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US Transferring Seized Iranian Weapons To Ukraine; Activists: Teen Girl Assaulted By Iran's Morality Police; New Delhi Police Raid Homes Of Journalists Linked To News Organization Known For Scrutiny Of Indian Govt.; At Least Fourteen Dead In Sikkim, More Than 100 Missing; Taiwan On Alert As Typhoon Koinu Sweeps Through Region; C3S: Last Month Was Hottest September Ever Recorded; Pope Francis Berates Climate Deniers & Western Lifestyle; Luxury Goods Magnate Faces Investigation In France; Russia Sentences Exiled Journalist To 8.5 Years In Jail; Pope Francis Urged The Church To Open Its Doors To All; Pope Francis Urges the Church to Open Its Doors to All; Korean Companies Using A.I. to Craft the Perfect K-pop Stars. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired October 05, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN, one of the next shipments of military assistance from Ukraine will come from Iran. A million rounds of ammunition seized by the US Navy. Iran's morality police again accused of severely beating another young woman while enforcing the country's strict hijab law. And it's about the flock, not the shepard, as bishops from around the world gather at the Vatican, Pope Francis outlines his vision for the future of the Catholic church.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thanks for joining us here for CNN NEWSROOM, and we begin with the chaos in the US Congress and the impact it could have on Ukrainians fighting on the front lines in the war with Russia. A multibillion dollar funding bill for Ukraine is in limbo, after Republicans ousted the speaker for the US House, Republican Kevin McCarthy.
And now concerns are growing in both Washington and Kyiv that any delay of military assistance will have serious consequences on the battlefield. In the meantime, the White House has authorized a transfer of more than a million rounds of Iranian ammunition and other weapons seized by the US Navy. Iran's Revolutionary Guard was behind the shipment, which was destined for Houthi rebels in Yemen, in direct violation of UN sanctions.
For months the weapons which include assault rifles, anti-tank missiles, and propellant and fuses for rocket propelled grenades have been stored at a US military base in the Middle East, while officials in Washington worked on the legal process of sending the stockpile to Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VEDANT PATEL, US STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON: In the legislative language, authorizing the Department of Defense's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which they of course would be happy to speak to you more about, the secretary of defense is authorized with the concurrence of the secretary of state to make available to the government of Ukraine weapons and other defense articles from the United States and other sources.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And the US president says other ways of funding Ukraine are now under consideration, and with Ukraine losing support among the American public, President Biden plans to address the nation soon to explain why it's overwhelmingly in the US interest for Ukraine to succeed in countering Russia's invasion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, US PRESIDENT: It does worry me. I know there are a majority of members of the House and Senate, both parties, who have said that they support funding Ukraine. I don't think we should let the gamesmanship get in the way of working here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The gamesmanship at hand is the chaotic race for the Speaker of the House. Republican Kevin McCarthy was voted out of that role on Tuesday and it could take a week or more to choose his replacement. Until then, the House won't be able to approve any legislation. Here's one of the leading candidates for speaker, Republican Jim Jordan, on the prospect for future aid to Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM JORDAN, US HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I'm against that. What I understand is at some point we're going to have to deal with this appropriation process in the right way. And we're going to try to do that in the next, what are we down to, 41 days? The most pressing issue on American's minds is not Ukraine. It is the border situation and it is crime on the streets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: There's a different view from the frontlines in Ukraine. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is there, and soldiers have told him of an urgent need for weapons and more ammunition.
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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The artillery troops need to move fast. Russian drones might be in the air. Lineup, calibrate, fire. Three rockets, that is it. Even though this grad launcher would be more effective firing large salvos. ALEX, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER (through translator): It's not very precise, this soldier named Alex says. It also depends on the weather and the range. It would be good to have more precise rockets or guided ones.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the Ukrainians are running short on even these unguided Soviet-era rockets and ammo shortages are a problem across the battlefield here in eastern Ukraine. Soldiers from the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade have a quick snack, then get ready to fire their Western donated Howitzer. The American 105 millimeter shells, a valuable but increasingly scarce commodity.
