Peruvian Senate approves trip to China so the opposition won't have to explain to the Pope what it has been up to
The authorisation was voted through in record time, proving the Senate can decide quickly when the matter at hand is leaving the country.
The Peruvian Senate has approved a trip to China and Japan by an opposition leader, timed to coincide with the Pope's arrival. The itinerary was described as "high-level". The Pope's is merely celestial-level.
A Senate source insists the overlap in dates is pure coincidence. "We scheduled the vote for the week when the most people were looking the other way," explained an aide who asked not to be identified.
The APEC summit, remember, is a gathering where trade, cooperation and the best way to photograph people discussing trade and cooperation are all on the agenda. An official from the organisation says the results will be presented in a 40-page final document that nobody is going to read.
In Lima, a taxi driver summed up the electorate's position: "The Pope comes from Rome, she goes to Beijing. At least somebody travels for work."
The Vatican confirmed that the Pope will stay in Peru for the planned duration and that the return flight remains the only one on which the political class does not ask for an upgrade.
"We scheduled the vote for the week when the most people were looking the other way."
The reality behind the satire
Real news · latercera.com · 11 November
This story, published by a real newspaper, inspired the piece above. The Falsumundi piece is made up; this story is not.
