Hundreds of thousands join Pope Francis at canonization of Sri Lanka"s first saint

Jan. 14, 2015: A devotee stretches out his hand to touch the hand of Pope Francis as he arrives to hold a mass at Colombo’s seafront Galle Face Green for the canonization ceremony of Joseph Vaz. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives to hold a mass at Colombo’s seafront Galle Face Green for the canonization ceremony of Joseph Vaz, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. Francis declared Vaz a saint at the start of the service. The church considers Vaz a great model for today’s faithful, ministering to the faithful of both Sri Lanka’s ethnic groups and putting himself at great risk to spread the faith. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) (The Associated Press) Members of the audience listen to Pope Francis holding a mass at Colombo’s seafront Galle Face Green for the canonization ceremony of Joseph Vaz, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. Francis declared Vaz a saint at the start of the service. The church considers Vaz a great model for today’s faithful, ministering to the faithful of both Sri Lanka’s ethnic groups and putting himself at great risk to spread the faith. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) (The Associated Press) A Sri Lankan Catholic devotee reads a newspaper carrying portraits of Pope Francis as she waits for his arrival at the church premise of Our Lady of Madhu in Madhu, northern Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. The visit is the first by a pope to the northern Tamil territory that was devastated by Sri Lanka’s 25-year civil war, which erupted in 1983 with Tamil demands for an independent homeland because of perceived discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (The Associated Press)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka –  Pope Francis pressed his call for Sri Lankan reconciliation Wednesday by canonizing the country’s first saint as a model for national unity and visiting the war-ravaged north to pray at a shrine revered by both Sinhalese and Tamil faithful.

More than a half-million people packed the capital’s seafront park for the Mass, with some spending the night under the stars to ensure a good spot. Seemingly rested after a grueling first day of his Asian tour, Francis arrived well ahead of time to greet the crowd, getting off his popemobile to kiss the sick and handicapped.

Bells rang out and the crowd erupted in applause when Francis declared the Rev. Joseph Vaz a saint at the start of the service. Vaz was a 17th century Indian missionary who revived the faith in Sri Lanka during a time of anti-Catholic persecution by Dutch colonists, who were Protestant Calvinists.

The Catholic Church considers Vaz a great model for today’s faithful, ministering to the faithful of both of Sri Lanka’s main ethnic groups and putting himself at great risk to spread the faith.

Francis told the crowd that Vaz lived at a time — like today — when Catholics were a minority and often persecuted, and yet he ministered to all, regardless of their ethnic or religious background.

“St. Joseph shows us the importance of transcending religious divisions in the service of peace,” Francis said in his homily, delivered in English and then translated for the crowd in both Sinhalese and Tamil. “As the life of St. Joseph Vaz teaches us, genuine worship of God bears fruit not in discrimination, hatred and violence, but in respect for the sacredness of life, respect for the dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all.”

He said the Sri Lankan church today only wants to continue Vaz’s legacy of service to all, asking only for the freedom to preach in return. “Religious freedom is a fundamental human right,” he said.

To underscore that point, Francis gave Sri Lanka’s bishops a replica of a 17th century decree from the then-king of Kandy allowing Catholic conversions of Buddhists — a somewhat provocative message given the recent upswing in violence against Muslims and some Protestant churches by Buddhist extremists who want Sri Lanka exclusively Buddhist.

After Mass, Francis was heading by helicopter to the northern city of Madhu to pray at the Our Lady of Madhu shrine, a Catholic pilgrimage site that is a destination for people of other faiths as well. The visit is the first by a pope to the northern Tamil territory that was devastated by Sri Lanka’s 25-year civil war, which erupted with Tamil demands for an independent homeland because of perceived discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.

Francis is expected to call again for reconciliation between Sinhalese and Tamils, and people of different faiths, to overcome the wounds of the war.