[00:05:03]
PLEITGEN: The Ukranians call this the sniper rifle of their artillery because it's so accurate but it also illustrates one of the big problems they have. They have plenty of barrels to fire from but not enough ammunition to fire.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Battery commander Miron telling me the lack of shells means his forces are badly outgunned here.
MIRON, UKRAINIAN COMMANDER (through translator): It's hard to get precise numbers, he says, but I think they fired 10 times for every round we fired, sometimes, it's one to one hundred.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Russians are constantly taking aim at this area, though the Ukrainians say they're making gains, pushing Vladimir Putin's army back, even using combat helicopters close to the frontline. Kyiv says it needs more ammo to sustain its offenses, both here in the east and in the south. The US budget impasse could mean further delays. On top of that, NATO is warning its members are running dangerously low themselves.
ADMIRAL ROB BAUER, NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE CHAIR: We started to give away from half full or lower warehouses in Europe, and therefore, the bottom of the barrel is now visible.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): For the Ukrainian artillery troops, that means rationing will probably continue, all while trying to support their advancing soldiers on the ground. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us now is Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of international security at the University of New Haven and former professor of strategic and operational planning at the US Army Command and General Staff College. It's good to see you.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOC. PROF. OF NATL. SECURITY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: Good to see you, John.
VAUSE: Okay let's start with the Iranian ammunition. Standard rounds for the Soviet-era AK-47s, which used by the Ukrainian military. But just for context here, so far, the US has sent Ukraine three hundred million rounds of small armed ammunition and grenades, more than four hundred thousand mortar rounds, more than two hundred thousand 152mm artillery rounds, a hundred thousand rounds of long-range artillery ammunition, nearly 250 thousand anti-tank munitions, more than eight thousand short-range air defense missiles.
You get the idea here. In the grand scheme of things, a million rounds may seem like small beer overall, but maybe the big takeaway from all of this is what it says about the shortage of ammunition stockpiles in the United States and NATO countries.
SCHMIDT: Yeah, I think the most important thing here is that the department of defense sent a letter to Congress just a few days ago saying, look, we're about to run down our own stockpiles of this ammunition if we continue to provide this ammunition to Ukraine. Therefore, what we need is money from Congress to pay American defense firms to create more ammunitions.
Right? So this isn't about a line that is necessarily, if it gets crossed, the US won't have ammunition, but it's about legal authority. There are laws that say the United States must maintain X amount of this ammunition, and if it falls below that, the DOD has to stop sending arms, has to stop sending this ammunition to Ukraine or anywhere else.
VAUSE: Yeah and the problem they have is this high burn rate of ammunition, especially artillery fire. The Russians are firing an estimated 10 million to 11 million rounds last year. With one Western official saying Russia may be able to increase production of artillery in the next couple of years to about two million shells annually, about double previous expectations.
The Ukrainians have been firing off about six to seven thousand rounds in some days, and often sometimes more. The Americans can only produce maybe 11 thousand rounds in a month of artillery shells at least in one ammunition plan. So, you know, they essentially can't keep up this rate of artillery fire. And clearly no one was ready for a war to drag on this long. So when they run out of the artillery fire, which has been a defining feature of this war, then what happens?
SCHMIDT: Well the thing to keep in mind here is that, the Ukrainians are using less fire, right? Less ammunition. But they are more accurate. Right? They can get away with using less to some degree, but in the end, quantity matters. Right?
And, at some point, the Ukrainians will burn through enough artillery ammunition that we can't supply it without dropping below our legal minimum. And that's what's going on right now in the debate in Congress and getting this funding going on. It's all tangled up on the political side, not the money side. The money is there, but the politics are constraining it.
VAUSE: So in terms of who actually owns this one million rounds of ammunition which was seized from Iran by the United States, the Wall Street Journal reports that the US obtained legal ownership of the ammunition in July, after the Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture claim against the Iranian guard forces. But there is a UN protocol on firearms, in particular small arms that are in surplus, obsolete, ceased, surrendered or otherwise removed from circulation should be destroyed. So is there any legal issues here which remain unresolved?
