.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-26/world-leaders-gather-for-pope-francis-funeral-in-rome.htmlSat, 26 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000The meticulous Vatican protocol for the funeral of a pontiff was set in motion following the death of Pope Francis on Monday. On Tuesday, the Holy See released a series of official statements signed by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, outlining the schedule for the coming days.

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]]>Mondadori Portfolio<![CDATA[Francis’ fight against pedophilia: A thorny challenge]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-22/francis-fight-against-pedophilia-a-thorny-challenge.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-22/francis-fight-against-pedophilia-a-thorny-challenge.htmlTue, 22 Apr 2025 10:06:32 +0000In 2018, EL PAÍS launched an investigation into pedophilia in the Spanish Church and has an updated database of all known cases. If you are aware of any cases that have not been reported, please write to us at: abusos@elpais.es. If the case is in Latin America, the address is: abusosamerica@elpais.es.

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]]>AFP<![CDATA[The Vatican heads toward a conclave with 15 papal candidates already emerging]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-22/the-vatican-heads-toward-a-conclave-with-15-papal-candidates-already-emerging.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-22/the-vatican-heads-toward-a-conclave-with-15-papal-candidates-already-emerging.htmlTue, 22 Apr 2025 08:18:54 +0000With the death of Pope Francis, people in Rome are already beginning to think about his successor. These are frenetic and uncertain days in the Vatican — a time of mixed grief and the urgency of thinking about the future, all set against an extraordinarily complex global backdrop and within a deeply divided Church. The first congregation of cardinals — the assembly that convenes after the death of the Pontiff — will take place this Tuesday with those already in Rome. This marks the beginning of both formal and informal discussions among them as they search for a new Pope.

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]]>MAURIX<![CDATA[Pope Francis dies at 88]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-21/pope-francis-impulsive-and-energetic-reformer-of-the-catholic-church-dies-at-88.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-21/pope-francis-impulsive-and-energetic-reformer-of-the-catholic-church-dies-at-88.htmlMon, 21 Apr 2025 08:31:47 +0000Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church, died on Monday at age 88, the Vatican has announced. Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the Vatican’s Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, made the following statement: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.” In Rome, mourning bells were ringing in all the churches.

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]]>Michael Sohn<![CDATA[Death of Pope Francis brings changes: A simpler funeral, a different burial site and an earlier conclave]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-21/death-of-pope-francis-brings-changes-a-simpler-funeral-a-different-burial-site-and-an-earlier-conclave.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-21/death-of-pope-francis-brings-changes-a-simpler-funeral-a-different-burial-site-and-an-earlier-conclave.htmlMon, 21 Apr 2025 10:16:04 +0000The death of a pope and the election of his successor entail a series of rigorously established times and rituals. Following Francis’ death, there are three major changes: the funeral protocol has been simplified; he will not be buried in the Vatican but in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome; and the conclave to choose his successor may begin earlier than usual, eliminating the need to wait 15 days. A new rule by Benedict XVI in 2013 introduced the possibility of beginning the gathering when all the cardinals are in Rome, without further delay. This point will be decided in the coming days. Naturally, the most important change will be the name of the new pontiff, to be elected among the 137 cardinals who will participate in the most international conclave in history.

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]]>DPA vía Europa Press <![CDATA[Will the Pope resign? Neither Francis nor the Church entertain the option, except in extreme circumstances]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-18/will-the-pope-resign-neither-francis-nor-the-church-entertain-the-option-except-in-extreme-circumstances.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-18/will-the-pope-resign-neither-francis-nor-the-church-entertain-the-option-except-in-extreme-circumstances.htmlTue, 18 Mar 2025 14:25:01 +0000Pope Francis turned 88 last December. He has been in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for a month with bilateral pneumonia. Although his condition had previously been reported as critical, he appears to have overcome the worst and is on the road to recovery. However, many questions remain, given his age, his frailty, and, above all, the precedent of Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013, when the former pontiff deemed himself unfit to continue. Neither the Pope nor the Church believes in that option, except in an extreme case. Francis is already the oldest Pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at the age of 93. His hospitalization is the longest for a Pope after John Paul II’s 55 days in 1981.

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]]>L'Osservatore Romano<![CDATA[Pope Francis suffers two new episodes of ‘acute respiratory insufficiency’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-03/pope-francis-suffers-two-new-episodes-of-acute-respiratory-insufficiency.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-03/pope-francis-suffers-two-new-episodes-of-acute-respiratory-insufficiency.htmlMon, 03 Mar 2025 19:23:20 +0000Pope Francis suffered a third and fourth respiratory crisis on Monday in the panorama of ups and downs that is marking the slow and fragile recovery of the pontiff from pneumonia after he was admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome on February 14. The medical report for Monday afternoon, issued just before 7 p.m., revealed that the 88-year-old Pope presented “two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm.” On February 22, he suffered the most serious crisis yet and, when he seemed to have recovered, he had a bronchospasm last Friday, which was considered isolated.