Upon his arrival in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, Francis called for reconciliation but also for the truth to come about injustices committed during the conflict, which ended in 2009 with the army’s violent crushing of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Catholics make up slightly more than 6 percent of Sri Lanka’s population of 21 million. They are by far the largest Christian denomination in the country, but are a distinct minority compared to Buddhists, who make up about 70 percent, with Hindus comprising 13 percent. Muslims make up about 10 percent of the population.

Most Sinhalese are Buddhist and most Tamils Hindu, but the Catholic Church counts both ethnic groups as its members, and as a result considers itself a source of unity for the country.

Wednesday morning’s Mass drew people from across the teardrop-shaped Indian Ocean island nation, eager to see the first visiting pope since St. John Paul II in 1995. In fact, it was during that brief visit that John Paul beatified Vaz, using the same altar that Francis used Wednesday to make Vaz a saint.

The crowds poured off buses and out into the street from the nearby railway station. Security was tight, and everyone had to walk the last few hundred meters (yards) to the Galle Face Green, but the atmosphere was festive and ordered. Taxi drivers handed out free cups of tea and the crowd was treated to traditional dancing and music.

The park has a capacity of 500,000 and the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the crowd more than surpassed the half-million mark.

“My son can’t understand what’s going on, but I will take photographs and show him when he grows up how he attended this Holy Mass,” Pradeep Niroshan, a 31-year-old insurance agent, said as he carried his 2-year-old son to the service. “It will be memorable for him, because the next pope to come to Sri Lanka may be after 20 years.”

On Thursday, Francis flies to the Philippines for the second and final leg of his Asian pilgrimage.

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Hundreds of thousands join Pope Francis at canonization of Sri Lanka"s first saint

EXCLUSIVE: Fort Hood shooter sends letter to Pope Francis espousing "jihad"

FILE: Undated: Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan. (AP)

EXCLUSIVE: Convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan has written to Pope Francis espousing “jihad,” in his latest correspondence aligning himself with radical Islam.

Despite efforts by the Defense Department to label the 2009 massacre as “workplace violence,” Hasan has described himself several times, and again in the new letter, using the acronym “SoA,” or “Soldier of Allah.”

Hasan directed his attorney John Galligan to mail the undated, six-page, hand-written letter to the pope. A copy of the letter – titled, “A Warning To Pope Francis, Members Of The Vatican, And Other Religious Leaders Around the World” – was provided by the attorney to Fox News.

Hasan appears to make multiple references to the Koran in the letter, and includes a bulleted list of guidelines for “believers.”

In one subsection titled “Jihad,” Hasan praises “The willingness to fight for All-Mighty Allah,” describing it as a test that elevates the “mujahadeen” who “are encouraged to inspire the believers.” He states that “fighters … have a greater rank in the eyes of Allah than believers who don’t fight.”

There is no reference in the letter to the Fort Hood massacre for which Hasan was convicted on 13 counts of premeditated murder, and 31 counts of attempted murder, but no terrorism charges. Hasan currently is on death row at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

In late August — as part of ongoing reporting on homegrown terrorism, “Fox Files: The Enemy Within,” which included a special investigation into Fort Hood — Fox News obtained a separate Hasan letter where he pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Asked to comment on the latest letter, Hasan’s attorney said it “underscores how much of his life, actions and mental thought process are driven by religious zeal. And it also reinforces my belief that the military judge committed reversible error by prohibiting Major Hasan from both testifying and arguing how his religious beliefs” motivated his actions during the shooting.

Neal Sher, an attorney representing the Fort Hood families and their relatives, also said Hasan is “thoroughly dedicated to jihad.” The lawsuit against the Defense Department and Justice Department now involves 150 individuals.

“His jihadist leanings and willingness to commit jihad were known for years before the 2009 atrocity,” Sher said. “And ever since then, he has made it abundantly clear he believes in jihad and has attempted to justify the slaughter that took place at Fort Hood.”

During the trial, Sher said Hasan attempted to testify and offer a “defense-of-others plea, in other words, he killed Americans at Fort Hood in defense of his brothers, al Qaeda and now ISIS. Yet again, it demonstrates he wasn’t shying away from [the shooting], he was proud of it.”

