标签： Jamaica

MADRID, Spain – On the third day of his seven-day state visit to Spain, Pope Leo XIV held a pivotal closed-door meeting with six survivors of clergy-committed sexual violence, where he pledged the Catholic Church would deepen its institutional reforms to address the long-running abuse crisis that has shaken global confidence in the Church hierarchy, Vatican officials confirmed Monday.

The hour-long gathering, held at the Vatican’s apostolic nunciature in Madrid, gave each survivor space to share their harrowing personal accounts of abuse and submit concrete recommendations to strengthen the Church’s response to these devastating cases. In a formal statement released after the meeting, the Vatican noted that Pope Leo committed to centering these proposals as a foundation for expanded action, with the goal of transforming the Church into a truly safe and spiritually healthy environment for all.

Earlier the same day, speaking to a assembly of Spanish bishops, the pontiff described clergy sexual abuse as a devastating “scourge” that demands unflinching response: “We must meet this crisis with intentional listening, radical transparency, full accountability for perpetrators, just reparations for survivors, and a relentless commitment to prevention and a culture of care that puts vulnerable people first.”

The meeting came amid public criticism from victim advocacy groups, who slammed the pontiff for excluding broader representation of survivors from the gathering. Speaking to AFP outside the nunciature, Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesperson for leading Spanish survivor organization Infancia Robada (Stolen Childhood), expressed deep disappointment: “We are disappointed that the pope, instead of listening to a sufficiently large and solid representation of victims, prefers to leave us out.”

The scale of the abuse crisis in Spain is staggering: a 2023 official report from Spain’s national ombudsman estimated that at least 200,000 minors have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy in the country since 1940. After decades of institutional denial and opacity from the Spanish Catholic Church, the national government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reached a landmark compensation agreement with the Spanish Church in March of this year, marking a major turning point for survivor justice.

Pope Leo, who has repeatedly acknowledged the ongoing harm of the abuse scandal, reiterated Saturday that the crisis remains “an open wound” for the global Catholic community, which counts 1.4 billion adherents worldwide.

Monday’s schedule also included a historic first: the 70-year-old, U.S.-born pontiff became the first pope to address the Spanish parliament, where his remarks received an extended standing ovation from lawmakers. In his address, he turned to pressing global issues, starting with the growing migration crisis that has reshaped European politics. He called for coordinated global action to address the “tragic drama” of forced migration, urging world leaders to create “safe and legal pathways” for migration and ensure all displaced people receive “a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration.”

His remarks align with the relatively liberal immigration stance of Prime Minister Sanchez, whose government has faced intense political pressure over the policy from the conservative Popular Party and far-right Vox, which is now Spain’s third-largest political party. The pope is set to travel to the Canary Islands later in his visit, a major Atlantic entry point for irregular migrants traveling from North Africa to Europe, where he will honor the thousands of migrants who have died during the dangerous ocean crossing.

The pontiff also used the parliamentary address to make a forceful case for global peace, just hours after a deadly exchange of fire between Israel and Iran threatened to collapse a fragile regional ceasefire. Echoing his longstanding anti-war position – which has drawn fierce criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside criticism of Sanchez – Pope Leo called for “patient dialogue” over armed conflict and escalating rearmament across Europe and the globe. “Weapons may impose a temporary silence but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace,” he told lawmakers.

Closing his address, the pontiff reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s anti-abortion and anti-euthanasia stance, urging Spanish legislators to defend life “from conception to its natural end.” This position puts him at odds with Sanchez’s left-wing government, which has legalized euthanasia under regulated conditions and is pushing to enshrine abortion rights in the Spanish constitution.

To cap off his full day of engagements, Pope Leo was scheduled to meet with the Madrid diocesan community at Real Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. AFP correspondents on the ground reported that more than 80,000 supporters filled the venue an hour and a half before his expected arrival, singing hymns, waving flags of Spain, the Vatican and Latin American nations, and chanting “We are lions! We are lions!” – a playful reference to the name Leo, which means lion in Spanish.

Thus far, the papal visit has drawn massive public turnout: event organizers reported that more than 1.5 million worshippers attended an open-air mass Pope Leo celebrated in central Madrid on Sunday.

Upcoming stops on the visit include Barcelona on Wednesday, where the pontiff will bless the newly completed tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica, Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished architectural masterpiece that recently became the tallest church in the world. The visit will conclude Thursday and Friday in the Canary Islands, where Pope Leo will be joined by Prime Minister Sanchez for formal engagements.

TROY, Trelawny — At the official inauguration of the new $230-million Troy Bridge last Friday, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness delivered a public reassurance to rural Jamaican residents, pushing back against widespread perceptions that deep-rural communities have been sidelined from national infrastructure investment and economic growth.

The span connects the Manchester North Western constituency, represented by Opposition Member of Parliament Mikael Phillips, to Trelawny Southern, making it a critical transportation link for thousands of cross-community residents, farmers, and commuters. During the opening ceremony, Phillips used the occasion to raise a longstanding concern from rural constituents: that major infrastructure spending has disproportionately focused on urban hubs and large towns, leaving marginalized deep-rural areas underfunded and disconnected.

“Kingston is not Jamaica alone, Mandeville is not Manchester alone, Falmouth is not Trelawny alone,” Phillips told the gathered crowd. He made a direct appeal to Minister of Works Robert Morgan to ensure deep-rural communities receive fair representation in national road development planning, urging policymakers to set aside the urban-centric approach to infrastructure investment: “Remember us in deep-rural Jamaica whenever you’re crafting that road programme, because we want some of it too.”

