Frances Martel

Pope Leo XIV presided over Mass for 120,000 people at a stadium in Douala, Cameroon on Friday, urging attendees to “reject every form of abuse or violence” and “multiply your talents through faith.”

China’s communist dictator Xi Jinping received a coveted position on this year’s edition of Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people, receiving a profile crediting him with “rewriting how the world works” that omits any mention of the ongoing Uyghur genocide.

The newspaper USA Today reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous “sources familiar,” that the Pentagon was “quietly ramping up” a plan to attack Cuba — a report that followed similar rumors on Substack.

The head of the United Nations nuclear body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned on Wednesday that he had reason to believe communist North Korea had engaged in a “very serious increase” in activity to make nuclear weapons.

Human rights activists expressed disgust and outrage this week after photos surfaced of a recently freed Cuban political prisoner suffering from multiple severe medical conditions, including cancer and visible malnutrition.

The Chinese Communist Party offered hearty congratulations to Hungary’s expected next prime minister, Péter Magyar, on Monday following his party’s sound defeat of current Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, signaling interest in maintaining the outsized influence Beijing developed during Orbán’s 16 years in power.

The governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia confirmed on Thursday that their respective foreign ministers held a phone conversation the night before, the first known direct contact between the two countries since Iran began a sustained bombing campaign against Saudi Arabia and its allies in March.

The Islamist ruling regime of Iran hosted mourning events nationwide on Thursday for longtime dictator Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marking 40 days since his elimination, organizing large crowds to honor him but notably failing to attract the public presence of his son, current “supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei.

The Chinese Communist Party proclaimed that it would “continue playing a constructive role” in peace in the Middle East following President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announcing a ceasefire on Wednesday.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait reported on Wednesday that they had documented airstrikes, mostly on their energy facilities, that they attributed to Iran, hours after Iran and the United States announced they had agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

Reports suggested that Iran’s “ten-point plan” to end hostilities with the U.S. demands “compensation” and the lifting of all sanctions.

A South Korean lawmaker, citing the country’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), revealed in comments on Monday that Seoul believes North Korea is failing to offer full-throated support to its longtime ally Iran to avoid hurting chances of future negotiations with the United States.

Multiple news outlets reported on Tuesday morning Washington time that locals spotted explosions at Kharg Island, a Persian Gulf site that Iran uses for the vast majority of its oil exports — a significant percentage of which go to China.

Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) revealed on Monday that they had briefly visited Cuba over the Easter holiday and met with figurehead “president” Miguel Díaz-Canel, saying they support greater engagement with the repressive Communist Party.

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, receiving a warm welcome from President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Nigerian Christians experienced deadly suspected jihadist attacks in at least five states on Easter Sunday.

The Communist Party of Cuba announced a mass pardon of over 2,000 prisoners on Thursday, allegedly to mark the Christian holiday of Holy Week, but human rights groups have denounced the regime for neither freeing a single political prisoner nor clarifying who it is freeing.

Ruben Enaje, a Filipino carpenter and billboard maker, announced on Friday that he would retire from playing Jesus in a famous ceremony in Pampanga, the Philippines, after being crucified for the 37th time.

Catholic communities nationwide, from some of America’s largest cities to more rural areas, have documented a marked increase in converts this year as they approach the massive initiation ceremonies that coincide with the Easter holiday.

A community that lost over two dozen members to an invasion of unknown gunmen on Palm Sunday, the beginning of the holiest week of the year for Christians, experienced a resurgence of mob attacks on random locals on Wednesday following the lifting of a curfew, Nigerian government officials confirmed.

The American embassy in Baghdad warned U.S. citizens in Iraq on Wednesday that they should leave the country as soon as possible, in part due to the Iraqi government not doing enough to prevent attacks or protect victims.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian – who is technically subordinate to “supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei – published a letter on Wednesday evening directly addressing the American people, a move apparently intended to portray himself as the most authoritative leader in the country at the moment.

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV will carry a cross for the entirety of the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, procession celebrated on Good Friday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is subordinate by law to the nation’s Islamic “supreme leader,” appeared on the streets of Tehran alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday night to join celebrations for Islamic Republic Day.

China, in conjunction with its allies in Pakistan, published a “peace proposal” Tuesday to end the war between Iran and America.

Christian communities throughout Syria limited or canceled Holy Week festivities, including Palm Sunday observances, after mobs of Muslim attackers targeted Christian communities this weekend, destroying Christian symbols and looting shops.

Unknown gunmen opened fire “indiscriminately” in a residential area of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria on Sunday night, killing an estimated 30 people during a time in which jihadists in the country tend to orchestrate massacres against Christians.

Israeli Police and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa announced they had agreed to allow Holy Week observances in the Old City of Jerusalem.

President Donald Trump suggested in a message on Monday morning that a “NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME” has taken over Iran and is talking to Washington – but warned he was willing to “obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure if talks did not lead to a durable agreement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a defense cooperation agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the country, during a visit to Jeddah on Friday, emphasizing that Iran has aided Russia’s invasion of his country for years.

Iran’s IRGC announced a campaign to recruit boys as young as 12 to join their forces manning checkpoints repressing Iranian citizens.

Multiple reports in the past week have indicated that the U.S. military has deployed surveillance drones to operate in Nigeria, in conjunction with the nation’s government, to gather intelligence on the various jihadist terrorist groups in the country.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told an Italian newspaper on Wednesday that he believes the governments of Iran and the United States could hold talks to end their current conflict as recently as this weekend, mediated by Pakistan.