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]]>Riccardo Antimiani<![CDATA[Vatican indicates Pope Francis ‘rested well all night’ after registering an improvement]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-25/vatican-indicates-pope-francis-rested-well-all-night-after-registering-an-improvement.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-25/vatican-indicates-pope-francis-rested-well-all-night-after-registering-an-improvement.htmlTue, 25 Feb 2025 11:04:00 +0000The medical report issued Tuesday morning on the health of Pope Francis, who has been admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital for 11 days, simply states that there is no news following Monday’s announcement, which indicated a “slight improvement”: “The Pope has rested well all night,” it stated. The medical bulletin, with more clinical details, will arrive at 7 p.m., barring any unforeseen events.

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]]>ALESSANDRO DI MEO<![CDATA[Major raid reveals the secrets of the new Cosa Nostra: Video chats between bosses and ‘The Godfather’ as a school of life]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-12/major-raid-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-new-cosa-nostra-video-chats-between-bosses-and-the-godfather-as-a-school-of-life.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-12/major-raid-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-new-cosa-nostra-video-chats-between-bosses-and-the-godfather-as-a-school-of-life.htmlWed, 12 Feb 2025 17:39:11 +0000The Sicilian mafia entered a phase of invisibility after being defeated in the 1990s, with hundreds of arrests, and after the fall of the Corleonesi clan, which had engaged in a real war with the Italian state. Since then it is not what it once was, but it is still there. From time to time it receives blows from the authorities, but it always starts anew: an operation by the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office and the Carabinieri has revealed that Cosa Nostra had reorganized again.

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]]>IGOR PETYX<![CDATA[Pope Francis condemns Trump’s deportations and the White House responds that the Vatican also has a wall]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-02-11/pope-francis-condemns-trumps-deportations-and-the-white-house-responds-that-the-vatican-also-has-a-wall.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-02-11/pope-francis-condemns-trumps-deportations-and-the-white-house-responds-that-the-vatican-also-has-a-wall.htmlTue, 11 Feb 2025 19:05:29 +0000The battle between Pope Francis and Donald Trump has already begun, as anticipated given the history of hostile exchanges during the former president’s tenure (in 2016, the Pope even stated that Trump was “not a Christian”). This time, the conflict centers around immigration. On Tuesday, Pope Francis published an unusual letter addressed to U.S. bishops, written “in these delicate moments,” in which he focuses entirely on this issue.

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]]>Mondadori Portfolio,Grzegorz Galazka<![CDATA[Naples, the most difficult secret to tell]]>https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-12-14/naples-the-most-difficult-secret-to-tell.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-12-14/naples-the-most-difficult-secret-to-tell.htmlSat, 14 Dec 2024 04:05:00 +0000Neapolitans see Naples as a problem, tourists as a kind of enigma. It is a mysterious problem, no doubt about it. The city, which will be 2,500 years old in 2025, has seen mass tourism soar: a 33% increase since 2021, with 14 million visitors this year. After Rome, it is where tourists stay the longest in Italy — an average of three days — a sign that it is perceived to require time. As in other Italian cities, tourism is managing to disfigure even Naples, which seemed unchanged. But the paradox is that the more people go to visit it, the more difficult it is to know; it is increasingly hidden in its stereotypes. Deciphering Naples is one of those recurring challenges of humanity, a literary challenge of the first order, like looking at Vesuvius itself. But its charm is eternal. Elena Ferrante’s four-book saga, the Neapolitan Novels, set in the city and read by millions around the world, was chosen this summer as the best novel of the century by The New York Times. It’s paradoxical, because Ferrante is another enigma; she is a pseudonym, the author a mystery.

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]]>Paolo Manzo<![CDATA[Elon Musk wades into Italian politics, attacking judges and immigration ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-14/elon-musk-wades-into-italian-politics-attacking-judges-and-immigration.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-14/elon-musk-wades-into-italian-politics-attacking-judges-and-immigration.htmlThu, 14 Nov 2024 17:22:34 +0000Giorgia Meloni has a special friendship with Elon Musk. When the Italian prime minister publicly announced her separation in October 2023, Musk notably responded with a “like” on social media. Just a month earlier, Musk had presented Meloni with the Global Citizen 2024 award at an upscale gala in New York, praising her as a person “even more beautiful inside than outside.” A photo of them dining together, where they appeared to be enjoying each other’s company, further fueled speculation of a romance. Indeed, Musk was forced to deny the allegations on his social network, X: “I was there with my Mom. There is no romantic relationship whatsoever with PM Meloni.”