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And if there's not, does this now open the door to further shipments of weapons which have been seized by the United States from countries like Iran?
SCHMIDT: There is a legal question. It is contested, and the United States simply says we don't believe that it applies to us. We don't believe that those who are claiming it as contested are correct. And in the end, there is no court that is going to hold the United States accountable to any kind of decision here. So the United States has possession, which is nine tenths the law, and they'll ship the weapons where they want to.
VAUSE: And we have this Ukrainian aid, you mentioned this, now caught in limbo because of the chaos within the US Congress. High level Ukrainian officials have been trying to remind lawmakers and the American public, you know, this is not charity for Ukraine, it's an investment, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT, KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: The fork in Ukraine is actually in dangerous of the United States, and, it's just, you know, Russia is the enemy in the doctrine. US uses $800 billion in defense budget annually, and Ukraine is a tiny fraction of it, has been able to stop the Russian aggression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Just purely in terms of economics, the impact on the American economy, US financial support for Ukraine could go on at its current level for a very, very long time. The problem seems to be it's not about the money, it's more about the politics.
SCHMIDT: That's absolutely right. If anything, the war in Ukraine has been propping up the American defense industry. You have defense firms that are in fact expanding production in order to supply the ammunition that we've been talking about this evening. But this is about perception.
And there are large portions of this country, both Democrat and Republican, but more Republican, that don't perceive the war in Ukraine as being important to American national security and don't perceive it as being as important as American domestic issues. And that's what's going on right now in Congress.
VAUSE: Matthew, good to have you with us. Matthew Schmidt there, appreciate your time.
SCHMIDT: My pleasure.
VAUSE: It seems Iran's so-called morality police may be back at it, brutally enforcing the country's strict dress code. Rights groups and activists say that a 16-year-old girl was severely beaten and is now reportedly in a coma in hospital, because she wasn't wearing a headscarf. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has details.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iranian activist groups are accusing the morality police of assaulting the 16-year-old girl in a Tehran metro station for not wearing the mandatory hijab or the headscarf. Activists say that Armita Geravand has been in a coma since Sunday, according to the activist operation group, IranWire, she was admitted to hospital with head trauma. We have not yet been able to independently verify this information.
State affiliated media posted a video of a group of girls seen entering the metro train. Some of the girls entering appeared not to be wearing headscarves in that video. Moments later, it goes on to show a group of girls carrying Geravand out the metro train, placing her on the platform before the train leaves. No altercation can be seen in this edited video that was posted on state media. We have not been able to confirm its authenticity.
The CEO of the Tehran metro told state media that there was no physical or verbal interaction between members of his staff and Geravand. The Iranian government has not yet responded to our request for comment, and Geravand's parents told state media in an interview that they were told that their daughter hit her head after fainting from low blood pressure while she was on her way to school. The parents say that there was no signs from the videos that they saw that she was assaulted.
But it is important to point out, we don't know the conditions under which this interview was conducted, and in the past, UN and human rights groups have told us that the families of protesters killed during last year's protests were being coerced and pressured into making statements supportive of the government's narrative. A journalist who went to that hospital to report on Geravand's condition was briefly arrested on Tuesday and she was released later on according to her newspaper. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well there's a reason why India is ranked 161 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index, which is kept by Reporters Without Borders. Tuesday saw another police raid on journalists, this time linked to a news organization which is critical of the government. CNN's Vedika Sud has details.
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VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's been widespread condemnation from journalists and activists here in India over the raids conducted by the Delhi police on the offices of a news website that has often been critical of the Indian government.
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On Tuesday, the Delhi police raided homes of 46 journalists and contributors linked to a news company called News Click. Police say the founder of the media outlet and a colleague have been arrested, and an investigation is underway in connection with a controversial anti-terrorism law that critics have called Draconian.
