Rome enveloped the equivalent of the Catholic forest. That heading act: The new American Pope.

Hundreds of thousands of young people have descended into eternal cities throughout the week for festivals of faith, music and religious services, singing groups of teens and young adults from around the world, waving flags on the ancient streets of Rome, camping in the enormous warehouses on the outskirts of the city.

After a helicopter descending on Saturday evening, Pope Leo XIV greeted the excited sea of pilgrims with waves and blessings.

After a prayer vigil held in a vast area in Rome’s Torvergata district, the crowd slept under the stars and woke up early Sunday morning as Leo returned to celebrate the Mass.

For Leo, who mails in less than 100 days, the youth mega meeting marks his pope’s first test of whether he can connect with the younger generations of the church. The Vatican estimates that more than one million young people have been found to be Sunday’s Mass, which has become the biggest event in his Holy See.

Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, hit many young people, travelled back and forth with a large crowd, and put aside pre-prepared speeches that he asked difficult questions from them about losing faith, abortion and sexual abuse.

Leo has a different style than Francis. The Chicago-born Pope frequently maintains his set texts and leaps against the Vatican, seeking help in ways his more destructive predecessors often avoided.

Nevertheless, the Pope was able to demonstrate his ability to connect with young people through his quiet charisma and credibility, and had a gentle leadership, communicating less through dramatic actions and salty speeches.

At a youth event in Rome, part of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee celebration, Leo embraces the enthusiasm of the youth, but secures a moment of quiet reflection. On Saturday evening, the crowd went silent, and Leo kneeled down to the main altar, leading them into a quiet era of prayer.

It’s still early for Leo’s Pope. He has shown determination to continue the reforms that Francis began, but he is still growing into the role. Leo is known for his orderly style, and people close to him say he is likely to listen and analyze months before he makes any major HR appointments or other important decisions.

As an Augustine’s monk, his spirituality is contemplative, and is on display on Saturday, in his relatively youthful Pope era at the age of 69, when he carried a large wooden cross up the stairs to the main altar – he doesn’t have to hurry. The key question is how he manages Romaculia, the central government of the Vatican church. Francis often detoured and sometimes criticized him strongly. Leo shows that he wants to work with the agency, but he needs to avoid being controlled by it.

Some Vatican observers say he still needs to find his voice and take advantage of his linguistic benefits better.

“You can understand that he wants to speak Italian, just as the Pope is a Bishop of Rome. “But if he wants to reach his target audience, he must speak English.”

During the youth celebration, Leo used his language better and switched between Spanish, English and Italian. On Tuesday evening, he electrified the crowd that went wild when Leo made a surprise appearance after a welcome mass.

“You are the light of the world!” he told them, cheering loudly in English.

The long-term trends indicate a sharp decline in young people’s involvement and identification in mainstream religions in Western countries.

However, the Catholic Church could fall into that trend, and in recent research that has sparked interest among ZEN Z, during the youth jamboree, Leo greeted the iPhones sea at St. Peter’s Cathedral and met social media influencers called “digital missionaries” who connect with new audiences.

One of them, former craft beer brewer Jose de Urquidi, told CNN he was “like a missionary” of the past, learning new languages and habits.

“It’s a really cool experience to connect with people of your age from different places around the world who are going through the same thing and want to experience the same thing,” 17-year-old Milena Solano, who traveled from the US, told CNN.

“Some people find it strange to be religious, and I think we’ll meet people who don’t think it’s that exhilarating.

Francis was skimming through the newspaper, and Leo was the first Pope to write his own emails wearing an Apple Watch. He is more conscious than his online news predecessor or the world of social media.

“You know, today there is an algorithm that tells us what we see, what we need to think about, who our friends should be. And our relationships become confused and sometimes unsettling,” he told the youngster on Saturday.

At a point of uncertainty – political and other – many young people want Leo to become the voice of a marginalized person.

“I really love him to pray for my family and all the immigrants and refugees in our country, just for peace, evacuation and security for them,” said 17-year-old Victoria Aguirre, from her hometown in Chicago.

And as 18-year-old Damien Hernandez from New Mexico was waiting for the Pope to arrive, he said it was important for Leo to emphasize that he would welcome immigrants.