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]]>FILIPPO ATTILI<![CDATA[‘You can’t die over a sneaker’: Armed teenagers terrorize Naples]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-12/you-cant-die-over-a-sneaker-armed-teenagers-terrorize-naples.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-12/you-cant-die-over-a-sneaker-armed-teenagers-terrorize-naples.htmlTue, 12 Nov 2024 12:49:33 +0000He shot him because he had stained his €500 Versace sneakers. That is what the 17-year-old boy said after he killed another teenager, 19-year-old Santo Romano, on November 1 in San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, near Naples. And the victim had only gone to make peace; it was not even him who caused the supposed slight. When the hearse arrived at the funeral on Wednesday, in a church in the Casoria district on the outskirts of the city, Romano’s friends from class and from his soccer team gathered around the white coffin, almost not knowing how to hold it, with a paralyzing respect, because of the impression of touching death so soon, so young. “You can’t die over a sneaker,” was repeated among the mourners, a crowd so large that it blocked traffic.

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]]><![CDATA[Giorgia Meloni’s iron fist: Prison for blocking a road and chemical castration for rapists]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-30/giorgia-melonis-iron-fist-prison-for-blocking-a-road-and-chemical-castration-for-rapists.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-30/giorgia-melonis-iron-fist-prison-for-blocking-a-road-and-chemical-castration-for-rapists.htmlMon, 30 Sep 2024 13:27:44 +0000The far-right government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has proposed a new security decree that would criminalize non-violent protests that block roads and resisting a police offer in prison or in a migrant reception center. The opposition has dubbed the legislation “anti-Gandhi” for targeting the forms of peaceful resistance advocated by the Indian civil rights leader.

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]]>FILIPPO ATTILI/US PALAZZO CHIGI<![CDATA[While the volcano erupted, Pompeii was also struck by an earthquake]]>https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-08-15/while-the-volcano-erupted-pompeii-was-also-struck-by-an-earthquake.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-08-15/while-the-volcano-erupted-pompeii-was-also-struck-by-an-earthquake.htmlThu, 15 Aug 2024 16:10:05 +0000New insight continues to emerge from Pompeii, the heritage-listed archaeological site near Naples, in Italy. While it may seem unbelievable, there is still more to learn about what happened during those two fateful days in 79 AD, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and the city was covered with a three-meter layer of lava and ash.

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]]>PARQUE ARQUEOLÓGICO DE POMPEYA <![CDATA[Kissinger and his crimes]]>https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-12-04/kissinger-and-his-crimes.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-12-04/kissinger-and-his-crimes.htmlMon, 04 Dec 2023 16:59:12 +0000Kissinger has died, and it will be left to the history books to decide who he really was, though the conclusion will be hard to draw. Already, the obituaries recognize the good and the bad he did, leaving the reader to make up their own mind about him. The journalist Christopher Hitchens, who wrote a whole book on Kissinger called The Trial of Henry Kissinger, concluded that he should have been arrested, tried and left to rot in prison. As with Netanyahu, you would have to pick up the phone and say there’s a possible war criminal at large and please go get him. But the world doesn’t work that way. Nobel Peace Prize winner Kissinger gave conferences until late in life, so let’s not rule out a Nobel Peace Prize for the Israeli prime minister yet.

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]]>PEDRO PARDO ( AFP )<![CDATA[The Spanish Church’s stubborn response to sexual abuse allegations, an exception in the Catholic world]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-01/the-spanish-catholic-churchs-stubborn-response-to-sexual-abuse-allegations.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-01/the-spanish-catholic-churchs-stubborn-response-to-sexual-abuse-allegations.htmlWed, 01 Nov 2023 14:13:12 +0000EL PAÍS launched an investigation in 2018 into pedophilia in Spain’s Roman Catholic Church and has an updated database with all reported cases. To report a new case in Spain, write to us at: abusos@elpais.es. For new cases in Latin America, the email address is: abusosamerica@elpais.es.

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]]>Andrea Comas<![CDATA[President of Spanish Episcopal Conference rejects report on pedophilia: ‘The figures extrapolated by some media outlets are lies’ ]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-10-29/president-of-spanish-episcopal-conference-rejects-report-on-pedophilia-the-figures-extrapolated-by-some-media-outlets-are-lies.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-10-29/president-of-spanish-episcopal-conference-rejects-report-on-pedophilia-the-figures-extrapolated-by-some-media-outlets-are-lies.htmlSun, 29 Oct 2023 15:52:16 +0000Cardinal Juan José Omella — president of the Episcopal Conference of Spain and archbishop of Barcelona — has rejected the conclusions of one of the pillars of the recently-released report on pedophilia in the Catholic Church of Spain.

