Faith – Winnipeg Free Press

Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The pope in a major foreign policy address blasts how countries are using force to assert dominion

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 6:29 AM CST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — In his most substantial critique of U.S., Russian and other military incursions in sovereign countries, Pope Leo XIV on Friday denounced how nations were using force to assert their dominion worldwide, “completely undermining” peace and the post-World War II international legal order.

“War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo told ambassadors from around the world who represent their countries’ interests at the Holy See.

Leo didn’t name individual countries that have resorted to force in his lengthy speech, the bulk of which he delivered in English in a break from the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic protocol of Italian and French. But his speech came amid the backdrop of the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela to remove Nicolás Maduro from power, Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and other conflicts.

The occasion was the pope’s annual audience with the Vatican diplomatic corps, which traditionally amounts to his yearly foreign policy address.

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Police arrest man after hate symbols painted on Winnipeg synagogue, mosque and homes

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Police arrest man after hate symbols painted on Winnipeg synagogue, mosque and homes

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 4:04 PM CST

WINNIPEG - Police have made an arrest after swastikas and other material were spray-painted on a mosque, a synagogue, a high school, vehicles, homes and other structures in areas west and southwest of downtown Winnipeg.

A 34-year-old man faces 14 counts of mischief. Hate-crime charges have not been laid, but the Winnipeg Police Service said that could change as the investigation continues.

"We now have to look at the motivation behind this," Insp. Jen McKinnon of the major crimes unit said Friday.

"We are consulting with Manitoba Prosecutions on this and we'll be continuing that investigation, and those charges can be considered once we come to the end of that."

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Updated: 4:04 PM CST

Insp. Jen McKinnon of the Winnipeg Police Service speaks during a press conference in Winnipeg on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

Pope to visit Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and Canary Islands, cardinal says

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Pope to visit Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and Canary Islands, cardinal says

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 7:38 AM CST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is planning to travel to Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands to fulfil Pope Francis’ wish of visiting a key migration entry point to Europe, a Spanish cardinal said Friday.

Cardinal José Cobo Cano, the archbishop of Madrid, announced plans for the trip were underway after meeting with a top official in the Vatican secretary of state to discuss the itinerary. While June had been rumored as the possible date, Cobo said the timing of the trip was still up in the air.

Word of the planned papal trip came a day after the Spanish government announced a landmark agreement, strongly supported by the Vatican, in which Spain's Catholic bishops agreed to let the state ombudsman have the final say in church-funded compensation for victims of clergy sexual abuse.

Spain had long lobbied for Francis to visit, but over 12 years he always declined. Francis preferred to travel to smaller countries, oftentimes far away, where Catholics were a minority.

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Updated: 7:38 AM CST

Pope Leo XIV meets faithfuls at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Hundreds in Somalia’s capital protest Israel’s recognition of breakaway territory of Somaliland

Omar Faruk, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Hundreds in Somalia’s capital protest Israel’s recognition of breakaway territory of Somaliland

Omar Faruk, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 3:58 AM CST

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Somalia’s capital to protest Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, waving Somali flags and chanting patriotic songs in a show of national unity.

The protest on Thursday night took place at Taleh Square in downtown Mogadishu, where the crowds condemned Israel’s move as a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the east African country. Demonstrators carried placards rejecting what they described as foreign interference in Somalia’s internal affairs.

The rally came two weeks after Israel announced that it recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign nation — and two days after Israel’s foreign minister visited Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital. On his visit, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Israel would soon open an embassy and appoint an ambassador.

Thursday night's demonstration was the third such event since Israel recognized Somaliland on Dec. 26.

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Updated: 3:58 AM CST

A man holds the flag of Somalia as people gather at the Mogadishu stadium while they protest Israel's recognition of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Israeli strikes kill at least 13 across Gaza, as Trump is expected to announce Board of Peace

Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Israeli strikes kill at least 13 across Gaza, as Trump is expected to announce Board of Peace

Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 12:33 PM CST

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce his Board of Peace to oversee the fragile ceasefire.

