“Habemus Papam!” cried the world this week, welcoming a new Pope to his post. The white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel thrilled onlookers of both Catholic and non-Catholic background, bringing a formal end to Pope Benedict XVI’s reign and signaling the beginning of something new.
But what else happened this week? Well, Ohio Republic Senator Rob Portman took everyone by surprise in a statement where he changed his stance on gay marriage. North Dakotan women seeking an abortion may need to watch out, depending on their governor’s verdict on a new bill. Finally, another gang rape controversy strikes India when a Swiss tourist became the target of an assault.
Happy Spring Break, and welcome back to NEWSFLASH!
Argentine Cardinal Elected Pope
Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope on Wednesday , making him Pope Benedict XVI’s official successor.
Pope Francis, 76, is the first Pope from Latin American and the first Jesuit to be Head of the Catholic Church. Latin American leaders and citizens were ecstatic upon hearing that the argentinian cardinal was elected.
Francis gave his first press conference on Saturday, where he vowed to make a church “for the poor.” His professed dedication to caring for the poor reportedly led Bergoglio to choose the name Francis, after Francis de Assisi.
While some were charmed by the new Pope, criticism has already been leveled at Francis, especially for his actions during Argentina’s Dirty War that took place from 1976 to 1983. An estimated 30,000 opponents to the era’s dictator were abducted, tortured, and killed, with many religious leaders reportedly turning a blind eye to the atrocities. Francis, some civilian sources claim, had been well aware that such brutality was taking place but chose to publicly deny its existence.
Nevertheless, much excitement currently surrounds Pope Francis as the world waits to see what kind of legacy he will leave.
Ohio Senator Rob Portman Declares Support for Gay Marriage
In a surprising statement delivered on Thursday, Republican Senator Rob Portman publicly reversed his anti-gay marriage stance.
Portman told reporters that his 21-year-old son, Will, had come out two years ago. Upon hearing that his son was gay, Portman began to “think of this issue from a new perspective.”
The Republican Senator had previously backed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which specifically defined marriage as the legal union between man and woman.
Now, Portman is set to challenge the law. “I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married,” he wrote in a Columbus Dispatch op-ed.
North Dakota “Heartbeat” Abortion Ban Passes State Senate
Pro-abortion supporters are outraged at a recent anti-abortion bill that passed through the North Dakotan Senate on Friday.
The “heartbeat” bill would make abortion illegal once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. However, many women often take six weeks or more to find out that they are pregnant.
Once a heartbeat has been detected, abortions would only be allowed if the pregnancy threatened a woman’s health or well-being. Pregnancies resulting from rape weren’t mentioned as one of the exceptions.
“With this vote, politicians in North Dakota have proven their disregard for a woman’s personal medical decision-making,” Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, said in a statement following the bill’s passing.
The “heartbeat” bill is now headed to Governor Jack Dairymple’s desk, where it will be approved or rejected.
Swiss Tourist Gang Raped in India
Local police in the central Indian province of Madya Pradesh are questioning 13 men in connection with the gang rape of a Swiss tourist.
The woman and her husband had arrived in India on February 4 to do a bike tour of the country. They were camping in the Datia district when a group of five to seven attackers surrounded them, beat the man and then proceeded to rape the woman.
Both husband and wife have been released from the hospital. The couple is currently staying in a guesthouse as investigations carry on.
The Swiss woman’s case has reignited outrage at the treatment of women in India, which initially began with the 16 December gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi on a public bus. The young woman died of her injuries, and a trial is now ongoing to determine the perpetrators’ fate.