Sher likened the approach to “putting [the administration"s] head in the sand. They do not want to acknowledge a terrorist attack took place on their watch on American soil. And layered over that is a good dose of political correctness.”

Fox News has a standing request to interview Hasan.

Catherine Herridge is an award-winning Chief Intelligence correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. She covers intelligence, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Herridge joined FNC in 1996 as a London-based correspondent.

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EXCLUSIVE: Fort Hood shooter sends letter to Pope Francis espousing "jihad"

Patricia Francis reportedly short-listed for ACP post

A Jamaican is among three candidates short-listed for the post of  Secretary-General of  the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) grouping.    
A Caribbean Media Corporation report says she’s Patricia Francis, former Executive Director of  the International Trade Centre.    
The others are Guyana’s Brussels-based Ambassador to the ACP, Dr. P.I Gomes and Dr. Hamid Ghany, a senior lecturer at the St. Augustine campus of  the University of  the West Indies.
The Secretary General holds executive powers and heads the Brussels-based ACP Secretariat, which is the administrative and technical body of  the Group.    
The Secretariat, among other things, monitors the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement. 

Mrs. Francis first came to prominence as head of Jamaica‘s investment promotion and facilitation agency, JAMPRO.

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Patricia Francis reportedly short-listed for ACP post

UPDATE: Trial of accused killers of businessman Bunny Francis postponed

Monday, September 29, 2014 | 2:53 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The case of the four men charged with the murder of Roderick ‘Bunny’ Francis, a high-profile player in the local fishing industry, was today taken off the trial list in the Home Circuit Court.

The matter was set to be tried today but the court was informed that some documents were still outstanding. As a result, the matter was taken out of the trial list and set for mention on October 29 for bail application.

The accused are, 42-year-old Carlos Batista of Allerdyce Drive, Kingston 8; 27-year-old George Gardner; Sheldon Watson, 36; and Newton Welsh, all of Kingston addresses.

Sixty-six-year-old Francis was shot dead by gunmen, pretending to have car trouble, outside his Queensway home in St Andrew in July 2011.

Francis’s death is believed to be a contract killing.

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UPDATE: Trial of accused killers of businessman Bunny Francis postponed

Men to be tried for Bunny Francis" murder today

Monday, September 29, 2014 | 8:44 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The four men charged with the murder of Roderick ‘Bunny’ Francis, a high-profile player in the local fishing industry, are scheduled to be tried in the Home Circuit Court today.

The accused are, 42-year-old Carlos Batista of Allerdyce Drive, Kingston 8; 27-year-old George Gardner; Sheldon Watson, 36; and Newton Welsh, all of Kingston addresses.

Sixty-six-year-old Francis was shot dead by gunmen, pretending to have car trouble, outside his Queensway home in St Andrew in July 2011.

Francis’s death is believed to be a contract killing.

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Men to be tried for Bunny Francis" murder today

Patricia Francis reportedly short-listed for ACP post

A Jamaican is among three candidates short-listed for the post of  Secretary-General of  the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) grouping.    
A Caribbean Media Corporation report says she’s Patricia Francis, former Executive Director of  the International Trade Centre.    
The others are Guyana’s Brussels-based Ambassador to the ACP, Dr. P.I Gomes and Dr. Hamid Ghany, a senior lecturer at the St. Augustine campus of  the University of  the West Indies.
The Secretary General holds executive powers and heads the Brussels-based ACP Secretariat, which is the administrative and technical body of  the Group.    
The Secretariat, among other things, monitors the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement. 

Mrs. Francis first came to prominence as head of Jamaica‘s investment promotion and facilitation agency, JAMPRO.