Health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City. All 13 people were killed on Thursday.

Israel's army said Friday that it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area.

The phased ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in its initial stage as efforts continue to recover the remains of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza.

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Updated: 12:33 PM CST

The body of 11-year-old Palestinian girl Hamsa Hosou, killed by Israeli fire in Jabalia, is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Filipino Catholics express outrage over corruption scandal during massive religious procession

Jim Gomez, Joeal Calupitan And Aaron Favila, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Filipino Catholics express outrage over corruption scandal during massive religious procession

Jim Gomez, Joeal Calupitan And Aaron Favila, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 12:58 AM CST

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A massive crowd of mostly barefoot Filipino Catholics joined an annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in the Philippine capital Friday, with some using the gathering to express outrage over a corruption scandal involving influential legislators.

After a midnight mass joined by tens of thousands of worshippers at a seaside park in Manila, the wooden Jesus the Nazarene statue was placed on a four-wheel open carriage before dawn at the start of the procession that Manila Mayor Isko Moreno claimed could draw millions of devotees throughout the day and into the late night.

One of Asia’s major religious spectacles, the often-raucous procession of the life-size statue meanders through nearly six kilometers (3.7 miles) of Manila’s congested narrow roads near the heavily guarded presidential palace. The procession is also a security nightmare for the authorities.

About 15,000 police officers, backed by intelligence agents, were deployed to keep order. Authorities imposed a gun and liquor ban, prohibited drones and backpacks, and jammed cellphone signals along the route of the procession.

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Updated: 12:58 AM CST

Catholic devotees walk beside a glass-covered carriage carrying the image of Jesus Nazareno during its annual procession in Manila, Philippines, on its feast day, Friday Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Pope indicates new governing style for Catholic Church with regular, annual cardinal meetings

Nicole Winfield And Paolo Santalucia, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Pope indicates new governing style for Catholic Church with regular, annual cardinal meetings

Nicole Winfield And Paolo Santalucia, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:32 PM CST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV said Thursday he intended to bring the world’s Catholic cardinals together annually, indicating a new governing style for the church that cardinals welcomed as a chance to get to know themselves and the pope better and be of greater service to the church.

At the end of his first consistory, as such meetings are called, Leo asked cardinals to return to Rome for a second session at the end of June and from then onward on an annual basis for three to four days each year, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

Cardinals said the proposed date for the second session would be June 27-28, before a big June 29 feast day.

Pope Francis had largely eschewed consistories and the College of Cardinals as a whole to help him govern. Instead, Francis had a hand-picked group of nine cardinals who met every few months at the Vatican to advise him.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:32 PM CST

Cardinal Stefen Brislin attends at a press conference at the end of Pope Leo XIV's first Extraordinary Consistory, a special formal assembly convening the College of Cardinals from around the world, at the Vatican, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

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The deadly shooting outside a Utah church grew out of a dispute between funeral goers, police say

Jacques Billeaud And Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

The deadly shooting outside a Utah church grew out of a dispute between funeral goers, police say

Jacques Billeaud And Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:55 PM CST

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A complicated crime scene and uncooperative witnesses hindered Salt Lake City police efforts to investigate a fatal shooting outside a house of worship belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The shooting in a church parking lot Wednesday night left two people dead and six injured, including five who remained hospitalized with police protection Thursday. Investigators said the shooting erupted from a dispute between people who knew each other and were attending a funeral.

No arrests had been made as of early Thursday evening. Authorities say they do not know whether the shooting was gang-related and that they are having trouble getting witnesses to cooperate.

