On Thursday, October 6, Peru’s Congress rejected leftist President Pedro Castillo’s request for a tour of Europe next week that included a visit to the Pope, the second time the opposition-dominated legislature has denied him permission.
The tour, which would have taken place from October 12-17, included Belgium, Italy, and a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In the opposition-dominated Congress, 55 legislators voted against the trip and 54 in favor. In August, Congress rejected Castillo’s participation in the inauguration of the new president in Colombia, with 67 votes against and 42 in favor.
Some legislators argued that it was not convenient for Castillo to travel while facing several investigations, among them for alleged crimes of influence peddling, obstruction of justice, directing a criminal organization, and even plagiarism of his master’s thesis as a professor.
With information from Gaceta