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Patricia Francis reportedly short-listed for ACP post

Patricia Francis reportedly short-listed for ACP post

A Jamaican is among three candidates short-listed for the post of  Secretary-General of  the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) grouping.    
A Caribbean Media Corporation report says she’s Patricia Francis, former Executive Director of  the International Trade Centre.    
The others are Guyana’s Brussels-based Ambassador to the ACP, Dr. P.I Gomes and Dr. Hamid Ghany, a senior lecturer at the St. Augustine campus of  the University of  the West Indies.
The Secretary General holds executive powers and heads the Brussels-based ACP Secretariat, which is the administrative and technical body of  the Group.    
The Secretariat, among other things, monitors the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement. 

Mrs. Francis first came to prominence as head of Jamaica‘s investment promotion and facilitation agency, JAMPRO.

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Patricia Francis reportedly short-listed for ACP post

World War III may have already begun says Pope Francis

Pope Francis (Credit: Caribbean360 / Bigstock)

REDIPUGLIA, Italy, Tuesday September 16, 2014 – Pope Francis has warned that World War III may have already begun

Speaking on Saturday during a visit to Redipuglia military cemetery, where he was commemorating the centenary of World War I, the pontiff alluded to a more insidious global conflict.

“Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction,” he said.

“War is madness,” he declared at the memorial to 100,000 Italian soldiers who gave their lives in World War I and are interred at the country’s largest military cemetery.

The Pope has repeatedly condemned the idea of war in God’s name, and has called for an end to conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Ukraine, and parts of Africa.

Last month, the outspoken pontiff said the international community would be justified in using force to halt “unjust aggression” by Islamic State militants, who have killed or displaced thousands of people in Iraq and Syria, including many Christians, and outraged millions worldwide with the much-publicised beheadings of American and British hostages.

On Saturday, the Pope paid tribute to victims of all wars.

“Humanity needs to weep, and this is the time to weep,” he said.

The pontiff’s visit was also infused with personal meaning, according to a BBC report.

His grandfather fought in Italy’s offensive against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in north-east Italy in 1917 and 1918.

During his visit to Redipuglia, the Pope was presented with the document with which his grandfather enlisted to fight for Italy before emigrating to Argentina, Francis’ birthplace.

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World War III may have already begun says Pope Francis

Scintillating Francis clocks 45.95sec at Youngster Goldsmith Classic

BY HOWARD WALKER Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, February 02, 2014    

World Championships relay silver medallist Javon Francis of Calabar High had the National Stadium buzzing following his magnificent 45.95-second run in winning Heat Seven of the Class One 400m at the Youngster Goldsmith Classic yesterday.

Francis’s time was said to be the fastest ever run at the meet, being the first sub-46-second, but could not be ratified by the organisers up to press time.

Francis showed that he could break Usain Bolt’s 400m Champs record of 45.35 done almost 11 years ago in 2003.

Francis, or ‘Donkey Man’ as he is called, went out like a bullet from lane three and at the 200m mark he was up on the shoulders of last year’s Class Two record holder Deshaun Baker of JC, before leaving him for dead coming into the straight for an effortless victory.

Baker was second quickest overall in 47.70 seconds, with Heat Six winner Lennox Williams third overall after cruising home in 47.71 seconds.

This was Francis’s first 400m for the year and in a couple of months, barring injuries, a sub-45 clocking is on the cards at Champs. He is expected to be pushed by World Youth 400m champion Martin Manley of St Jago, who has done 45.89, and Lennox Williams of Manchester High, who is expected to run sub-46 this year.

Calabar showed their strength in the 400 metres as Anthony Carpenter stopped the clock at 49.63 seconds to be the fastest in Class Two ahead of his teammate Akyeeme Francis in 49.67. They were the only two athletes under 50 seconds.

In Class Three, sprinter Tyreke Wilson showed that he has stamina, winning his 400m heat in 52.10 seconds, but was upstaged by his teammate and 400m specialist Christopher Taylor with 50.22.

World Youth 400m hurdles champion Marvin Williams of St Elizabeth Technical High School showed that he will be hard to beat with an impressive 52.70-second clocking in the boys’ 400m hurdles. He has a best of 50.39 seconds and is expected to lower that by time Champs comes around.