In response to Phillips’ appeal, Holness acknowledged that rural communities have long carried a sense of being overlooked by national governments, a feeling that erodes personal dignity, community respect, and public confidence in state institutions. He made clear the current administration’s policy priorities directly counter this trend. “It’s a loss of dignity, a loss of respect, a loss of confidence — and let me assure you, your Government does not forget the rural communities,” the prime minister stated.

Holness outlined the government’s core objective for rural infrastructure: to expand connectivity so rural residents can easily access jobs, open markets, and critical public services, while fully integrating these communities into the country’s core economic networks. “What Government is trying hard to do is to rapidly integrate the rural communities into the nerve centres of economic activities,” he explained. Improved rural road and bridge networks, he added, create flexible opportunity: they allow residents to make their homes in rural areas while accessing employment in urban hubs, and cut transit costs and time for agricultural producers moving goods to domestic markets. The $230-million investment in the Troy Bridge itself, he emphasized, serves as tangible proof of the government’s commitment, not just empty rhetoric: “We’re not forgetting rural communities — and the $230 [million]-odd spent here is a symbol that you are top of mind and not forgotten.”

Works Minister Robert Morgan, who himself represents a rural constituency, echoed Holness’ reassurance, noting that rural development remains a central priority for the administration. He shared details of two major upcoming infrastructure initiatives that will benefit rural Jamaica. First, last Monday, the Jamaican Cabinet approved the Accelerated Bridge Project, a multi-year plan that will replace more than 50 deteriorating or destroyed bridges across the island over the next two and a half years. The western region of Jamaica, which suffered the worst damage from Hurricane Melissa, will receive the majority of funding and support under the program. Second, the $280-million Troy to Warsaw Road full rehabilitation project will move forward under the government’s Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) initiative. Unlike patchwork repairs, this project will deliver a full, long-lasting upgrade to the key rural thoroughfare that serves residents of Troy, Manchester, and Trelawny. Morgan added that more rural infrastructure projects will be announced for the region in the coming weeks.

Alongside broader policy announcements, the opening ceremony saw cross-party praise for the completed bridge. Opposition MP Phillips was joined by ruling Jamaica Labour Party representatives Trelawny Southern MP Marisa Dalrymple Philibert and Falmouth mayor Councillor Junior Gager, who represents the local Warsop Division, in welcoming the new span.

Gager, a Troy native who resides within walking distance of the bridge, recalled the widespread disruption that followed the original structure’s 2021 collapse, triggered by flooding from Tropical Storm Grace. For years after the collapse, the broken span created daily hardships for everyone who relied on it: local residents, commuting workers, farm producers, students traveling to school, teachers, and small business owners. He joked that the constant requests for repairs from frustrated constituents became a daily part of his life: “I live in this little district, I was born here. And when this bridge collapsed, many times you hear the people passing my place, Prime Minister, I hear dem bawl out, ‘Gager, yuh nah fix the bridge?’ So I am more than happy,” he said to laughter from the gathered audience.

Dalrymple Philibert highlighted the steady commitment the government demonstrated to see the project across the finish line, even in the face of significant headwinds: global supply chain-driven rising construction costs, unforeseen construction delays, and widespread damage from Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. This commitment, she argued, reflects the administration’s understanding of just how critical the bridge is to the daily lives and economic vitality of Troy and surrounding communities. “This morning as we cut the ribbon, we do so with gratitude to the engineers, contractors, workers, public servants, and community members whose work made this achievement possible to everyone gathered here today,” she said.

The new Troy Bridge opening comes as the Jamaican government moves forward with plans to consolidate road governance under a new One Road Authority, an institutional reform designed to modernize, streamline, and strengthen the management, regulation, and expansion of the country’s entire national road network.

Following a widespread island-wide power outage that disrupted water access for tens of thousands of Jamaican households, Water Minister Matthew Samuda has confirmed that full water service will be restored to all remaining affected customers by Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with Observer Online on Monday, Samuda provided the latest progress update on recovery efforts. As of 8 p.m. Sunday, just three water facilities — one distribution system in the parish of Manchester and two treatment plants in St Elizabeth — still remained offline, after the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) blackout knocked out water infrastructure across the country. Samuda explained that these remaining outages are tied to ongoing power restoration work by JPS, with joint teams from NWC and JPS continuing on-site repairs to bring the facilities back online Monday. He projected all work would be completed by Tuesday, leaving no households without water service as a lingering effect of the blackout.

The power outage, which struck last Friday, left an estimated 65,000 households — around 12% of the National Water Commission’s (NWC) entire customer base — without running water by 2 p.m. the following Saturday. As of Monday, just 2,000 NWC customers still remained without service.

Calling the cascading service disruption an unfortunate event, Samuda used the update to outline the Jamaican government’s ongoing work to build long-term resilience for the country’s water sector against power outages. He noted that power failures triggering water service disruptions are not unique to Jamaica, explaining that the water sector is inherently the most energy-reliant part of public infrastructure, making it the first to be affected when power grids go down.

To address this vulnerability, the Jamaican government has invested more than $1 billion JMD in backup generator infrastructure across the water network since Hurricane Burel struck. Samuda explained that these generators automatically activate to keep water systems running during power outages, reducing widespread disruptions. The government also continues to prioritize a long-term transition to more sustainable, independent power sources for water infrastructure, a process that is already underway.

Samuda added that the government remains fully committed to reaching its resilience goal: ensuring 70% of the country’s water distribution network can maintain service during power outages. He noted that the full rollout will take a few more years, constrained by available budget and cash flow, but that the policy commitment to improving infrastructure resilience remains firm.

“We will continue to invest until we achieve that full resilience, certainly within 70 per cent of our distribution network. But that will take another couple of years, just based on cash flows. But the policy commitment has already been made. We cannot go ahead of what we are able to earn,” Samuda said.