Pope urges hope in visit to Peru area devastated by floods

The Vatican announced Wednesday it would reduce the salaries of religious at the Holy See to stave off job cuts as the coronavirus continues to hammer the Catholic Church's bottom line.

During the Angelus prayer at the end of the Palm Sunday mass in the St. Peter Basilica, Pope Francis remembers victims of violence, especially those involved in this morning's attack in Indonesia, in front of the Cathedral of Makassar.

Pope Francis says the loss of innocent lives in violence between Israel and Palestinians is "terrible and unacceptable" and appeals for those who have responsibility to "walk the paths of peace".

Peru announced a sharp increase in its COVID-19 death toll after a panel of experts found that there has been an undercount. The country now has the highest fatalities per capita in the world.

Peru's right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori raises allegations of fraud in Sunday's run-off election at a press conference in the capital Lima. Her rival is the far-left trade unionist Pedro Castillo, who has taken a razor-thin lead in the vote count.

Until four years ago, Pedro Castillo was a teacher in a rural school in the Andes. Then he gained national notoriety as the leader of a teachers strike, and now he's president of Peru.

The 84-year-old will undergo a procedure for inflammation of the large colon.

Pope Francis, seemingly in a good overall condition, has made his first public appearance since having intestinal surgery last week. The church leader stressed the importance of accessible and free healthcare for all.

Leftist candidate Pedro Castillo celebrates with his supporters after he was proclaimed Peru's next president by the country's elections jury.

Peru is seeing an alarming rise in coronavirus infections. The country has the highest per capita COVID-19 death rate in the world, with nearly 200,000 people dead. As DW's Johan Ramirez reports, a slow vaccine rollout has the public health care system reeling.

The political novice was inaugurated on the country's 200th independence day. Castillo, however, faces difficulties in the polarized nation.

Guido Bellido, the new prime minister, has previously expressed sympathies for the Shining Path guerrilla group, according to local media.