Wolmer’s Jaheel Hyde was second fastest with 53.20, with Jamar McNaughton of St Elizabeth third overall in 53.90 seconds.

Calabar’s Dejour Russell was awesome in recording the fastest time in the Class Three 100m hurdles, easing home in 13.87 seconds. Jamaica College’s Jordon Roberts was second quickest with 14.22.

World Youth 200m champion Michael O’Hara was quickest in his pet event, winning Heat Two of the Class One 110m hurdles in 14.06 seconds. Jovaine Atkinson of Kingston College was second overall in 14.47 seconds in Heat One, just ahead of Marvin Williams of STETHS with 14.48.

Meanwhile, Edwin Allen High were quickest in two of the girls’ sprint hurdles as Antonette Black did 11.03 seconds in the Class Four 70m hurdles, and Claudette Allen did likewise in Class One in the 100m hurdles with 14.63 ahead of her teammate Shanice Lewis, who won Heat One in 14.85 seconds.

Holmwood High won the Class Three 80m hurdles with Shanette Allison in 11.80 seconds, while her teammate Ashley Williams captured the 400m Under-20 in 1:00.30 minutes. St Jago’s Ayeshia Morgan won the Under-17 300m hurdles in 45.60 seconds.

The promising Rochelle Burton of St Andrew High won the Class Two 100m hurdles in an impressive 13.89 seconds.

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Scintillating Francis clocks 45.95sec at Youngster Goldsmith Classic

Mother knew Francis would deliver

EARLIER this month when schoolboy Javon Francis told his mother Violet Palmer that he would try his best to help Jamaica secure a medal at the World Championships in Russia, little did she know that his performance would be one of the ‘most talked about’ in Russia.

However, the 42-year-old mother said she knew that the statement made by the young athlete was not one that should be taken lightly.On Friday, the 18-year-old 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships finalist, who at age 11 was able to save a baby from a fire, produced a performance that is still being described by many track experts as “brilliant, determined and gusty”, to help Jamaica secure a silver in the 4×400-metre relay.The run by the men’s quartet of Rusheen McDonald, Javere Bell, Edino Steele and Francis triggered mass celebrations across the island.In sections of Bull Bay, where the teenager lives, residents could not hide their emotions.Palmer was one of those individuals.“I was at home watching the race on my TV and when I saw him (Francis) get the baton I could not stop jumping and shouting,” Palmer told the Sunday Observer.The mother of five said she was always confident that he would do well based on the conversation she had with him before he departed the island for Moscow.“Before he left he told me that he would do all he could to help his country secure a medal,” said Palmer.She said based on the promise she was not surprised when she saw her son’s vow bearing fruit.Palmer made the disclosure while pointing out that Francis has been doing amazing things from a tender age.“It is from a tender age him making a name for himself. Even when him was 11 years old he was able to save a baby from a fire,” said the mother, who at the time, was not able to give details of the feat.The performance from the men’s quartet came after sprint sensation Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce secured victory in the women’s 200-metres final.Fraser-Pryce, with a blistering time of 22.17 seconds, secured gold ahead of Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure, and Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria.On Friday scores of Jamaicans celebrated in the streets of Half-Way-Tree to mark the performances.“Yuh nuh si seh di girl (Fraser-Pryce) a star,” said George Shaw, as he and others watched the race from outside the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.“Yuh nuh si seh dem cyaan hol’ her, no matter what dem try,” added Shaw, who was wearing a Jamaican flag as a cape.However, it was Francis’ gutsy anchor leg, which caused much delight among the crowd. The Calabar schoolboy ran a blistering leg and fended off a strong challenge by the Russian runner to finish in a season’s best 2:59.88 minutes behind the United States, who ran a world-leading 2:58.71 minutes.“Trust mi, di youth dem neva win [the gold], but the performance was one of sheer guts and determination; mi proud of them,” said St Catherine resident Georgette Douglas, who was on her way to school, but decided to stop and watch the race.Jamaica’s Javon Francis (right) digs deep into his reserves to fend off the challenge of his Russian rival within shades of the winning post, in the final of the men’s 4X400m relay inside the Luzhniki Stadium, on Friday. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)

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Mother knew Francis would deliver

Francis willing to take back Asafa, Sherone - But only if…

MOSCOW, Russia — Coach of the Maximising Velocity and Power Track and Field Club (MVP) Stephen Francis is maintaining his position that unless embattled sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson sever ties with agent Paul Doyle, they will have to find another coach and club for the 2014 season.