Under this law, it's difficult for an individual under investigation to receive bail. Students, journalists, civil society groups and political opponents have organized protests across Delhi Wednesday to express solidarity with those questioned and arrested.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From here we want to send this message to the government that the more power you will use to, you know, come down on independent journalists, on media, on people, on common citizens, the more power the people are going to fight back.
SIDDHARTH VARADARAJAN, FOUNDING EDITOR, "THE WIRE": The fact that terrorism charges could be leveled against a news organization and its 76-year-old founder editor can be sent behind bars sends a message to the media as a whole in India, that you exercise your freedom of the press at great risk.
SUD: Responding to a question on Tuesday's raids, India's information minister Anurag Thakur said he didn't need to justify the actions of the police.
ANURAG THAKUR, INFORMATION MINISTER, INDIA (through translator): If anyone has committed anything wrong, agencies are free to carry out investigations against them under set guidelines.
SUD: Under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance, India's press freedom ranking has fallen dramatically. This year, the country was ranked 161 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. Tuesday's crackdown comes almost eight months after the Indian tax authorities raided the BBC's offices in New Delhi and Mumbai after it aired a documentary critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in the Gujarat 2002 riots. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
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VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, torrential rain and strong winds hit Taiwan. We'll have the very latest on Typhoon Koinu, and where it's headed next.
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VAUSE: At least 14 people are now believed to have died in catastrophic flash flooding and heavy rains in northeast India. More than a hundred others are missing, at least 26 people have been hurt, search and rescue operations are ongoing. Officials say 11 bridges have been washed away that's slowing down those rescue efforts.
The Dalai Lama has offered condolences along with a number of senior Indian officials. We're also tracking Typhoon Koinu as it moves through the South China Sea. The storm was battering Taiwan and parts of the Philippines with torrential rain and strong winds. The heaviest rain has fallen on Taiwan's mountainous regions. Most of the island is under some kind of weather advisory. [00:20:06]
Koinu is forecast to skirt the south coast of China as it loses strength over the weekend. It could reach Hong Kong as a tropical storm or depression by early next week. European climate scientists have released their latest monthly snapshot, and it's not good. Last month was easily the hottest September ever recorded. Experts guarantee that this will go down as the hottest year on record, a staggering reality facing world leaders, as they prepare for the US annual climate conference in December. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has the details.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. June, July and August all were the hottest June, July and Augusts on record. So that means the warmest summer ever since we've been keeping track. So that's the entire globe, not just one spot, there were warm spots and cool spots. But September did something remarkable and not in a good way.
September was 1.75 degrees Celsius, 3.15 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer than a pre-industrial September on record. So that is how far now we are above where we should be when it comes to pre-industrial levels. June, July and August, now and September, all breaking records, has put 2023 so far above the old record, that we're likely not going to get down below the old record, and 2023 will eventually become the warmest year on record.
I know there are still more months to come, but there is not much that's really going to change this. The last four months, now all the warmest on record, and there is September, and it doesn't look like it's very warm, but all of these are July and August. The September 2023 is in the top 20 months of all-time, not just top 20 Septempers, because it's number one in September, but the top 20 months of all- time, since we've been keeping track.
VAUSE: Pope Francis has made his strongest statement yet on the climate crisis, claiming deniers, rich countries and big industries would choose short term profit over saving the environment. CNN's Barbie Nadeau reports now from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Pope Francis on Wednesday released a seven thousand word encyclical letter on climate change. In it he blamed climate deniers over the course of the last eight years since he first wrote about climate change for not doing enough to try to reverse the effects. He says in fact many of the effects of climate change are already irreversible. He lay specific blame on wealthy nations, including the United States, which he says has emissions two times higher than China and seven times higher than the poorer nations.
