Torrential rains in Argentina caused widespread flooding that killed at least 31 people overnight, many of whom drowned after seeking shelter in their cars, and forced the evacuation of over 1,500 people. The floods also inundated the country's largest oil refinery, sparking a fire that took hours to control and led to the suspension of operations. This was described as the biggest weather-related disaster in Buenos Aires' history due to the intense rainfall over a short period of time.

1. First Latin American pope 'very exciting,' faithful say
By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN
March 14, 2013 -- Updated 1725 GMT (0125 HKT)
Catholic faithful from Latin America cheered the historic election of the first
pope from the region Wednesday. Crowds swarmed outside the
metropolitan cathedral in Buenos Aires, chanting as they waved Argentine
flags. Smiling immigrants and tourists praised the news on the steps of New
York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Pilgrims at Mexico City's Basilica of
Guadalupe said they were thrilled.
Even though about 480 million of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics live in Latin
America, for centuries, the church's top job has gone to Europeans. That
changed with the announcement that Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario
Bergoglio, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, would become the Bergoglio poses with school children and the emblem
new pontiff. Bergoglio, 76, chose the name Pope Francis.
of Argentina's San Lorenzo football team.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner -- whose government has sparred with Bergoglio in the past -- sent a letter
congratulating him as he assumed his new role. "Today is a historic day. ... For the first time in 2,000 years of the church there is
going to be a pope that comes from Latin America," she said later at an event broadcast on public television. "And from our hearts
we wish for Francis that he can accomplish a greater degree of fraternity between peoples and religions."
"The news, for us, was almost like winning the World Cup in soccer," Argentine Martin Watson said. But he added that the papal
pick goes beyond national pride. "For Latin America, it will be a great change. More eyes will be focused on our region, and maybe
we'll have more support for our region. We have a lot of needs. We have more than 50% in each country of the region that are very
poor. That would be a great help for them."
In Brazil, the secretary-general of the country's Council of Bishops said he and many others were surprised, but happy, that
Bergoglio was chosen. "It is a very beautiful sign that the cardinals gave us by electing a Latin American cardinal, now our Pope
Francis," said Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, according to state-run Agencia Brasil. "It shows that the church is truly universal."
In Venezuela, interim leader Nicolas Maduro suggested the late President Hugo Chavez -- who died last week -- could have
influenced the church's historic move. "We know that our commander ascended to those heights. He is face to face with Christ. He
influenced something. Some new hand arrived, and Christ said, well, the new hour of South America has arrived."
"It would be an enormous gesture to name a Latin American pope," Virginia Garrard-Burnett, a professor of history and religious
studies at the University of Texas at Austin, said earlier this week. Because Catholicism is losing ground in the region, a pope from
there could be a boost for the faith, she said.
The pick is also good news for Catholic Latinos in the United States, said the Rev. Juan J. Molina, the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops associate director for the church in Latin America. "He is also the son of migrants. And for us, Hispanics in the
United States, this is very important. ... I think that this topic of migration is going to be very important for him," Molina told CNN en
Español. "And we, the Hispanics, the Latinos that now live in the United States ... we can also take some hope and pride that this
pope intimately knows and has deeply lived the life of a migrant."
Even the new pope himself alluded to the fact that the church had reached farther than ever for its papal pick. In his first speech
from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, he quipped Wednesday that cardinals had gone to "the end of the world" to find him.
Taken from: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/13/world/americas/latin-america-pope-reaction
5 things to know about the new pope
By Holly Yan, CNN
March 14, 2013 -- Updated 1550 GMT (2350 HKT)
(CNN) -- From the Vatican to Buenos Aires, Catholics worldwide rejoiced
when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio became the new pope.
He's the first Jesuit and the first Latin American in modern times to lead
the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. But in some ways, he's just a normal guy.
Here are five things to know about Pope Francis:
1. His name says a lot about him
Unlike other recent pontiffs -- John Paul II, Benedict XVI -- Pope Francis
doesn't have a numeral after his name. That's because he's the first to
take the name Francis. Why Francis? St. Francis of Assisi was born the
son of a rich cloth merchant. But he lived in rags among beggars at St.
Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Those close to Pope Francis see similarities between the two men: "Francis of Assisi is ... someone who turned his back on the
wealth of his family and the lifestyle he had, and bonded with lepers and the poor," said the Rev. Thomas Rosica, the Vatican's
deputy spokesman. "Here's this pope known for his care for AIDS patients and people who are very sick. Who is known for his