The outspoken Francis has been openly critical of the role that Doyle played in the circumstances that led to both athletes failing tests for the stimulant oxilofrine at the Jamaican National Senior Championships in June, and told reporters in Moscow, he is not willing to continue coaching the athletes if they don’t comply.News of Powell’s and Simpson’s failed drug tests came hours after American Tyson Gay’s doping troubles rocked the local and foreign track and field fraternity and angered, Francis who thinks the athletes went behind his back and did things the club would never have sanctioned.On the heels of the news, Doyle told the Observer they had suspected a Canadian trainer Chris Xureb who he had hired to treat Powell who had suffered a series of injury setbacks since last year at the Olympic Games in London. At the behest of Doyle, Xureb’s hotel room in Lignano, Italy, where he was with Powell and Simpson at their European training base, was raided by the authorities. The trainer was also detained for about seven hours but was subsequently released.Francis said the athletes were “asked to remove themselves from the people who in my opinion caused most of this, and so far they have not done any such thing so I am assuming this is the path they want to travel.” Francis then gave an example of the level of how much in the dark he was about what was going on behind his back.“For example, Asafa was very overweight; he was weighing 214lbs and we put him on a diet plan to lose weight but it wasn’t working, only to discover, now, that he was taking 17 different supplements which I knew nothing about; how can you coach somebody like that? This is the type of behaviour that I want to ensure doesn’t continue because it make no sense”The MVP coach said, however, that it is not the club that is taking the hard line against the athletes but rather that it is the athletes, who have not complied with the “strict rules” that MVP has had from its inception.“They chose after several repeated warnings that they were going to conspire with Doyle to get around my prescriptions for them; in other words, if what I say to you is not important to you, if you don’t believe it is crucial to your career, then why train with me? I believe it is my duty to say look, if you are not doing what I say to you then you need to go somewhere else, as you are wasting your time and wasting my time,” Francis firmly stated.Athletes who test positive for banned substances, he said, are a potential risk for coaches they are associated with and he can’t afford that situation; “I believe it is a serious blot potentially on their coaches’ reputation and the people’s perception of your honesty, and we have very strict rules about what athletes should or should not take. The lengths to which these athletes went to hide this kind of stuff from me, I can’t operate that way and if that’s the way they are going to behave then they have to go somewhere else,” the always outspoken and direct Francis said.The MVP coach says he has not heard anything from either Powell or Simpson as to whether they plan to cut ties with Doyle, so for Francis, this could be the end of the relationship between the club and two of their most senior members. If the athletes walk away they would join another veteran of the club, Michael Frater who left MVP late last year after he was elected as a vice-president of the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA), also against Francis’ wishes.Both Powell and Simpson are awaiting a hearing of the disciplinary committee of the Jamaica Anti-doping Agency (JADCo) after their B samples confirmed the positive returns and Francis said a multiplicity of reasons have contributed to their issues right now.“It is my opinion that the problems they are currently experiencing stem from – one, the kind of company they keep; two, the people they listen to and three, their willingness to ignore the things, I have to say to them and the recommendations that I have made regarding their careers. In my opinion, they are adults and they chose to do certain things.”Francis, whose MVP club is based at the University of Technology, said the door is not closed on the athletes, but they hold the key.“I cannot have a reputation of this kind of thing happening and they have gone their own way and done these kinds of things and are about to pay the consequences; now I have said if they are willing to revert to how it was before and are willing to take advice from me as their coach, then I am perfectly willing to have them back,” coach Francis said.FRANCIS… I believe it is my duty to say ‘look, if you are not doing what I say to you then you need to go somewhere else, as you are wasting your time and wasting my time’(L-R) POWELL… was weighing 214lbs and put him on a diet plan to lose weight but it wasn’t working, only to discover, now, that he was taking 17 different supplements. SIMPSON… awaiting a hearing of the disciplinary committee of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Agency

