The last papal visit in the 1990s brought Christmas back to Cuba. Now Good Friday has been made a holiday too thanks to Pope Benedict. It's a sign of the changing place of the Catholic Church in a country that was officially atheist for three decades. The Pope requested the move when he visited Cuba last week and met its communist President Raul Castro. His wish was granted as a mark of respect and a memory of what a statement called the "transcendental nature" of his visit.
上次20世纪90年代教皇访问古巴后,该国再次接受了基督教。如今,耶稣受难日成为节日,这要归功于班尼迪克教皇。对于这个30年来官方自称无神论国家来说,这表明该国的基督教堂有正在发生改变。上周,教皇访问古巴并会见这个共产主义总统卡斯特罗时,就提出了这个要求。古巴批准了他的这个愿望,以示尊敬,古巴在声明中称教皇来访具有“超验性质”,实现他的愿望也是为了纪念此次来访。
The French authorities say they fear a serial killer may be behind a series of unexplained shootings in a suburb of Paris. Prosecutors say the same weapon has been used in four murders in the Essone area since November. The latest victim was a 47-year-old woman who was shot dead in her apartment building on Thursday. Police say there's no apparent link between the four victims apart from the fact that the first two were neighbours.