He says that the opportunity of COP28 in Dubai, which will be held at the end of November, first part of December, should not be a missed opportunity. And that the world needs to do more, including the Catholic church, to try to reverse these irreversible effects of climate change. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome. (END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Pope Francis is speaking about a lot more than just climate change. When we come back, he is taking on the conservatives within the church on issues from same-sex marriage to married priests. More details on that in just a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back to viewers all around the world, I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN Newsroom. Well his name is associated with all things luxury, all things style and opulence. But now, French billionaire, Bernard Arnault, owner of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH might be associated with money laundering as well, part of a legal investigation in France. CNN's Melissa Bell has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world's second richest man is no stranger to red carpets. His name, synonymous with luxury and good taste.
BERNARD ARNAULT, LVMH FOUNDER: Luxury, for me, is how can you create desire?
BELL (voice-over): From Christian Dior to Louis Vuitton to Tiffany's, Bernard Arnault's luxury conglomerate LVMH includes also vineyards, restaurants and hotels, including the Cheval Blanc hotel in the exclusive Alpine resort of Courchevel. Now, at the heart of far less tasteful allegations centered on transactions between the French billionaire and Russian oligarch, Nikolay Sarkisov.
A Russian and Armenian citizen who's reported to be worth $850 million, which makes him one of the richest people in Russia. He's the co-founder of a Russian insurance company but not subject to European sanctions. The story was first reported by the French daily, Le Monde, citing a memo allegedly drafted by the French agency responsible for combating money laundering. At the heart of the preliminary investigation, 14 properties in Courchevel bought by Sarkisov, and a loan allegedly made by Bernard Arnault, according to the memo.
Allegations described as absurd and unfounded by Arnault's lawyers who, in a statement, goes on to ask, who can seriously imagine that Bernard Arnault, who has built 40 years the leading French and European company, would engage in money laundering to expand a hotel. In France, Arnault's name and his estimated $164 billion fortune goes far beyond the ephemera of fashion. In building his group, he's cultivated relationships with the powerful, acquiring a vast media empire.
ARNAULT (through translator): The Galerie de Glaces is incredible, of course. Hosting the King of England in the Galerie de Glaces is fantastic. BELL (voice-over): But beneath the powerful connections and the glamorous brands,the allegation lingers. How far was the world's second richest man prepared to go to make his Courchevel resort bigger and himself even richer? Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We should note that a preliminary investigation does not imply wrongdoing by those concerned, and Sarkisov's team told Le Monde that the Russian businessmen will not at all personally involved in the transactions linked to suspected money laundering. Russia has sentenced a journalist who protested the war in Ukraine on live television to eight and a half years in prison, but it may not hold a lot of weight because she is now living in exile in Europe.
Marina Ovsyannikova staged this daring protest on Russian state tv, right after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. She escaped house arrest last year and is now living safely in France. On Wednesday, a Russian court found her guilty of spreading false information about Russia's military, a charge the journalist says is absurd and insane.
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MARINA OVSYANNIKOVA: I return to Russia, I will be immediately in jail. I am very worried about the future of my country, and I want to fight for better futures for my country.
VAUSE: Ovsyannikova says she doesn't regret her protests, saying she made a very difficult but the only correct moral choice, which she is paying a hectic price. Pope Francis says the Catholic church needs to be more welcoming, more inclusive and to avoid politics. Speaking at the start of the first global gathering of Catholic leaders in four years, the Pope urged church leaders to open the doors to everyone.
That gathering, called a Synod, will discuss the role of women in the church, acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics, as well as the climate crisis. For the first time ever, women will be allowed to vote. Conservative cardinals say their opening the doors may lead to delusion of their faith and they balk at the Pope's suggestion that same-sex couples could receive blessings by priests. Furthermore, there were voices point out the church's hypocrisy on that.
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REV. JOE MCDONALD, IRISH CATHOLIC PRIEST: I have blessed a cow in labor, I have blessed a sick parrot , I have blessed a horse donkey, but I can't bless two men or two women who love each other. There's something not quite right about that.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Now from New York, Father Edward Beck, a faith and religion commentator and a published author, as well. And it's good to see you. It's been a while. FATHER EDWARD BECK, FAITH AND RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Thank you.. Yes,
John. Good to see you, as well.
