 What happened in Moscow could happen in U.S. Senator Marko Rubio Last Friday's terrorist attack at the Kroger City Hall music venue outside Moscow showed that Islamic State extremists have been able to re-establish their operations in Afghanistan after the chaotic U.S. pullout in 2021, Florida Senator Marko Rubio told ABC News. Last week, four gunmen stormed the arena just before a concert by the rock band Picnic. The venue, which has an estimated capacity of 7,500, was almost full. The terrorists killed the unarmed guards, opened fire on visitors, and then started a blaze which quickly spread through the building. At least 137 people were killed and over 180 were injured according to officials. Speaking to ABC's This Week, Rubio said the fact that ISIS Qorasan, a wing of Islamic State based primarily in Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for the atrocity suggests that the group has regained its footing and could be planning other attacks. ISIS K reconstituted itself as we warned would happen. When we had this disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the senator said, recalling that one of the main criticisms of U.S. President Joe Biden's rushed exit was that it would give terrorists operating space to reorganize themselves. Once we leave Afghanistan and we're no longer there to conduct regular strikes, they can now operate openly. No matter how much the Taliban wants to take them on, they can't. They don't have the capability to do it. Rubio said, adding that Islamic State has now found a place to operate from and is likely looking for more real estate where they can organize and plot attacks. Rubio pointed out that in recent years, Islamic State extremists have carried out numerous attacks in Afghanistan and Iran and warned that the massacre on Russian soil means that they could soon attempt something similar in the U.S. Their aspirations go beyond Russia and Iran. The senator said adding that Islamic State would love to do what they did in Moscow here inside the United States. He stressed that the U.S. should be very concerned about such a threat and suggested that Islamic State extremists may use trafficking networks to enter the country through the U.S.-Mexico border. Pope Francis faces growing revolt. Desatisfaction is growing among members of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is facing growing dissent among members of the Catholic Church over recent decisions that opponents portray as contrary to traditional Church doctrine according to Newsweek. The most controversial has been the publication of a document in December by a Vatican bishop with the Pope's approval mooting the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples. While the document stressed that it did not change the Church's stance on homosexuality, it brought a joint letter from Catholic clergy and scholars calling on others to disregard it. Previously in his 11-year tenure as the head of the Church, the pontiff has raised eyebrows by suggesting that even atheists could go to heaven and saying that he did not judge homosexuals as well as taking a softer stance on abortion and remarriage. Experts who spoke to Newsweek cast these tensions as an ideological clash between those in the Church who wish to reform its message and those who want to conserve its traditional teachings which reflects a broader culture war between liberal and conservative ideals. They said that rather than departing from the core principles of the faith, Francis was attempting to reach out to those who might not conform to a traditional view of family life to give them greater spiritual guidance without seeking to alter Church doctrine. While the dissent is expected to continue, Francis is unlikely to face calls for his removal, the experts said, and a split within the Church is highly unlikely owing to its historical structure. When Pope Francis first became Pope, I'd say very early on he really distinguished himself from his immediate predecessors, Benedict and John Paul II. Michel Dillon, a sociologist and dean of the University of New Hampshire's College of Liberal Arts who specializes in the Catholic Church, told Newsweek, in the open letter opposing the possibility of same-sex blessings, which was published in February, over 100 Catholic thought leaders called on Francis to urgently withdraw this unfortunate document, which is in contradiction with both Scripture and the universal and uninterrupted tradition of the Church. They argued that this would be tantamount to condoning objectively sinful relationships.