The death of a pope sets in motion a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals well before the conclave to elect his successor begins. They involve the certification of death and public display of his body for the faithful to pay their respects, followed by the funeral and burial.
Pope Francis, who died on Monday, revised various rites last year, simplifying the funeral rituals to emphasize his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in keeping with his wishes. But the core elements remain, including the three key moments that must be observed between the death of a pope and his burial.
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It's become a Good Friday tradition in Quraye: residents and visitors converging on the southern Lebanese village to witness a portrayal by some Christians there of Jesus' suffering and crucifixion.
On Friday, Charbel Joseph Antoun, 37, played the role of Jesus.
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Pope Francis died Monday, the Vatican announced, history's first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
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Lebanese authorities have detained several people who they say were planning to launch rockets into Israel and confiscated the weapons they were intending to use, the military said Sunday.
The army said in a statement that the arrests are linked to other detentions announced earlier this week. It added that as military intelligence was investigating that case they got information that a new rocket attack was being planned.
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Lebanon's health ministry said one person was killed Sunday in an Israeli strike in the country's south, the latest such raid despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
An "Israeli enemy strike on a vehicle in Kawthariyat al-Siyyad," located inland between the southern cities of Sidon and Tyre, killed "one person and wounded two people," the health ministry said in a statement.
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Hezbollah "will not let anyone disarm" it, its chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said Friday evening, as Washington presses Beirut to compel the Iran-backed group to hand over its weapons.
Hezbollah, long a dominant force in Lebanese politics, was left weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel sparked by the Gaza war, including an Israeli ground incursion and two months of heavy bombardment that decimated the group's leadership.
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A recent amendment to Peru's Forestry and Wildlife Law is drawing fierce backlash from environmental groups and Indigenous groups that warn it could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon rainforest under the guise of economic development.
The amendment eliminates the requirement that landowners or companies get state authorization before converting forested land to other uses. Critics say the change could legitimize years of illegal deforestation.
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Greece on Wednesday announced plans for managing human activities in maritime areas, such as tourism, offshore energy drilling, fishing and environmental protection, irking neighboring Turkey, which said the plans encroach on its jurisdiction.
The announcement about Greece's Maritime Spatial Planning came after the country was rebuked by the European Court of Justice earlier this year for failing to submit the plans to the European Commission, as all coastal European Union member states are required to do. Spatial planning for sea areas is considered necessary for the sustainable use of marine resources, setting out where activities such as transport, tourism, fishing and renewable energy projects can take place, and for the protection of marine environments.
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Retired 14-time champion Rafael Nadal will receive a tribute at the French Open on Court Philippe-Chatrier on May 25, the tournament's opening day.
"Rafa has left his mark on the history of the French Open in so many ways, that's why a tribute ceremony will be held in his honor," French Open director Amélie Mauresmo said on Thursday. "We want the tribute to be special, exceptional. We want it to be a surprise for everyone."
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Four teams are left in the Champions League and each has a quest for a rare European title.
Arsenal meets Paris Saint-Germain in a semifinal between teams who have never lifted the iconic trophy. Barcelona and Inter Milan have a combined eight European titles yet the most recent were 10 and 15 years ago, respectively.
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