France-Brazil

Requiescat in Pace

Link: Guardian Unlimited - World Mourns Pope (Photo: CNN).

PARIS (AP) - From pilgrims burning candles at a grotto in France to a tiny wooden church in the Amazon, the world mourned Pope John Paul II on Sunday as a beloved and admired spiritual and moral leader, a champion of peace and builder of bridges between faiths. Pilgrims burned candles at the grotto at the healing shrine in Lourdes, France, where the pontiff prayed twice during his last foreign trip in August .... In Paris, the great bell of Notre Dame sounded 84 times - once for each year of the pontiff's life. Some 25,000 people filled the esplanade in front of the packed cathedral where a special Mass for the pope was celebrated. '

In Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared seven days of mourning .... Meanwhile, in a tiny wooden church shadowed by towering jungle trees, two dozen Amazonian Indians, gathered Sunday in Brazil to pray for Pope John Paul II's soul. Singing hymns to the beat of a single drum carved from rain forest wood, parishioners living along a tributary of the Amazon remembered John Paul as an advocate for agrarian reform key to the drive of Brazil's Indians to protect their traditional lands from encroaching loggers and soy farmers.``We pray for him to be at the side of God,'' lay minister Francinaldo Correia Rocha said inside the church in Braganca, some 30 miles from the nearest paved road. ``And we also pray that his strength and force will stay here on Earth for the next pope.''

Brazil contains the world's largest catholic community, with over 134 million believers (1997). The photo on the right (CNN) depicts Pope John Paul II riding trough the streets of Rio de Janeiro, which he visited in October 1997.

Among the candidates for succesion is Cardinal Claudio Hummes, 70, the archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a member of the Franciscan order. He was elevated to cardinal in February 2001 and is the first South American cardinal ever nominated.

Photo Credits: CNN

Emissions France 2 - Peut-on encore ignorer le Brésil ?

Link: Peut-on encore ignorer le Brésil ?

Il est temps de penser au Brésil autrement que pour son football, la samba ou Copacabana. Cinquième pays au monde par sa taille et sa population, le Brésil est aujourd’hui en lutte avec les Etats-Unis pour la place de premier exportateur agricole mondial. C’est aussi l’une des dix premières puissances industrielles de la planète.
Avec à sa tête un ex-métallo, le charismatique Lula, le Brésil tente de réduire les inégalités sur son sol tout en imposant une voix différente dans le concert des nations .... A l’occasion de l’année du Brésil en France, Un œil sur la planète [France 2] vous invite, pour son neuvième numéro, à la découverte de ce "pays-continent". [Retrouvez les reportages sur le site de France 2].

Feliz Páscoa - Joyeuses Pâques - Happy Easter!