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Will the next pope be from Asia?
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — There may only be a few days before the College of Cardinals gathers inside the Sistine Chapel to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church, and, for the first time in history, an Asian pope is a real possibility.
Of the 23 cardinals from Asia eligible to vote, one name comes up again and again, that of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, sometimes called the «Philippine Francis.»
The 67-year-old had a close relationship with Pope Francis and served as his envoy to Asia during the 2015-16 special Jubilee Year, during which he made a brief stop in Taipei, Taiwan. Tagle also accompanied Francis on his first international trip to Asia in 2014, when the pontiff visited South Korea.
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Pope Francis, right, waves to Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, left, during a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta Sept. 4, 2024. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images)
Pope Francis achieved several «firsts» in Asia, including becoming the first pontiff to visit Myanmar in 2017 and Mongolia in 2023. Thomas Tu, a Vatican diplomacy expert at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, told Fox News Digital that while Mongolia is home to only about 1,400 Catholics, it now hosts a cardinal, but he is Italian-born and just 50 years old, making his election as pope unlikely.
Another Asian candidate is Burma’s Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, 76, from a country where Catholics represent just about 1% of the population. Meanwhile, over the last several days, reports from South Korean newspapers are suggesting South Korean Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, 74, is among the leading candidates to succeed Pope Francis.
Pope Francis greets the people of China as he concludes Mass in the Hun Theatre Sept. 3, 2023, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Catholicism is growing rapidly in South Korea, according to Taipei-based Tu, who told Fox News Digital both Buddhists and Protestants have been converting at surprising rates.
«Unlike in Brazil, where Catholics are losing members to Evangelicals, Korea’s Catholic Church is attracting new followers,» Tu said. Then-Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik is widely credited with helping persuade Pope Francis to make South Korea the first stop on his Asian travels in 2014. Heung-sik was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022.
Pope Francis, right, walks with the Bishop of Daejon, Lazarus You Heung-sik, as he arrives at the Shrine of Solmoe, birthplace of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, in Dangjin Aug. 15, 2014. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images)
Francis may one day be rated as among the most influential popes of all time. Pope John Paul II made history by becoming the first pope from Poland and his pontificate lasted 26 years (1978-2006). Francis was head of the Catholic Church for a much shorter time, almost exactly 12 years, but the late pope appointed 80% of the cardinals who will vote for his successor.
The late Holy Father also enlarged the number of cardinals and, for the first time in history, the upcoming conclave will see European cardinals in the minority. However, some experts warn against assuming the next pope will be «Francis the Second,» as many of these new cardinals are considered more conservative.
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This picture taken Aug. 10, 2018, shows a motorcyclist riding past the Holy Spirit Church in Yanshui, about an hour’s drive from the southern city of Tainan. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)
The home nation of Asian cardinals doesn’t necessarily reflect the number of Catholics there. In Japan, Catholics make up fewer than 0.5% of the population, but there is a Japanese cardinal who is reasonably active on social media. The largest Asian block of cardinals hails from majority-Hindu India, which has six to the predominately Catholic Philippines’ five.
Still, many Vatican watchers believe Cardinal Tagle remains the most likely Asian candidate, although his progressive stances may prove divisive. Tagle has publicly criticized the church for using «harsh words» in past criticisms of LGBTQ Catholics and remarried divorcees and advocates for a more flexible approach. This stance is in line with Pope Francis’ 2015 papal declaration that said the church needs to «avoid judgments which do not take into account the complexity of various situations.»
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo poses with relatives during a courtesy visit Feb. 14, 2015, at the Vatican. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images)
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Should Tagle beat the odds and become the next pope, his election would energize the church’s progressive wing, as he would likely continue the liberal-leaning direction charted by Francis. His emphasis on serving the poor has won him admiration across Asia and beyond, as has his relatable style. Tagle reportedly prefers being called by his nickname «Chito,» rather than by his formal title.
Pope Francis officiating the General Audience in Saint Peter’s square. Pope Francis together with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. (Photo by Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Thomas Tu shared a personal story about Tagle’s compassion, recalling an incident before the cardinal received his red hat. After a young seminarian died suddenly, Tagle chose to join the group of senior seminary members and personally visit the grieving family, later giving a moving sermon in which he «compared the church to a mother, similar to the one who had lost her son,» Tu said. «Tagle just has a way of reaching people that is special.»
