Boston, MA
Boston Catholics offer mixed views on pope’s remarks following US operation in Venezuela – The Boston Globe
Digennaro’s wife, Judy, shook her head in disagreement.
“I feel quite the other way,” said Judy Digennaro, 72. “It might start rifts, but what’s most important is people talking, and that’s what the pope is trying to do.”
During a news conference with Vatican reporters in December, the pope called for dialogue between the United States and Venezuela. On Friday, he said violence had replaced dialogue as a means of resolving conflict and reiterated an earlier call to “respect the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all, ensuring a future of stability and concord.”
Some local Catholics said the remarks felt like an overstep. David Digennaro said he supports the Trump administration’s move to shift Venezuela’s leadership away from Maduro and would prefer the pope to limit his comments to humanitarian issues.
“If he’s talking about the people that live [in Venezuela,] that’s fine,” he said. “But if he’s referencing Maduro, that’s politics, and I’d turn away from it.”
Outside St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine in Back Bay, parishioners in crisp suits and colorful dresses filed out onto the sidewalk after Mass on Sunday afternoon. Several people said the pope’s address had not been mentioned during the service and praised the clergy for keeping the news separate from religious teaching.
Others voiced support for Pope Leo’s broader message of peace and dialogue but said they prefer that the pontiff avoid specifics.
Jordan Williamson, 35, of Quincy, said the pope is not the authority on international affairs. She said she looks to politicians for details about global conflicts and to Leo for moral guidance.
“The pope should be a moral voice that lays down the framework for why we do things,” said Williamson, who has attended the Boylston Street church for more than a decade. “But we all have jobs … and Mass is meant to transcend all of that.”
Williamson’s friend, Sandra Pastrana of Arlington, agreed, saying she often steers her Bible study group away from political debate. Still, she said she recognizes that there are moments when religious leaders need to speak their minds.
“It’s never good for the church to get involved in politics, but as a moral voice of how the world should live within what’s going on, the church has a duty to say these things,” said Pastrana, 63.
Judy Digennaro said Leo’s address was encouraging, adding that society cannot move forward positively without open discussion.
“I’m happy when the pope has something to say and when he promotes peace and justice,” she said. “As Catholics, that’s what we’re all about, so if he’s willing to speak and say something, all the better.”
Many Boston churchgoers were unaware of the pope’s address and said that they focused more on the words of their individual priests.
Gobran Hanna, an electrical engineer who moved to Cambridge in June and attends St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine, said he tends to spend time with members of the Catholic community who are less focused on politics, but conversations with fellow congregants about Israel, Ukraine, and Venezuela help keep him informed about global affairs.
Hanna said he welcomes Leo’s efforts to speak out against international injustices.
“When the pope makes a statement that might be related to politics, I look at that and see how it applies to my own life,” said Hanna, 23. “It’s not about somebody on this side or somebody on that side, it’s about how we can apply the lessons that the pope is teaching us.”
Lila Hempel-Edgers can be reached at lila.hempeledgers@globe.com. Follow her on X @hempeledgers and on Instagram @lila_hempel_edgers.
Boston, MA
Ariana Grande fan gets better tickets to TD Garden concert in Boston after resolving StubHub issue
Ariana Grande is coming to Boston next week and one of her biggest fans in Massachusetts will be there after resolving a ticket issue with StubHub.
Kelsie Duest of Hopedale had two front row balcony seats to Grande’s show on July 23 at TD Garden. Her brother bought them for her on StubHub last year. Her mother said it cost nearly $1,400 for the pair.
But about a month later, Sharon Duest checked her Apple Wallet and noticed the tickets were invalid. She said StubHub offered them a choice, take a refund or different tickets.
Duest ended up accepting the tickets that were offered, only to learn they were obstructed view seats behind the stage and Kelsie wouldn’t be able to see Grande during parts of the concert.
Concerned that her daughter, who has Down syndrome, would miss out on the experience of seeing Grande on stage, Duest tried calling and emailing Stubhub hoping to get better seats.
“We didn’t want anything for free. We just wanted just the tickets that we had,” she told WBZ-TV.
With the concert coming up soon, the Duests reached out to the I-Team’s Call for Action for help, who contacted StubHub.
“We’re so sorry about the issues Sharon experienced with their ticket order, especially given how meaningful this concert is to Kelsie,” a company spokesperson said in an email.
“We understand how disappointing and stressful that situation was. Our Customer Care team worked with them to resolve the issue and ultimately secured upgraded replacement tickets in a section in front of where the original seats were located, allowing them to attend the show with an improved view.”
Kelsie and her mom now have club seats closer to the stage than the tickets they originally purchased.
“I know we couldn’t have done this without you guys. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Sharon Duest said.
A good rule of thumb with electronic tickets is to always check on them to confirm that they remain valid up until the event. You should also keep good records in case you need a refund or a replacement.
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WJAR) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Boston said Friday that it arrested a Barbados national during targeted operations in Attleboro.
ICE Boston said Irijah Jabarri Stowe Marshall is “a criminal illegal alien.”
According to officials, his criminal history includes a pending charge for failing to register as a sex offender in Massachusetts.
He was also previously convicted of attempted rape and aggravated sexual contact, ICE Boston said.
A 20-year-old Boston man is facing a series of charges after prosecutors say he shot at Boston Police officers during an attempted stop in Dorchester before leading them on a foot chase through neighborhood backyards.
Rasiel Carbuccia was arraigned in Dorchester District Court Thursday on a list of charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying without a license and possession of a large capacity firearm, stemming from the Wednesday night incident near Devon and Laredo streets.
Opened fire with ghost gun, prosecutors say
According to prosecutors, Boston Police officers attempted to stop Carbuccia when he pulled out a gun and began shooting, striking a Boston police cruiser before fleeing the scene.
Investigators said Carbuccia ran through backyards and hopped fences before he was taken into custody. Officers did not fire their weapons during the encounter.
Prosecutors said investigators later recovered the firearm along the path where Carbuccia had been running.
“It was determined that the firearm was a ghost gun, and it did not possess a serial number,” Suffolk County prosecutor Jacqueline Martinelli said in court.
Union says “everyone should be outraged”
Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, said the shooting is part of what he believes is a troubling trend of violence this summer and renewed his call for more officers on Boston streets.
“Everybody should be outraged. Bullets flying in the city’s streets at uniformed police officers. How can we possibly convince the general public that they’re safe to walk around their own neighborhoods?” Calderone said.
“We have teenagers pulling firearms and stealing mopeds from others in broad daylight. We have shots being fired at police officers in uniform, officers being attacked, people being shot daily that we can’t solve the crimes,” he added.
No one was injured in the shooting, but Calderone said the outcome could have been much worse.
“Thank goodness, neither officer or a pedestrian, an innocent child or somebody in the middle of the evening did not get killed last night. Just as thankful, at least they caught him. They recovered the weapon,” he said.
After the arraignment, Carbuccia’s attorney declined to discuss the case in detail but indicated mental health issues could become part of the proceedings.
“Ultimately as you guys know this is a process that has to play out and he’s presumed innocent and there’s going to be a number of things that are going to come out in respect to mental health and potentially the investigation, I don’t really have much more to say beyond that,” attorney Bob White told reporters.
According to prosecutors, Carbuccia had two open assault cases and an active warrant at the time of his arrest.
He’s being held in jail without bail and is scheduled to return to court later this month for a dangerousness hearing.
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