Ascendancy to the Papacy
His Holiness, Pope Francis I, was selected on March 13, 2013 as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. Formerly the archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina, Pope Francis has already made a name for himself despite being relatively new to the Papacy. On Holy Thursday, March 28, the Pope broke with tradition for the foot-washing ceremony, when he washed and kissed the feet of two young women in a detention center. The ceremony traditionally only involves washing the feet of men, signifying when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Pope Francis is the first non-European Pope and Jesuit to assume the mantle of the Papacy.
Tensions continue to rise along the 38th Parallel
In response to the United States flying stealth bombers over South Korea, Kim Jong-Un’s government issued a fresh barrage of threats on March 29. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea declared it was “entering a state of war” with South Korea. Despite the continuing threats, defense officials at the Pentagon believe the threats to be little more than warmongering rhetoric designed to solidify Kim Jong-Un’s place among his people. The two Koreas have been in a technical state of war since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice.
Congo war crimes suspect surrenders to US Embassy in Rwanda
Bosco Ntaganda, a fugitive Congolese warlord, surrendered to the United States embassy in Rwanda on March 18, asking to be transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Ntaganda faces charges of conscripting child soldiers, murder, ethnic persecution, sexual slavery and rape during the 2002-2003 conflict in the Ituri district of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Embassy officials were “shocked” by his arrival, and do not know why the warlord decided to surrender so suddenly.
Miners trapped after Tibet landslide
Despite ongoing efforts to recover 83 miners from a landslide in a Tibetan gold mine, rescuers have yet to find any survivors or bodies. The incident occurred on March 29, at about 6 a.m. in Maizhokunggar County, east of Lhasa, the regional capital. The landslide extended nearly two miles and was composed of 2.6 million cubic yards of mud, rock and other debris. According to Xinhua, the Chinese state run news agency, temperatures fell to 26 degrees Fahrenheit, lowering the miners’ likelihood of survival.
Battle-hardened US soldier charged with aiding Al-Qaeda group in Syria
Eric Harroun, a former U.S. army soldier and native of Phoenix, was arrested on March 26 for allegedly aiding Al-Qaeda in Syria against Bashar Al-Asad’s regime. According to the FBI, Harroun fought with the al-Nursa front, which claims responsibility for nearly 600 terrorist attacks in Syria. Harroun served with the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2003 and is not charged with targeting U.S. troops in Iraq. The Pentagon declined to comment on Harroun’s arrest.
Compiled by David Hurtado, staff reporter, at dhurtado@jccc.edu