Few dispute that the election of the next pope will be among the most consequential moments for the Catholic Church in decades. And, for the first time, candidates from Asia are now part of serious conversations about the future direction of the faith.
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La Corte Suprema de Brasil volvió a rechazar el pedido de prisión domiciliaria de Jair Bolsonaro
La corte suprema de Brasil rechazó un pedido de prisión domiciliaria que por motivos de salud hizo el ex presidente Jair Bolsonaro, preso por un intento de golpe de Estado, según una resolución judicial publicada este jueves.
Sus abogados presentaron el miércoles la solicitud de Bolsonaro, hospitalizado desde hace más de una semana tras haberse operado de una hernia inguinal y luego someterse a un procedimiento contra recurrentes crisis de hipo.
El líder de la derecha brasileña cumple una condena de 27 años de prisión por tramar un plan golpista para aferrarse al poder, tras perder las elecciones contra Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva en 2022.
Sus abogados han solicitado diversas veces que se le conceda la prisión domiciliaria con carácter “humanitario” ante su delicado estado de salud, pero, hasta el momento, el Supremo ha negado todos los recursos.
El líder de la ultraderecha brasileña, ingresado en un hospital particular de Brasilia desde el 24 de diciembre, tendrá que regresar a la celda de la Policía Federal en la que cumple su condena así reciba el alta.
Desde finales de noviembre cumple la condena en la sede de la Superintendencia de la Policía Federal en Brasilia.
Este miércoles, el equipo de doctores que lo atiende anuncio que Bolsonaro recibirá el alta médica hoy jueves, tras ocho días hospitalizado y en los que fue sometido a cuatro diferentes operaciones, anunció este miércoles.
“Hicimos nuevos exámenes para evaluar su estado de salud en general. Hoy no tuvo picos (de hipertensión) y se encuentra mucho más estable. La previsión es darle el alta mañana (hoy ndr)”, afirmó el cirujano Claudio Birolini, jefe del equipo médico que lo atiende, en una rueda de prensa.
“Su salud se estabilizó en el correr de la noche y mostró una mejoría en las crisis de hipo, lo que indica que las medicinas comenzaron a surtir efecto, pero es necesario más tiempo para ver los resultados. La evolución en este tipo de casos acostumbra ser más lenta, pero en 24 horas tuvimos una respuesta positiva y estamos confiados”, dijo por su parte el médico Brasil Caiado.
De acuerdo con Birolini, tanto la cirugía para la corrección de dos hernias inguinales a la que fue sometido, como las tres diferentes operaciones para el bloqueo anestésico de los nervios frénicos bilaterales del diafragma (izquierdo y derecho) con el fin de controlar sus recurrentes crisis de hipo, fueron realizadas como estaba previsto.
“Mañana (jueves) él completa una semana de la cirugía (de hernia) y está corriendo todo bien desde el punto de vista del postoperatorio, por lo que mantenemos nuestra previsión de alta para mañana”, afirmó el especialista.
Caiado agregó que Bolsonaro tuvo algunos picos de hipertensión en los últimos días, que fueron corregidos con el uso de medicinas y que no volvieron a presentarse desde el martes.
Ambos admitieron que los problemas de salud de Bolsonaro se agravaron por su estado anímico y por las circunstancias en que se encuentra (preso), por lo que atendieron el pedido del capitán de la reserva del Ejército para recetarle un antidepresivo.
“Esperamos que ese tratamiento (con antidepresivos) haga efectos en los próximos días”, afirmó Caiado.
Los especialistas también admitieron que, pese a que consiguieron reducirle la intensidad a las crisis de hipo, el problema no fue solucionado con el bloqueo de los nervios frénicos, por lo que el tratamiento ahora será hecho igualmente con medicinas o con otras alternativas, como fonoaudiología.
Agregaron que la endoscopia a la que el ex mandatario fue sometido este miércoles confirmó el diagnóstico ya conocido, que sufre de gastritis y de esofagitis erosiva, lo que, en su opinión, puede ser el origen de las crisis de hipo.
Los médicos dijeron que harán seguimiento permanente de la salud del ex presidente en visitas a la sede policial en la que está recluido, y que cuentan con el permiso de la Corte Suprema para atenderlo en cualquier horario.
“Después del alta es común el seguimiento. En este caso específico iremos hasta allá (al lugar de la prisión) cuando sea necesario. Tenemos algunas limitaciones y no son las condiciones ideales, pero es lo que podemos hacer”, afirmó Birolini.