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]]>Alejandro Martínez Vélez / Europa Press<![CDATA[Investigation estimates that there are more than 440,000 living victims of sexual abuse that took place within the Spanish Catholic Church ]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-10-28/investigation-estimates-that-there-are-more-than-440000-living-victims-of-sexual-abuse-that-took-place-within-the-spanish-catholic-church.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2023-10-28/investigation-estimates-that-there-are-more-than-440000-living-victims-of-sexual-abuse-that-took-place-within-the-spanish-catholic-church.htmlSat, 28 Oct 2023 12:51:40 +0000EL PAÍS launched an investigation into pedophilia within the Spanish Catholic Church in 2018 and has an updated database with all known cases. If you know of any case that has not been reported, you can write to us at: abusos@elpais.es. If it’s a case in Latin America, the email address is: abusamerica@elpais.es

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]]>Samuel Sanchez<![CDATA[Explaining the world to an alien]]>https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-09-18/explaining-the-world-to-an-alien.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-09-18/explaining-the-world-to-an-alien.htmlMon, 18 Sep 2023 12:09:53 +0000The farthest human artifacts from our planet are the two Voyager probes, launched in 1977. In addition to transmitting data, they served a second purpose: traveling to infinity in case someone, someday, came across them. That’s why the probes carry an hour-and-a-half-long Golden Record, resembling an old vinyl LP, containing greetings in 55 languages, sounds, and images. There’s Bach, Chuck Berry and tribal chants. Crickets chirping, a ship’s siren and laughter. Today I think it would be inevitable to add a video of a cat. My favorite greeting is in the Chinese Amoy dialect: “Friends of space, how are you all? Have you eaten yet? Come visit us if you have time.” In 2012 and 2018, respectively, the probes passed the boundary of our Solar System, and as you read this they are still heading into the unknown. The last I heard, a minor news item among the decisive controversies of the day or the explosive statements of a soccer coach, was in August: communication with Voyager 2 was recovered after being lost for a few days.

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]]>NASA/JPL-Caltech<![CDATA[A large shipwreck can’t compete with a mini-submarine]]>https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-06-26/a-large-shipwreck-cant-compete-with-a-mini-submarine.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-06-26/a-large-shipwreck-cant-compete-with-a-mini-submarine.htmlMon, 26 Jun 2023 11:51:20 +0000Let me warn you, this has turned into a rather demagogic article. I will quickly cut to the chase. On the one hand, we have five millionaires in a mini-submarine who paid $250,000 a head (I will refrain from making completely inappropriate comparisons with the price of housing and such), to see a famous ship that sunk a century ago, but lo and behold, something goes wrong, and they go missing after days of intense searching and global media attention. On the other hand, a ship with 700 people sinks in the Mediterranean without anyone lifting a finger to help, although the Greek authorities knew where it was, took photos of it from helicopters, and despite the fact that it was clear things were going to end badly. Later, those who survived were locked up in a kind of concentration camp. Nobody is questioning the sorrow and pity that we all feel for all those poor human beings, those in the submersible and those on the ship. The question is why we don’t really give a damn about those on the ship.

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]]> Kostis Ntantamis (Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)<![CDATA[The Spanish priests accused of child abuse in the United States who fell off the radar ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-05-28/the-spanish-priests-accused-of-child-abuse-in-the-united-states-who-fell-off-the-radar.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-05-28/the-spanish-priests-accused-of-child-abuse-in-the-united-states-who-fell-off-the-radar.htmlSun, 28 May 2023 09:45:19 +0000In 2018, EL PAÍS launched an investigation into pedophilia in the Spanish Church. We maintain an updated database with all known cases. If you know of a case that has not been reported, you can write to us at: abusos@elpais.es. If your information is regarding a case in Latin America, the address is: abusosamerica@elpais.es.

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]]><![CDATA[Matteo Messina: The fall of Italy’s most-wanted mafia boss ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-01-17/matteo-messina-the-fall-of-italys-most-wanted-mafia-boss.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-01-17/matteo-messina-the-fall-of-italys-most-wanted-mafia-boss.htmlTue, 17 Jan 2023 14:24:33 +0000Just catching a glimpse of the face of Matteo Messina Denaro would have been a feat, so his arrest on Monday is considered a historic success. Indeed, when the most-wanted mafia boss was captured in Palermo, no one even really knew what he looked like – police had been relying on sporadically updated computer portraits. In the end, it was an old, fragile-looking man who was detained by heavily armed police. People applauded as he was led away, as if cheering the banishment of an evil ogre who had been ravaging the region.