2. concern with single mothers whose babies were refused to be baptized by priests in his diocese." He scolded those priests last
year and said, 'How can you turn these people away when they belong to us? '"
1. He's not actually the first pope from outside Europe
Sure, Francis is the first non-European pope in modern times. But back in the 8th century, a Syrian -- Pope St. Gregory III -- led
the church from 731 to 741 A.D. We've also had popes from Bethlehem (St. Evaristus, from 97 to 105 A.D.), Jerusalem (Pope
Theodore I, from 642 to 649) and modern-day Libya (Saint Victor I, from 189 to 199). Several other Syrians have also been
pontiff in the last few millennia. Of course, the majority of popes have been Italian.
2. He's a pope of the people
In some ways, Pope Francis is just a normal guy. "The new pope is a very humble man," said the Rev. Eduardo Mangiarotti, an
Argentine priest. "He takes public transport every day." He also chose to live in an apartment instead of the archbishop's palace,
and cooked his own meals. In his first public act as pontiff, Pope Francis broke with tradition by asking the estimated 150,000
people packed into St. Peter's Square to pray for him, rather than him blessing the crowd first.
"He is a very simple man," said Luis R. Zarama, auxiliary bishop of Atlanta. "It's very clear from the way he approached the
people and asked them to bless him and pray for him. It's a beautiful sign of closeness and humility."
The pontiff broke with another tradition by refusing to use a platform to elevate himself above the cardinals standing with him as
he was introduced to the world as Pope Francis. "He said I'll stay down here," said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New
York and the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
3. He comes with a side of controversy
Francis opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, which isn't surprising as leader of the socially conservative Catholic church.
As a cardinal, Francis clashed with the government of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over his opposition to
gay marriage and free distribution of contraceptives.
His career as a priest in Argentina coincided with the so-called Dirty War -- and some say the church didn't do enough to confront
the military dictatorship. As many as 30,000 people died or disappeared during the seven-year period that began with a coup in
1976. Francis, in particular, was accused in a complaint of complicity in the 1976 kidnapping of two liberal Jesuit priests, Allen
wrote. Francis denied the charge.
4. He faces a host of challenges ahead
Francis takes the helm of a church that has been rocked in recent years by sex abuse by priests and claims of corruption and
infighting among the church hierarchy. He may need to find a way to draw new Catholics into the church where it is in decline,
said Phillip M. Thompson, executive director of the Aquinas Center of Theology at Emory University.
And he'll also need to find ways of working with shifting viewpoints among Catholics. "The church has conservative positions on
human sexuality, bioethics, etc., but liberal positions on issues such as economic regulation, the death penalty and immigration,"
Thompson said. "A church divided against itself seems unlikely to renew our political or cultural structures."
Taken from: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/14/world/pope-5-things/index.html
GRAMMAR PRACTICE:
1. “The cardinals went to the end of the world to find me”, the pope said. (Write in reported speech)
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Popes have certain typical behavior or traditions that Francis broke. Write about this typical
behavior: Example: “Popes don’t…”
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. Write a sentence in present perfect to tell something about Francis or the situation in general.
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. “Today is a historic day”, Cristina said. (Write in reported speech)
___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Francis _____________________________________by 115 cardinals. (complete using passive voice)
6. President Chavez _____________________________________________ (write a deduction in the
past)
7. A Latin American pope could be a boost for the faith since __________________________________
______________________________________________________________(complete the sentence)
8. Before becoming the pope, Francis used to _____________________________________( past habit)
9. It is said that Francis _____________________________________________(complete the sentence)
10. It is likely that ______________________________________________________(future prediction)
11. Francis is gonna ______________________________________________________(future intention)
12. Francis wouldn’t have been elected if ____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________(complete – conditional sentence)

3. Argentina: flooding from torrential rains kill 31
Published: April 2, 2013 / updated Wednesday 3rd
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — At least 31 people were killed by flooding overnight. Many of the
deaths involved people who drowned after trying to take shelter in their cars.
"Such intense rain in so little time has left many people trapped in their cars, in the streets, in
some cases electrocuted. We are giving priority to rescuing people who have been stuck in trees
or on the roofs of their homes," Scioli told a news conference.
The rains also flooded the country's largest refinery, causing a fire that took hours to put out. The
refinery has suspended operations as a result, and Argentina's YPF oil company said it has an
emergency team evaluating how to get it restarted again.
This is the biggest weather-related disaster in the city's history. More than 1,500 people have
been evacuated.
Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/04/02/2517502/heavy-rains-flood-argentinas-capital.html, By
ALMUDENA CALATRAVA — Associated Press