Some American pilgrims in Rome had a special affinity for the Pope who spoke their language and culture. After Leo spoke to the crowd in English before Mass on Sunday morning, some of the crowd chanted “Viva Ilpapa.” And after he was handed a slice of Aurelio’s Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in St. Peter’s Square, the bishop seemed pleased.

Before his election, the Pope frequently visited one of his restaurants in Homewood, Illinois.

As Pope, Leo can no longer go out for a quiet slice.

He went to one of the world’s most famous people in the world in a few hours due to the relative obscurity of the Rome-based cardinal.

While most political leaders like to have a big impact in the first 100 days, Leo seems happy to listen, analyze and wait.

This strategy can, in the long run, give him more authority within the Church, promote reform, and loom as a moral voice at the world stage.

“We’re with the young people in Gaza and with the young people in Ukrainian,” Leo said at the end of Sunday Mass.

As the young people were preparing to go home, he said to them: “My young brothers and sisters, you are a sign that another world is possible.”

Alessandro Gentile, Witek Rzepczak, and Clara Schönthaler contributed the report.

The far-right Israeli pastor sparked rage on Sunday after leading a group of prayer worshippers in Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, despite a decades-old agreement that forbids Jews from worshiping there.

The Itamar Ben Gwyr state, convicted of supporting terrorism in Israel and incited anti-Arab racism in Israel, is a compound of the Al-Aqsa Mosque known to Jews as a mountain of temples, commemorates Tisha Bhav, Jewish Day of Mourning. At Tisha Bhav, the Jews mark the destruction of two ancient temples that once stood on the land.

While there he “conquered” Gaza in his country and “encouraged” the Palestinians to leave the enclave.

The complex is the sacred place in Judaism that Jews face in prayer. It is also the third most sacred place in Islam.

Anyone can visit the site, but according to an understanding known as the “Status Agreement” that has existed since Israel captured the old city of Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967, only Muslims are allowed to pray there.

Ben Gvir has visited the complex many times before, including his previous Tisha B’av Memorial. Before he led the congregation in prayer there.

The Palestinian Ministry of Religion quickly denounced Ben Gwil, calling him an “extremist” and said he “blatantly ignores the feelings of Muslims not only Palestinians, but around the world.”

Islamic holy sites are subject to “daily violations by settlers who are operating under the protection of right-wing governments who are actively working to seize control of both Islamic and Christian holy sites through clear and systematic plans,” the ministry said in a statement.

Jordan and Saudi Arabia, which manage the holy sites, also condemned Ben Gwil’s actions. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry described the incident as “a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, an unacceptable provocation and a condemned escalation.”

Hamas called the move “a tomb and an escalating crime against the mosque.”

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, where the compounds are located, as the capital of the future state. Most of the international community considers the eastern sector of the city to be under Israeli occupation.

Later on Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that “policies to maintain the status quo at Temple Mount remain unchanged.”

In the past, the PMO has emphasized that policies regarding the site will be decided by the Israeli government and its prime minister, not by the individual.

While on the site on Sunday, Ben Gwil prayed “for the full victory in the war of Israel and the safe return of all hostages,” his office said.

“The message must be sent from here, to conquer the entire Gaza Strip, declare all sovereignty over Gaza, eliminate all Hamas members, and encourage voluntary immigration,” the minister said in a video recorded in the compound. “Only this way we can regain hostages and win the war.”

Earlier this week, Ben Gwyr was declared a persona non-grata from the Netherlands, who incited violence against Palestinians, insisted on expanding illegal settlements and reportedly “seek for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip,” wrote Dutch Foreign Minister Kaspar Berdkamp.

This came after Israeli Finance Minister Bezarel Smotrich after Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the UK imposed sanctions on him in June.

Rome
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European countries, who want to reflect the controversial practice of sending asylum seekers rescued at sea to deportation centres overseas, have handled set-folds with European top coats.

On Friday, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that while Italy still uses the centre, the centres operating in the Albanian cities of Shengin and Gaeder, can be sent there, must be more scrutiny to ensure that asylum seekers are not sent to their country’s dangerous situations.