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Francis willing to take back Asafa, Sherone - But only if…

Shelly-Ann double success no surprise, say coach Francis

MOSCOW, Russia — Stephen Francis, the man who coached Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to a rare women’s sprint double at the 14th IAAF World Championships, is not surprised by his prized pupil’s success here in Moscow.

On Friday night amid wild celebrations by Jamaicans during and after the race at the Luzhniki Stadium, Francis, who was patiently waiting for the athlete to complete her obligations inside the massive complex, said simply that she would not have been entered in the double if she did not have the chance to win it.“The only reason she was sent to do two events was because it was felt she had a chance to win, so I can’t say it was unexpected,” he told reporters. “It was something which was done because she had a very good chance to win both.”Fraser-Pryce joined two others who completed the double after Silke Gladisch of the former East Germany in 1987 in Rome, Italy, and Germany’s Katrin Krabbe in 1991 in Tokyo, Japan.Four men, including Jamaica’s Usain Bolt has done the double, Maurice Green in 1999, Justin Gatlin in 2005, Tyson Gay in 2007, and Bolt in 2009.Fraser-Pryce, who had won the 100m last Monday evening, used her bullet start to great effect, taking charge of the race early before powering away in the straight to win in 22.17 seconds ahead of Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, both given the same time of 22.32 seconds.And given the conditions, Francis said that was the only way she could have won. It was also the only sprint event of the championships where none of the finalists managed either a season or personal best.“She ran the best way she could, given the type of anti-sprint atmosphere we have had in Moscow,” he said. “Given the (very cool) temperatures and lack of wind, it was the best way she could run…”The first few days of the championships that started last Saturday were hot and sunny, but the temperatures started to drop a few days ago and despite bright sunshine, the conditions, especially in the evening sessions, have been cool.In her post-race interviews, Fraser-Pryce spoke of “hating” the 200m event, but said after her pre-race talk with Francis, “I decided I was going to let it all out on the track, my coach, before I came out, said to me, for the past few meets I have not been running the corner how I should and he said to me ‘you won’t be tired in the end, don’t worry, you will feel some pain, but feel the pain’, and so I decided I was going to run that (first) 100m like a train, I was going to come off the corner and hit the straight and I was going to power home.”American Allyson Felix, who had won three gold medals in the event between 2005 and 2009, suffered an ankle injury early in the race, collapsing to the ground and was lifted off first by her brother then placed on a stretcher.

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Shelly-Ann double success no surprise, say coach Francis

Jamaica’s 400m trio Johnson, Bell and Francis through to semis

News

Sunday, August 11, 2013 | 2:51 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — LaShawn Merritt (44.92) clocked the fastest time in the 400m heats on Day 2 of the World Championships in Moscow but his major threat Kirani James strolled an easy 45.00 to qualify for the semi finals.Jamaica’s trio of Javier Bell (45.20) Omar Johnson (45.97) and Javon Francis (45.37) also progressed to the semi-finals scheduled for 11.05am Sunday Jamaica time. Grenada’s Kirani James, right, and Jamaica’s Javere Bell compete in a men’s 400-meter heat at the World Athletics Championships in the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013. (PHOTO: AP)

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Jamaica’s 400m trio Johnson, Bell and Francis through to semis

Jamaica’s Francis 5th as Saudi wins first men’s 400m semi final

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Monday, August 12, 2013 | 11:10 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Yousef Ahmed Masrahi of Saudi Arabia took the first men’s 400M semi-final in 44.61, in Moscow Russia a national record.Tony McQuay of the United States was second in a season’s best time of 44.66, while Brazil’s Anderson Henriques was third in his personal best 44.95.Jamaica’s Javon Francis was fifth in 45.62.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Jamaica’s Francis 5th as Saudi wins first men’s 400m semi final

Pope Francis holds final Brazil Mass

28 July 2013 Last updated at 12:33 ET The BBC’s Julia Carneiro on Copacabana Beach said people spent the night in vigil waiting for the Pope

Pope Francis has closed the biggest-ever Roman Catholic youth festival with a Mass on Brazil’s Copacabana beach.