South America / Central America,Government / Politics
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Critics warn Minnesota legislation now taking effect is setting up the ‘next billion-dollar fraud’
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As a massive fraud scandal continues to unfold in Minnesota, a new law in the state is set to take effect on Jan. 1 granting 20 weeks of paid leave, which critics say just opens the door for more fraud in the state.
The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz, will allow Minnesota workers up to 12 weeks a year off with partial pay to care for a newborn or a sick family member, and up to 12 weeks to recover from their own serious illness. Benefits will be capped at 20 weeks a year for employees who take advantage of both.
«Everyone deserves paid time away from work, to heal, to grow, and to live,» Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said at the signing ceremony in 2023. «This time is not optional. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have if we truly are going to be the best state in the country to raise a family.»
The new state paid leave program is separate from, and in addition to, existing federal and Minnesota parental and maternity-leave rights, although it can run concurrently with them for the same period of time, and is being enforced by a new government agency called the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development with more than 400 full-time employees overseeing the process.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sits for an interview with Star Tribune journalists in his office at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Dec. 12, 2024. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Critics on social media in recent days have expressed doubt about the safeguards put in place to prevent fraudsters from exploiting the new law given the massive scandal in Minnesota’s nonprofit and welfare programs, which prosecutors say could total $9 billion.
«In the middle of a massive fraud scandal, Minnesota Democrats are bragging about creating a new entitlement just as ripe for abuse,» Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. «The scheme involves businesses forced to pay a premium, with the state paying workers for 20 weeks of ‘paid leave.’ Are Minnesotans tired yet?»
Bill Glahn, a policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, who has been at the forefront of fraud coverage in Minnesota for many years, told Fox News Digital he has been «describing this as the next billion-dollar fraud.»
Glahn explained that Republicans previously refused to even hear similar proposals when they controlled the Minnesota House, but that Democrats passed the law after gaining full control, without any Republican support. Instead of using private insurance companies to administer paid leave, Glahn is faulting Democrats for creating an entirely new state-run bureaucracy staffed by hundreds of unionized government employees.
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The sun shines on the Minnesota State Capitol. (Steve Karnowski/Associated Press)
«This is going to be just like all these Medicaid programs that they start de novo, where they say, ‘Oh, we’ll probably have two or three million dollars worth of claims on this,’ and then it quickly balloons up to 100, 200 million,» Glahn said.
Glahn outlined several ways the system could be exploited, including fake companies, fake employees, minimal contributions followed by large benefit claims and multiple people claiming paid leave to care for the same relative without any realistic oversight. Because claims are tied to private homes rather than centralized locations, he argues that fraud detection is practically impossible.
Glahn also warns that individuals could work briefly, qualify, then repeatedly claim long periods of paid leave, effectively getting paid for a full year while working only part of it and explained that Minnesota has a pattern of creating new entitlement programs that attract fraudsters who quickly identify loopholes and overwhelm oversight.
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Homeland Security investigators were part of a large fraud investigation on Monday in Minneapolis following the release of a video over the weekend on alleged day care fraud. (Department of Homeland Security)
«When you build a multi-billion-dollar state benefit program with weak oversight, fraudsters line up,» Townhall columnist and prominent commentator on Minnesota fraud, Dustin Grage, told Fox News Digital. «We’ve already seen what happens in Minnesota. The paid family leave system will be a magnet for abuse.»
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development told Fox News Digital that assertions about the likelihood of fraud in the new law are «not based in fact.»
«Paid Leave has launched with strong systems in place to verify identities and work histories and to detect and prevent fraud. We accept tips about potential fraud from all sources, and we investigate all reports,» the spokesperson said. «Every leave must be certified by an appropriate professional. For example, a medical provider must attest that medical leave is necessary and also must verify who they are. Identifications are verified through licensure information, certification that is required on every application.»
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is facing calls to resign from GOP lawmakers in his state. (Getty)
«Employers are a key part of this as well. They will be notified of every leave application, have an opportunity to review to make sure that information looks correct and notify us of any concerns.»
Still, the rampant fraud in Minnesota touching at least 14 programs has caused major skepticism of the safeguards in place for this new law that Democrats have pushed for years.
«It’s going to be just like every other program,» Glahn told Fox News Digital.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
minnesota fraud exposed,tim walz,minnesota
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