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]]>Paolo Manzo<![CDATA[Spain’s PM booed at military parade to observe National Day]]>https://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-10-12/spain-celebrates-its-national-day-with-first-military-parade-since-pandemic.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spain/2021-10-12/spain-celebrates-its-national-day-with-first-military-parade-since-pandemic.htmlTue, 12 Oct 2021 12:38:51 +0000Spain observed its National Day on October 12 with a military parade that was smaller than usual but which symbolized a gradual return to normality following last year’s strict coronavirus restrictions. Thousands of people turned up for the event despite recommendations by health authorities to watch it on television to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

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]]><![CDATA[Ten covert police operations that took place under Spain’s PP government]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-09-25/ten-covert-police-operations-that-took-place-under-spains-popular-party-government.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-09-25/ten-covert-police-operations-that-took-place-under-spains-popular-party-government.htmlFri, 25 Sep 2020 15:30:48 +0000Jorge Fernández Díaz first stepped into his new office inside Spain’s Interior Ministry on December 22, 2011, just a few days after the Popular Party (PP)'s victory at the general election under the leadership of Mariano Rajoy. The first thing that the veteran conservative politician did, even before accepting the leather portfolio from his predecessor, Antonio Camacho of the Socialist Party (PSOE), was to ask an odd question: “Did you guys ever commit any irregularities?”

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]]><![CDATA[American-style libertarianism comes to Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-11-27/american-style-libertarianism-comes-to-spain.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-11-27/american-style-libertarianism-comes-to-spain.htmlFri, 27 Nov 2020 16:43:54 +0000The restrictions applied by governments around the world to address the coronavirus pandemic have triggered ubiquitous popular protests. In Spain, the first ones began on May 10, on Núñez de Balboa street, in the upscale Salamanca district of Madrid.

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]]>VICTOR SAINZ<![CDATA[‘Zombie hour’ at the Catalan elections: when coronavirus cases came out to vote]]>https://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2021-02-15/zombie-hour-at-the-catalan-elections-when-coronavirus-cases-came-out-to-vote.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/politics/catalonia_independence/2021-02-15/zombie-hour-at-the-catalan-elections-when-coronavirus-cases-came-out-to-vote.htmlMon, 15 Feb 2021 09:52:24 +0000Sunday’s regional election in Catalonia was always going to be strange because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the strangest part of all came at the end of the day. People who tested positive for the virus or who were in quarantine were advised to vote between 7pm and 8pm, the last hour before polling stations closed. With a touch of dark humor, this period was soon dubbed the “zombie hour.”

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]]><![CDATA[Child abuse in the Spanish Catholic Church: ‘In Spain, no one does anything’ ]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-02-01/child-abuse-in-the-spanish-catholic-church-in-spain-no-one-does-anything.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2021-02-01/child-abuse-in-the-spanish-catholic-church-in-spain-no-one-does-anything.htmlMon, 01 Feb 2021 11:32:11 +0000More cases of child abuse by the Spanish Catholic Church are slowly coming to light. After the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits, recognized 81 victims since 1927 and announced plans for compensation, other religious congregations have begun to follow the order’s example. EL PAÍS spoke to 10 of the main Catholic orders in Spain, of which seven said they had carried out or were in the process of investigating past cases of abuse, and were equally open to compensating victims.

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]]>SUSANA VERA<![CDATA[In a first in Spain, Jesuits to pay compensation to victims of sexual abuse]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-01-26/in-a-first-in-spain-jesuits-to-pay-compensation-to-victims-of-sexual-abuse.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2021-01-26/in-a-first-in-spain-jesuits-to-pay-compensation-to-victims-of-sexual-abuse.htmlTue, 26 Jan 2021 09:26:55 +0000The Society of Jesus in Spain has decided to pay financial “compensation” to victims who were sexually abused by members of its order. It is an unprecedented move within the Spanish Catholic Church, which until now has refused to investigate past cases of abuse or pay compensation to victims. The only exception was a deal struck last month by the Marist Brothers in Catalonia, who agreed to pay €400,000 to the families of 25 victims who were abused at Marist schools.