More than three million people are estimated to have gathered for the service in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Many of the pilgrims had slept on the beach after attending an all-night vigil, which Pope Francis also led.

Sunday’s ceremony marks the end of the Pope’s five-day visit to Brazil – his first foreign trip since becoming pontiff in March.

He is set to fly back to Rome later on Sunday.

The BBC’s Wyre Davies in Rio says almost every inch of the two-and-a-half mile long beach was occupied ahead of the Mass, as most of the young people stayed after the vigil, pitching tents or sleeping in the open.

The vigil and Sunday mass have attracted the biggest crowd ever to Copacabana beach, which has hosted rock concerts, sports events and the traditional New Year celebrations.

He encouraged young Catholics to get out of their parochial boundaries in order to help others.

“Go and don’t be afraid of serving,” he said.

“Jesus did not gather the Apostles so they lived in isolation. He called them so they formed a group, a community,” said Pope Francis.

He announced the next Catholic youth festival would be held in the Polish city of Krakow in 2016.

Female activists held a demonstration nearby in support of abortion and women’s rights.

But our correspondent says the Pope and the Church hierarchy will be delighted at the huge turnout and the way Francis has been received by pilgrims from across the globe.

Preaching in favelas

In the past three decades, the Catholic church has lost millions of followers to smaller Christian denominations.

In his vigil address on Saturday, the pontiff had urged the pilgrims not to be “part-time Christians”, but to lead full, meaningful lives.

Rio’s famous stretch of beach has been dubbed “Popacabana”

Speaking on a huge stage at the beach where a mock church structure was built, Pope Francis referred to the street protests which have been taking place in Brazil for more than a month.

“The young people in the street are the ones who want to be actors of change. Please don’t let others be actors of change,” he told the crowd at the vigil.

“Keep overcoming apathy and offering a Christian response to the social and political concerns taking place in different parts of the world.”

Also on Saturday, the Pope repeated his challenge to fellow Roman Catholic clerics to take to the streets.

In a speech to 1,000 bishops and clerics in Rio’s cathedral, he said they should go to the favelas – Brazil’s shanty towns.

“We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are waiting for the Gospel,” he told the audience.

Protests, sometimes violent, broke out in cities across Brazil last month against corruption, poor public services and the high cost of events like the 2014 World Cup.

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Pope Francis holds final Brazil Mass

Pope Francis leaves Brazil after week-long tour

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Sunday, July 28, 2013 | 6:10 PM

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Pope Francis took off from Rio de Janeiro’s international airport Sunday, ending a weeklong visit to Brazil that drew an estimated three million people onto the sands of Copacabana beach on his final day.The trip marked the first international foray for the Argentine-born pontiff and his first voyage back to his home continent since becoming pope in March.The visit was hailed as a success by church officials, pilgrims and the faithful in the world’s largest Catholic country, although it was marked by major organisational snags.Francis’ schedule Sunday included a Mass attended by millions and meetings with regional clergy and thousands of volunteers.The Pope’s return to Italy marked the end of the World Youth Day, a gathering that will next take place in Krakow, Poland, in 2016.An estimated three million people poured onto Rio’s Copacabana beach Sunday for the final Mass of Pope Francis’ historic trip to his home continent, cheering the first Latin American pope in one of the biggest turnouts for a papal Mass in recent history.Speaking from a white stage and looking out over the enormous crowd, Francis urged young Catholics to go out and spread their faith “to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent.”Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Pope Francis leaves Brazil after week-long tour