VAUSE: OK. So the pope's comments about possible blessings for same- sex unions, it's framed sort of more -- almost in a negative, in a way, in terms of what the church should not do.
He said, "We cannot be judges who only deny, reject and exclude." And he was, you know, talking about putting a blessing and guidance, if you like, in a sort of a pastoral sense.
And it's important to note that he reaffirmed the church's doctrine of marriage as being between a man and a woman. On many of these issues, it seems Francis sort of is trying to have it almost like a bet each way. He supports the established doctrine, but then he goes on to say, maybe it's time we look at how we view these issues, how we deal with these issues on a practical basis. Is that kind of what we're looking at here?
BECK: Yes. Now, John, remember, this is in the context of this synod, this three-year kind of process of synod that just opened today officially in a meeting in Rome.
We have, like, over 400 participants. For the first time, lay people can vote, including women. Twenty-five percent of those voting will be laypeople at this synod and participating.
So the comments are the context of questions he got from five retired conservative cardinals, saying would he reaffirm that marriage is just between a man and a woman? And he said, yes, of course.
However, he opened the door to say, but same-sex blessings of unions is something we want to discuss. Because he said today in his opening homily, the church needs to be welcomed -- "tuti, tuti, tuti (ph)" -- for everyone, everyone, everyone.
And so his real vision is to open the inclusive element of the church. And so, he's not going to say that we're going to sanction gay marriage. The church will not be doing that. But we need to allow people who are gay, and others who feel excluded, to be more included and maybe this blessing of unions is a step toward that.
VAUSE: You mentioned this, you know -- this gathering in Rome of bishops and others. And boy, are they looking at some of the biggest, most difficult, controversial issues which are facing the Catholic Church.
So along with this issue of same-sex unions, there will be priestly celibacy, married priests, ordination of female deacons, as well as extending sacraments to divorced people.
And you mentioned this. So Pope Francis has sort of indicated this position, this sort of big tent approach, if you like. And you said the quote, saying the church should "avoid becoming a rigid church, which arms itself against the world and looks backward." It should avoid becoming "a lukewarm church, which surrenders to the fashions of the world. Church doors must be open to all, all, all."
Which I think is the "tuti, tuti, tuti" (ph) quote.
So I guess Francis seems to me, anyway -- you can correct me if I'm wrong -- he seems to be trying to influence, you know, church practice as opposed to church doctrine.
BECK: That is very true. It's perception, John. Is the church being perceived as rigid and archaic, and closed? Or is it open to people? Is it inclusive?
And that's really been the message of Francis. It's about mercy. It's about how you have to get everybody in, not decide who's out.
So it very much is a tone and a perspective. And Francis has really made some real shifts but not a lot of changes in doctrine, but really a way of looking at. And saying it's not really about law and legality, the way many would interpret the church.
It's really about mercy and compassion and forgiveness and inclusion. Now, within that structure, obviously, you have certain standards and certain laws, et cetera, but that's not really his focus. His focus is really the inclusion of the church.
VAUSE: Some of the pope's biggest critics have already been speaking out. You mentioned the letter that was written before the synod began. One at the authors of that letter is Cardinal Raymond Burke. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARDINAL RAYMOND BURKE, CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): The upcoming sessions of the synod of bishops certainly contains statements that depart strikingly and gravely from the perennial teaching of the church.
First of all, we must publicly affirm our faith. And in this, the bishops had the duty to confirm their brethren. Today, bishops and cardinals need a great deal of courage to confront the great errors that come from within the church itself. The sheep depend on the scourge of the shepherds who must protect him from the poison, confusion, errors and divisions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:35:01]
VAUSE: So how much opposition does Francis face, especially from, you know, American cardinals, who seem to be very conservative? And has the pope reached the point now in his papacy that he's prepared to have this fight?