The court said that the country of origin could only be considered “safe” after being “object to effective judicial review,” and that the country must clearly be safe and secure for all populations, including vulnerable or marginalized groups.

The ECJ ruling almost certainly affects new EU asylum restrictions. It is expected to come into effect in June next year and is designed to allow member states to create their own “safe” country lists to speed up and outsource the asylum process.

The EU’s own list intended to be a guide includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia.

“The proposed list of EU’s ‘safe countries of origin’ is considered a specific country, with fewer than 20% of applicants deeming international protection in the EU,” Amnesty International said in a July statement. “However, the fact that up to 20% of those applying for international protection from these countries are perceived as refugees indicates that these places are actually not safe for everyone,” he added.

The ECJ’s ruling was based on two Bangladeshi asylum seekers who were detained in Albania but argued that it was not safe to return to Bangladesh, as several European countries have expressed interest in developing their own deportation schemes, such as the Italian-Albanian partnership.

The partnership is viewed by millions of euro investments and “return hubs” in detention centres and “return hubs” in non-EU countries as potential blueprints for success in some countries, but a recent study by the University of Bali found that the Italian scheme has so far costing over 742 million euros.

In this study, the scheme was called “the most costly, inhumane, and useless means in the history of Italian migration policy.”

Still, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and then President Charles Michel of the Council of Europe praised Italy’s 2023 landmark agreement, and in May 2024 the EU established a series of reforms designed to streamline European approaches to managing immigration and asylum, particularly those from so-called “safe” countries.

Calling it “fair but solid,” the agreement sets out a wide range of reforms designed to ease the burden of the nation that has historically taken out of the 27 EU member states.

It remains to be seen whether this ECJ ruling will discourage the development of the detention hub.

Italian far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the court’s decision for “to combat mass illegal immigration and undermine policies to protect borders.”

“This is a development that should be relevant to everyone, including political forces who jog over the verdict, as it further reduces the already limited scope for governments and Congress to regulate and manage migration,” she said.

Meanwhile, in Italian detention centres in Albania, the lives of almost 12 people in a country considered safe, including Egypt and Bangladesh, are balanced.

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This week’s trip summary: the world’s first passenger plane, the forgotten but beautiful Bauhaus Airport, and the luxurious death trap, a rising travel admission fee.

The essential travel accessory Dujour is a big fat wallet.

You’ve probably heard of the US introducing a new $250 “visa integrity fee” for international visitors.

The European Union has also been busy with travel fees and has recently raised its upcoming European Travel Information and License System (ETIAS) fees to between 7-20 euros (approximately $23).

This fee applies to non-EU citizens from visa-free countries. That means the United States, the UK, Canada, Japan, etc. This is planned to start operation by the second half of 2026.

The Commission is attributable to this significant increase, increasing inflation, additional operating costs and matching other travel approval programs, such as the US ESTAS ($21 price tag) and the UK ETAS.

The UK hiked the cost of an electronic travel authorization (ETA) in April, going from 10 pounds to 16 pounds (around $21).

Making permanent moves in other countries proved the change that these Americans needed.

Retired US veteran Christopher Boris struggled to deal with rising cost of living, so in 2024 he and his wife, Maria Jesus, moved from Maryland to Brazil.

“I couldn’t afford to buy American dreams,” Boris tells CNN. “But here, it’s not about making money. It’s establishing other factors like friendship.”

New York native Janet Brother moved from California to Mexico nearly 20 years ago. As a single mother of three “paid salary,” she says she always felt that she was “not enough.”

She started a magazine business and obtained a permanent resident visa. “I feel like I was successful here,” she tells CNN. “I gave myself a wonderful life.”

When Nashville’s woman Linder Leaming visited in 1994, she was blown away by the beauty of the Kingdom of Bhutan. “I wanted to spend the rest of my life here,” she tells CNN. Three years later, she made the move and has since found love and happiness in the Himalayas. “Moving to Bhutan taught me to live with all my heart,” she says.

See what it was like to fly on the world’s first passenger jet

See what it was like to fly on the world’s first passenger jet

3:34

The De Havilland DH106 1a Comet was the world’s first passenger jet. It was a high level of luxury from the 1950s, but also a death strap with a fatal design flaw. Now it’s coming back to life. Read the incredible story here.