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]]> ALBERT GARCÍA<![CDATA[Spain: over one million official coronavirus cases]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-23/spain-over-one-million-official-coronavirus-cases.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-23/spain-over-one-million-official-coronavirus-cases.htmlFri, 23 Oct 2020 16:27:52 +0000On Wednesday, October 21, Spain reached 1,005,295 confirmed cases of coronavirus, eight and a half months after a German tourist on vacation in the Canary Islands became the first known patient on January 31. But one million is just the official figure; the real figure is undoubtedly much higher.

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]]>Jesús Diges<![CDATA[How the rape of a 13-year-old in Spain shed light on abuse among at-risk minors]]>https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-02/how-the-rape-of-a-13-year-old-in-spain-shed-light-on-abuse-among-at-risk-minors.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/society/2020-03-02/how-the-rape-of-a-13-year-old-in-spain-shed-light-on-abuse-among-at-risk-minors.htmlMon, 02 Mar 2020 07:31:51 +0000On Christmas Eve, a 13-year-old girl living in a center for young state wards on the Balearic Island of Palma de Mallorca was the victim of a rape involving six teenagers and a 19-year-old man. How lonely would a girl of that age have to be to escape to nowhere, out on the streets, on December 24?

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]]>Tolo Ramón<![CDATA[Vox leader in Madrid faces new accusations in real estate scandal]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/31/inenglish/1572510378_810536.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/31/inenglish/1572510378_810536.htmlThu, 31 Oct 2019 10:09:24 +0000The leader of the Madrid branch of Spain’s far-right party Vox, Rocío Monasterio, signed her name as an architect on a building certificate in 2004, five years before she completed her degree. That’s according to a document to which EL PAÍS has had access. This is the latest case in a deepening scandal over the projects Monasterio carried out as the head of an architect studio when she herself was not a registered architect.

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]]><![CDATA[Vox leaders in Madrid come under fire for real estate deals]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/30/inenglish/1572424701_621849.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/30/inenglish/1572424701_621849.htmlWed, 30 Oct 2019 09:49:14 +0000Rocío Monasterio, a high-ranking official of Spain’s far-right party Vox and a lawmaker in the Madrid regional assembly, has come under fire after it emerged that she headed an architect studio that carried out several projects in the capital before she was herself a registered professional.

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]]>VÍCTOR SAINZ<![CDATA[Pro-independence protesters cause travel chaos at Barcelona airport]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/15/inenglish/1571123222_635456.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/10/15/inenglish/1571123222_635456.htmlTue, 15 Oct 2019 12:17:28 +0000More than 100 flights were cancelled at Barcelona’s Josep Tarradellas-El Prat airport on Monday after thousands of independence supporters blocked access routes in an organized protest against a Supreme Court ruling that sentenced nine separatist leaders to prison terms for the illegal secession attempt of 2017.

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]]><![CDATA[“Let’s hope you kill yourself” – How Spain is failing bullying victims]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/07/08/inenglish/1562600636_068148.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/07/08/inenglish/1562600636_068148.htmlWed, 10 Jul 2019 12:20:27 +0000Natalia De Agustín, 17, dropped out of high school before completing the recently ended academic year. She says she could no longer take the harassment she has been subjected to for the last nine years, at four different schools in the Madrid region.

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]]><![CDATA[Book co-written by Spanish PM contains paragraphs from a diplomat’s speech]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/09/20/inenglish/1537437951_815110.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/09/20/inenglish/1537437951_815110.htmlThu, 20 Sep 2018 11:32:16 +0000A book co-authored by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the economist Carlos Ocaña contains entire paragraphs taken from the transcript of a talk delivered on February 25, 2013 by a Spanish diplomat.

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]]><![CDATA[From duke to prisoner: how King Felipe’s brother-in-law fell from grace]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/18/inenglish/1529307012_906661.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/18/inenglish/1529307012_906661.htmlMon, 18 Jun 2018 13:27:25 +0000On September 30, 2000, Iñaki Urdangarin was 32. He had just scored a penalty and given Spain’s national handball team its last winning goal at the Sydney Olympic Games. Spain walked away with the bronze medal in what was Urdangarin’s last professional game. Celebrating the victory in the stands was his wife, the infanta Cristina de Borbón, with their first son Juan in her arms; his mother-in-law, Queen Sofía; and Prince Felipe, already a friend, and the man who would some years later sit on the Spanish throne.

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]]>Uly Martin<![CDATA[Rajoy takes refuge in restaurant, as Congress debates his ouster]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/01/inenglish/1527840573_498935.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/01/inenglish/1527840573_498935.htmlFri, 01 Jun 2018 10:38:39 +0000People walking past the Madrid restaurant Arahy last evening, near Puerta de Alcalá, where curious as to what was going on inside – why were there so many journalists hanging around? Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is in there, they were told. “But isn’t he in Congress?” asked one woman, clearly surprised. Such naiveté among the general public is quite comforting, really.