BECK: I mean, you brought up something before, John, really interesting, the same-sex blessing that they're opposed to. Now, bishops in Germany and Belgium have already begun to do this, going against, really, what many in the church have wanted. And they're doing it to push the agenda to say, you know, as, priests
-- you know, yesterday was the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, John. OK? And all over the world, Christian churches blessed animals.
So you're saying that priests can bless animals? I know priests who have blessed guns. And you're saying priests can't bless people, who want to have a loving relationship and ask God to help strengthen their commitment and their resolve and their relationship?
I mean, it sounds kind of ludicrous in many ways.
So I think Francis is trying to say, the perception is that the church is closed. And what he is saying is we have to really decide how to get everybody in, in under the same tent.
VAUSE: Yes, it's going to be an interesting couple of weeks. And of course, this will decide the direction of the church for many years to come.
Father Beck, as always, it is great to have you with us. Thank you, sir.
BECK: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Still to come, there was a time when it all came down to talent, but can a performer be really great if the talent is programmed by an app?
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VAUSE: Could K-pop be the next victim of A.I.? It's an industry where many are called but few are chosen. Most wash out because of the grueling demands and the high standard to actually make it onstage.
But what if you could use A.I. to create the perfect group of singers and dancers who never age and don't need rehearsals? CNN's Ivan Watson spoke with the company who made that possibility a reality.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A K-pop confection.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show me your best double-triple. Double-double, triple-triple.
WATSON (voice-over): This video by girl group Eternity racked up 6.5 million views on YouTube in nine months. But not all is as it appears here.
WATSON: My name is Ivan. What's your name?
ZAE-IN, VIRTUAL K-POP PERFORMER: My name is Zae-in.
WATSON: Can you tell me about your band?
ZAE-IN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WATSON: "I'm from the world's first virtual K-pop girl group," she tells me.
Zae-in and the ten other members of Eternity aren't real. Tech- tainment company Pulse9 created these characters and face-swapped them over human actors using artificial intelligence. I'm speaking to an A.I. popstar.
WATSON: Is this the future of entertainment?
ZAE-IN (through translator): Of course, we cannot be seen in person, but if you have a device, you can communicate with us anywhere, anytime. As a virtual group, we are not limited by location. We can broadcast anywhere. The only thing we cannot do is sign an autograph.
WATSON (voice-over): And Eternity isn't the only A.I. K-pop creation.
MAVE is another virtual girl band with videos that have tens of millions of views.
KANG SUNG-KU, CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER, METAVERSE ENTERTAINMENT: We captured human performance and then turn it into 3-D animation with A.I.
WATSON (voice-over): Kang Sung-ku and Metaverse Entertainment created MAVE.
WATSON: Designers say the goal isn't to try to replace human artists like BTS or Beyonce. Instead, they want to create something like the next generation of Siri.
ROBOTIC VOICE: I'm Siri, your virtual assistant.
WATSON: But in this case, it would be an avatar that sings and dances that you actually want to talk to.
KANG: They will remember you. They will know about you, and they will talk based on that information.
WATSON (voice-over): A.I. creations would theoretically develop a unique relationship with every user, and be available around the clock on every device.
TYRA, VIRTUAL PERFORMER (through translator): Hi, everyone. This is Tyra from MAVE.
WATSON (voice-over): And not limited by language.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WATSON (voice-over): Designers are programming these A.I. popstars to interact with fans. The technology still has a long way to go, and some programmers concede there may need to be laws to regulate these creations.
SANG: We have to be careful, actually. If somebody evil can use it, it might be a disaster.
WATSON (voice-over): Designers say, unlike human celebrities, these A.I. popstars won't age and won't ever tire out and can do anything they're programed to do.
WATSON: It's like science-fiction. Like, the robots could be taking over.
ZAE-IN (through translator): Yes, like the robots that conquer the human world, we've appeared to conquer the pop music world to steal people's hearts.
WATSON (voice-over): This may be a glimpse of entertainment in the not-too-distant future.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT is up next after a short break. See you back here in a minute.
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