Shortly before the comet was sky, a 20-minute flight between Hong Kong and Macau was a record-breaking alternative. The world’s first airplane hijacking took place in 1948 on a Miss Macau seaplane. goal? He steals passengers and holds them for ransom.

Finally, aviation fans passing through Budapest can help narrow it down with a visit to Budasols, a beautiful but forgotten Bauhaus airport, a capsule of the aviation era. It has been operating continuously since 1937, and is used by hobby pilots, private planes and helicopters on the grassy airfield.

China is “standing” on escalator etiquette

China is “standing” on escalator etiquette

1:43

China is telling 1.4 billion people to abandon the near-universal practice of “standing on the right and walking left” of the escalator. Instead, authorities are offering what they say as a safer and better alternative. Will the experiment catch up elsewhere? Watch the video and see what you think.

Comfortable walking shoes are always needed when you hit the streets of the city. According to experts at Podiatristists and Shoe, CNN partners make the most of the guides found in CNN’s product reviews and recommendations guides.

It’s not just countries that charge new fees for entry.

Fed-Up Italian farmers have set up mountain turnstyles to request access to Instagram hotspots.

This former Soviet state is one of the most isolated countries in the world.

Now it shows a sign that more tourists are ready.

New nude.

Read our 21st century guide to undressing.

Are you swimming at work?

See how Swiss residents switch commutes.

The overnight eruption of Krashengannikov volcano in Kamchatka, for the first time in 600 years, could be linked to the massive earthquake that shook Russia’s Far East last week, Russian RIA State News Agency and scientists reported on Sunday.

“This is the first historically confirmed eruption of Krashenannikov volcano in 600 years,” Leah quoted Orga Zirina, director of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Reaction Team.

She added that the eruption could be linked to the earthquake on Wednesday, causing a tsunami warning as far away as France’s Polynesia and Chile, followed by the eruption of Krichevskoy, the most active volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

In the telegram channel of the Volcanic Seismic Institute, Girina said that Krache Garnikov’s last lava exudate occurred in 1463 (plus or minus 40 years), and no eruptions have been known since.

The Kamchatka branch of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Services said ash plume has been recorded, rising to up to 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) after the volcano eruption. The volcano itself is 1,856 meters.

“The clouds of ash drifted east towards the Pacific Ocean. There are no more populous areas along that path,” the ministry said on Telegram.

The volcanic eruptions are assigned an orange aviation code, indicating an increased risk to the aircraft, the ministry said.

More than 120 firefighters were trying to put out the flames at an oil depot in a Russian city in Sochi, but regional governor Beniamin Kondratiev, sparked by a drone attack in Ukraine, spoke about the telegram messaging app early on Sunday.

In the Krasnodar region of the Black Sea where Sochi is located, fuel tanks with a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters (70,000 cubic feet) were on fire, Russian news agency cited emergency officials.

In its daily morning report on Telegram, the Russian Ministry of Defense said its air defense units destroyed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one of the Krasnodar regions and 60 in the waters of the Black Sea.

The ministry reports not only how many drones will be destroyed, but also how many drones will be destroyed.

Russia’s civil aviation authorities, Rosaviatia, temporarily suspends flights at Sochi airports, ensuring air safety before telegrams saying flights had resumed as of Sunday (10pm ET).

Reuters was unable to independently verify the report. There were no immediate comments from Ukraine.

The attack Kondratiev said will be the latest in Ukraine on infrastructure in Russia, which Kiev considers as key to Moscow’s war effort, in the Adler district of the coastal resort city.

A woman was killed in the Adler district in a Ukrainian drone attack late last month, but the attack on Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, was rare in the war Russia launched in February 2022.

The Krasnodar region is home to the Irsky refinery near the city of Krasnodar, the largest region in southern Russia and a frequent target for Ukrainian drone attacks.

Also on Sunday, the governor of the southern Russian region of Bolognez said four people were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike that caused several fires, according to the military regime in the Ukrainian capital, while Russia launched missile attacks on Kiev.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the unit had destroyed 18 Ukrainian drones in the Bolognez region, which borders Ukraine.