Police do not believe the shooting was random or motivated by animus against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:55 PM CST

People hug each other after a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

New pipe organ signals rebirth for Episcopal parish after fire, flood and ‘plague’

Kathryn Post And Adelle M. Banks, The Associated Press 9 minute read Preview

New pipe organ signals rebirth for Episcopal parish after fire, flood and ‘plague’

Kathryn Post And Adelle M. Banks, The Associated Press 9 minute read Yesterday at 8:41 AM CST

NEW YORK (RNS) — The organ arrived from Utah on a warm August morning. Greeted by holy water, incense and slide whistles, it came in a 53-foot-long truck that was double-parked on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

The Church of the Epiphany’s priests clambered up on the truck’s loading dock, tossed on stoles and blessed the long-awaited instrument. Their prayers were punctuated by the sound of confetti cannons shot off by about 30 parishioners.

Then, for hours, children, adults and elders into their 90s hoisted pipes and boxes up flights of stairs to the church’s second-floor sanctuary. The biggest spectacle was the entrance of the 600-pound organ console, which parishioners and organ builders spent over 30 minutes wrangling up an external staircase.

“What has been the most beautiful part of this organ is the way it has brought our entire community together,” Denise Cruz, a vestry member, speech pathologist and mother of two, told RNS. “It was all hands on deck.”

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Yesterday at 8:41 AM CST

Alex Nguyen, director of music at Church of the Epiphany, plays the church's new organ, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York. (Adelle M. Banks/RNS via AP)

Spanish bishops will allow government to oversee compensation for sexual abuse victims

Joseph Wilson And Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Spanish bishops will allow government to oversee compensation for sexual abuse victims

Joseph Wilson And Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:55 AM CST

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s Catholic bishops agreed Thursday to let the Spanish government’s ombudsman have the final say in the church’s compensation of victims of sexual abuse by clergy members who have died or whose possible crimes are too old to be prosecuted.

The agreement, which envisages a one-year window for claims, marks a rare concession by the Catholic hierarchy. It is aimed at resolving disagreements between the left-wing government and church authorities over reparations after victims criticized the church’s original in-house compensation proposal.

The Spanish bishops conference said in a statement that the new agreement will allow victims who don’t want to seek help directly from the church to turn to the government and the state’s ombudsman, who has taken a lead role in shedding light on abuse. The ombudsman will evaluate the claims and ultimately will have the final say on any possible awards.

Spain’s Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said in a press conference in Madrid that “hundreds” of victims whose aggressors had passed away or were now very old could finally receive recognition of the abuse and receive economic reparations paid by the church.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:55 AM CST

FILE - The president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Luis Arguello, centre and Jesus Diaz Sariego, President of Spain's Conference of Religious Orders, left, take part in a press conference in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul White, File)

Israel says Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov to direct Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza

Josef Federman And Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Israel says Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov to direct Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza

Josef Federman And Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:32 PM CST

JERUSALEM (AP) — A former U.N. Mideast envoy has been chosen to direct U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel’s prime minister said Thursday, as at least eight more deaths from Israeli strikes were reported there.

The appointment of Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov marks an important step forward for Trump’s Mideast peace plan, which has moved slowly since delivering an October ceasefire ending more than two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement after meeting Mladenov in Jerusalem, identifying him as the “designated” director-general for the board, which is meant to oversee the implementation of the second and far more complicated phase of the cease-fire.

A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the appointment has not been officially announced, confirmed Mladenov is the Trump administration’s choice to be the board’s day-to-day administrator on the ground.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:32 PM CST

Australia’s leader announces a royal commission into antisemitism after Bondi mass shooting

Charlotte Graham-mclay, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Australia’s leader announces a royal commission into antisemitism after Bondi mass shooting

Charlotte Graham-mclay, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:29 AM CST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a wide-ranging royal commission into antisemitism, weeks after two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish holiday event at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people.

The commission will investigate the nature, prevalence and drivers of antisemitism generally as well as the circumstances of the Bondi mass shooting, Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. It will also make recommendations for law enforcement, strengthening social cohesion and countering the spread of extremism.

A royal commission, which is the most powerful form of government-commissioned inquiry that can be held in Australia, has the power to summon witnesses and request documents as evidence. It will be led by former High Court judge Virginia Bell, Albanese said.