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]]>Claudio Álvarez<![CDATA[As summer nears, Catalan tourism sector hopes for end to beach confrontations]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/05/29/inenglish/1527583414_392968.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/05/29/inenglish/1527583414_392968.htmlTue, 29 May 2018 13:29:42 +0000Something is happening on the beaches of Catalonia. Videos have been circulating in recent days, showing incidents involving yellow crosses driven into the sand, which some people defend while others pull them out. These confrontations between supporters and detractors of Catalan independence have sometimes escalated from the verbal to the physical.

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]]><![CDATA[Master’s degree scandal deepens, as another PP politician admits not going to class]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/04/10/inenglish/1523345735_964396.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/04/10/inenglish/1523345735_964396.htmlTue, 10 Apr 2018 15:10:47 +0000An investigation into alleged irregularities in the way a master’s degree was awarded to Madrid regional premier Cristina Cifuentes has now engulfed another member of her Popular Party (PP).

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]]>Uly Martín<![CDATA[Animals to stop being “objects” under Spanish law]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/13/inenglish/1513182135_552641.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/12/13/inenglish/1513182135_552641.htmlThu, 14 Dec 2017 07:50:56 +0000Spanish Congress on Wednesday agreed to launch a legal reform that will redefine animals as sentient beings as opposed to inanimate objects, as is the case now under national legislation.

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]]>Claudio Alvarez<![CDATA[Catalan leader will not appear before Senate, following flurry of agenda changes]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/25/inenglish/1508944743_935245.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/25/inenglish/1508944743_935245.htmlWed, 25 Oct 2017 15:48:12 +0000First it was a yes, then it was a no. Following midday reports that Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont would appear before the Spanish Senate on Thursday afternoon to argue against the application of emergency measures in his region, the speaker of the Catalan parliament told political groups that Puigdemont will not be attending after all.

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]]>Samuel Sanchez<![CDATA[Predictable but still a source of disbelief]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/02/inenglish/1506957471_789916.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/02/inenglish/1506957471_789916.htmlMon, 02 Oct 2017 15:33:38 +0000The most mystifying thing about the referendum yesterday was that people were saying, “This is incredible” as National Police and civil guards arrived in droves to enforce the law, barging their way into polling stations and confiscating ballot boxes.

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]]>Samuel Sanchez<![CDATA[A referendum in Catalonia? Yes, but not like this]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/18/inenglish/1505749273_924248.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/18/inenglish/1505749273_924248.htmlTue, 19 Sep 2017 08:10:12 +0000In the midst of what is being described as an impending train crash, there is a clear tendency toward ideological polarization, while steering a middle course is frowned upon. But some people are choosing to get off the train.

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]]><![CDATA[The parallel reality of the pro-independence movement in Catalonia]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/15/inenglish/1505472107_702500.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/15/inenglish/1505472107_702500.htmlFri, 15 Sep 2017 14:15:09 +0000In the parallel worlds created in Catalonia, the pro-independence movement’s seemed the more solid on Thursday, hitting the street first, which is where the game is going to be played. For the moment, the secessionists have pressed ahead with their cause, acting like everything is normal, plastering any public space with their message. The feeling is that all the legal action and warnings against them are so much water off a duck’s back. It was the same back at the informal ballot of 2014: in the end the vote went ahead.

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]]>Albert Garcia<![CDATA[The slave trade in Spain: thousands rescued from brothels and sweatshops]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/04/21/inenglish/1492756977_271906.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/04/21/inenglish/1492756977_271906.htmlFri, 21 Apr 2017 15:32:55 +0000Changes to the law have helped reveal the extent of the phenomenon, and allowed for a more effective approach in combating it. Sex slavery, for example, has become so lucrative in recent years that it now rivals the drug and arms trade in terms of prevalence and profit, according to Spain’s National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking – part of the EU network set up to monitor anti-trafficking policy in 2014. In 2016 alone, there were an estimated 23,846 people considered to be at risk, and in the case of sexual exploitation the majority were working in roadside brothels. Experts agree that serious debate on pimping is required if the situation in Spain is to fundamentally change.

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]]><![CDATA[Terrorists or troublemakers?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/12/22/inenglish/1482402715_561273.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/12/22/inenglish/1482402715_561273.htmlFri, 30 Dec 2016 11:18:30 +0000The case has more or less fallen off the radar but the group’s alleged leader, Juan Manuel Bustamante, 26, also known as Nahuel, is still in jail and coping with a tough prison regime designed for hardcore terrorists. While his colleagues have been released on bail, Bustamante has been moved five times and denied bail almost as many. When the trial finally comes up, the students will stand in the dock on four terrorism charges that could see them put behind bars for 35 years. But the indictment – particularly when it comes to the question of the attacks on banks – is far from convincing.