A report is due by Dec. 14, which will be a year to the day since the shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney landmark.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:29 AM CST

Floral tributes outside Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Markham)

2 killed in shooting outside Mormon church in Salt Lake City

Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

2 killed in shooting outside Mormon church in Salt Lake City

Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:33 AM CST

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two people were killed and six others injured in a shooting outside a Salt Lake City church Wednesday night while mourners were attending a memorial service inside, police said.

The shooting took place in the back parking lot of a house of worship for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Utah-based faith known widely as the Mormon church.

Authorities said no suspect was in custody Wednesday.

All the victims were adults. At least three of the injured were in critical condition, police said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:33 AM CST

Police respond to a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Rio Giancarlo/The Deseret News via AP)

Millions celebrate Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7, following ancient traditions

Peter Smith, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Millions celebrate Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7, following ancient traditions

Peter Smith, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

Millions of people around the world celebrated Orthodox Christmas on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after much of the world marked the holy day.

Certain Eastern Orthodox churches, including those in Russian and other traditions, follow the ancient Julian calendar. It runs 13 days later than the Gregorian calendar, used by Catholic and Protestant churches as well as by much of the secular world for everyday use.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church and some other Oriental Orthodox churches — which are distinct from Eastern Orthodox but share many traditions — also celebrated Christmas on Wednesday.

Other Eastern Orthodox, including those in the Greek tradition, celebrate Christmas on the same Dec. 25 date as Catholic and Protestant churches.

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Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

Georgians with national flags take part in a religious procession to the Holy Trinity Cathedral to mark Orthodox Christmas in Tbilisi, Georgia, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)

US Christian leaders minister to an anxious diaspora with Venezuela’s future in flux

Luis Andres Henao And Giovanna Dell'orto, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

US Christian leaders minister to an anxious diaspora with Venezuela’s future in flux

Luis Andres Henao And Giovanna Dell'orto, The Associated Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

Faith leaders who minister to Christians in Venezuela and the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States are urging prayers for peace as they attend to congregations roiled by uncertainty and high emotions following the U.S. capture of deposed leader Nicolás Maduro.

In Venezuela, initial statements from the Catholic bishops' conference and the Evangelical Council of Venezuela were cautious, appealing for calm and patience, while many pastors in the diaspora welcomed Maduro's ouster. The Catholic archbishop of Miami, who ministers to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S., said there is an anxiousness about what is next, but he believes the church has a key role to play in helping the Catholic-majority country move forward.

About 8 million people have  fled Venezuela  since 2014, settling first in neighboring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. After the COVID-19 pandemic, they increasingly set their sights on the United States, walking through the jungle in Colombia and Panama or flying to the U.S. on humanitarian parole with a financial sponsor.

Many have settled in South Florida, where they make up the country's biggest Venezuelan community. Community members took to the streets waving flags in celebration after Maduro and his wife were captured in a U.S. military operation on Saturday.

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Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

FILE - Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski poses in front of a traveling bronze sculpture titled

Pope convenes cardinals and asks their priorities for 2 years, with Latin Mass off the agenda

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Pope convenes cardinals and asks their priorities for 2 years, with Latin Mass off the agenda

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday opened a new phase of his pontificate by gathering the world’s cardinals to Rome and asking them to advise him on key priorities for the next two years. They responded by indicating continuity with Pope Francis' key aims of making the church more missionary and responsive to the needs of ordinary faithful.

Some 170 red-capped cardinals, or around two-thirds of the total College of Cardinals, trickled into the Vatican’s audience hall for the opening session of the two-day meeting, known as a consistory, the first of Leo's papacy.

In his opening remarks, Leo asked them to share what they considered to be the priorities that should guide him and the Holy See for the next year or two. He originally offered four agenda items but then asked the cardinals to pick just two. Significantly, the cardinals chose not to focus on questions about the liturgy and the divisive question about the old Latin Mass.

“This day and a half together will point the way for our path ahead,” Leo said.

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Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

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