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]]>Claudio Álvarez<![CDATA[Just who are the Basques anyway?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/09/15/inenglish/1473930627_711584.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/09/15/inenglish/1473930627_711584.htmlFri, 16 Sep 2016 07:47:17 +0000An event earlier this month in the Basque city of Bilbao organized by the Catalan pro-independence organization ANC and the similarly minded Basque group Gure Esku Dago, produced scenes that could have been taken from a Spanish television sitcom.

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]]>FERNANDO DOMINGO-ALDAMA<![CDATA[Burundanga: the stealth drug that cancels the victim’s willpower]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/07/25/inenglish/1469445136_776085.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/07/25/inenglish/1469445136_776085.htmlMon, 25 Jul 2016 11:59:42 +0000It’s not an urban legend: there really is a drug that is sometimes slipped into a woman’s drink in order to sexually abuse her. In fact, there have also been instances of elderly people intoxicated with it in full daylight and robbed of their savings.

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]]>MAN<![CDATA[Spain: where who you know still matters more than what you know?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/06/22/inenglish/1466589083_952820.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/06/22/inenglish/1466589083_952820.htmlFri, 24 Jun 2016 07:23:17 +0000F. Scott Fitzgerald’s study of social mobility The Great Gatsby begins: “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'

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]]>PACO ROCA<![CDATA[Why heroin is threatening to make a comeback in Spain]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/06/09/inenglish/1465484386_143650.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/06/09/inenglish/1465484386_143650.htmlMon, 13 Jun 2016 08:53:48 +0000For decades it was known as “caballo,” or horse, and it inspired a plethora of metaphors. In the 1980s, it plagued a generation of Spaniards, and tore families apart in an epidemic that gradually lost momentum. Recently, however, the threat of widespread heroin consumption is once again hanging over Spain. And while user numbers have remained stable, laboratories have been dismantled for the first time ever in Valladolid and Cuenca, with police seizing 56 kilograms in April in Tui, Galicia; 27 kilograms between A Coruña and Portugal in December 2015; and another 16 kilograms in July 2015 from the Arosa River. This year alone 256 kilograms of heroin has been confiscated by police, 12 kilograms more than last year. So where is it all coming from?

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]]>J. S. (EFE)<![CDATA[Spain’s ghost city comes to life]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/02/29/inenglish/1456754974_557309.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/02/29/inenglish/1456754974_557309.htmlFri, 04 Mar 2016 09:23:33 +0000Anybody who has passed Seseña, 30 minutes south of Madrid on the A4 highway, and seen the so-called residential city of El Quiñón in the distance will probably have thought it a blot on the landscape, a crazed monument to all that went wrong during two decades of frenzied property speculation. But ask the people who live there what they think and they’ll tell you a different story: they might not exactly be proud of the place, but on the whole they’re happy to be there.

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]]>Samuel Sánchez<![CDATA[Would you wear a t-shirt promoting your political party of choice?]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/12/09/inenglish/1449660880_085971.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/12/09/inenglish/1449660880_085971.htmlMon, 14 Dec 2015 08:17:09 +0000Posters of Spain’s general election candidates went up across the country last week, marking the official start of campaigning for the December 20 vote.

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]]>Samuel Sanchez<![CDATA[The desertification of Almería]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/12/02/inenglish/1449067788_305728.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/12/02/inenglish/1449067788_305728.htmlThu, 03 Dec 2015 14:43:14 +0000In the heart of the city of Almería, gazelles from the Sahara run around at the foot of the Arab fortress known as the Alcazaba.

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]]>CSIC<![CDATA[Spain’s forgotten terrorism memorials]]>https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/24/inenglish/1448359320_074883.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/elpais/2015/11/24/inenglish/1448359320_074883.htmlTue, 24 Nov 2015 13:28:25 +0000Ángeles Pedraza lost her daughter in the March 11, 2004 train bombings in Madrid. In 2012, she visited the monument in Atocha railway station to leave some flowers to the 193 people killed in the jihadist terrorists attacks. “They almost called security,” she recalls. “We hadn’t asked permission. It was horrible. I left the flowers and went. They were later taken away.” Pedraza, who is president of the Association of Terrorism Victims (AVT), says she isn’t at all surprised that the monument is in poor repair, adding that the authorities turned their backs on the families of those killed in the bombings the moment it was unveiled in 2007.

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]]>CLAUDIO ÁLVAREZ