International
The pope proclaims Father Manuel Ruiz López and six other Spanish Franciscans saints
Pope Francis proclaimed saints this Sunday the Spanish Manuel Ruiz López and seven other Franciscan friars, six of them Spanish, murdered in Syria in 1860, during a year of persecution and massacres against Christians.
Francis used the Latin formula as usual to proclaim his holiness and ask that they be inscribed in the books of the saints of the Church.
“We continue the work of Jesus in the world. In this light we can remember the disciples of the Gospel who are canonized today. Throughout the eventful history of humanity they were faithful servants, men and women who served in martyrdom and joy, like Brother Manuel Ruiz López and his companions,” said the pope at the canonization ceremony in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, in the presence of faithful.
Manuel Ruiz (Burgos, 1804) was murdered in the city of Damascus in 1860, when Christians in Syria and Lebanon suffered massacres by members of the Druse community.
At that time he was superior to the convent of San Pablo and was the victim of the fury of a multitude of Druss who on the night of July 9, 1860 broke into the Christian mud of Damascus. A few 30,000 people lived there, thousands of them were massacred and some took refuge in the monastery of Ruiz and the rest of the minor friars.
With him they beheaded seven Franciscans today also canonized, including the Spaniards Carmelo Bolta, Nicanor Ascansio, Nicolás María Alberca, Pedro Nolasco Soler, Francisco Piñazo Peñalver and Juan Fernández, and the Austrian Engelbert Kolland.
The religious received a proposal from the Ottoman governor of the time to take refuge in his residence, but they rejected it when they did not want to leave the people who sought to protect themselves in the convent alone.
Other canonized
The Maronite lay Francesco Massabki, Mooti Massabki and Raffaele Massabki were also canonized at the ceremony. They were three brothers from Damascus closely linked to the community of the Franciscans who were in the convent of St. Paul along with the rest of the friars, where they also died murdered in the same massacre.
This Sunday, the Italian priest Giuseppe Allamano (1851-1926), founder of the Institute of the Missionaries of Consolata and the Missionary Sisters of Consolata, was also proclaimed saints, the Italian Elena Guerra (1835-1914), founder of the Congregation of Oblates of the Holy Spirit – known as the Sisters of Santa Zita-, and the Canadian Marie-Léonie Paradis (1840-1912), founder of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family.
Among those attending the ceremony were authorities such as Félix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Spanish Government’s Courts.
International
Bogotá and Quito Seek Dialogue After Tariffs and Power Cut Escalate Tensions
Bogotá and Quito will hold an emergency bilateral summit next week amid recent developments that have strained relations between the two countries.
Tensions escalated this week after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa unexpectedly announced a 30% tariff on Colombian imports. Colombia responded with a reciprocal measure, imposing the same tariff on around 20 Ecuadorian products and suspending electricity exports to Ecuador.
Aware that electricity imports are critical to easing Ecuador’s recent energy crises, Quito further imposed a 30% tariff on the transportation of Colombian oil through its territory.
However, recent statements from the Ecuadorian government suggest that dialogue between the two sides has intensified in recent hours. Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, confirmed that active conversations are under way.
In Colombia, segments of the business sector have welcomed the prospect of negotiations. The National Business Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional, CGN), for instance, urged both governments to restore commercial relations, warning that the dispute “puts jobs and regional economic stability at risk.”
International
Trump-Era Defense Plan Prioritizes Border Security and Scales Back Global Commitments
The U.S. military will prioritize the defense of the homeland and the deterrence of China, while providing more limited support to its allies and elevating Latin America as a key focus of its agenda, according to a Pentagon strategic document released on Friday.
The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) represents a significant shift from previous Pentagon policies, both in its emphasis on allies assuming greater responsibility with reduced backing from Washington and in its more moderate tone toward traditional adversaries such as China and Russia.
“As U.S. forces focus on defending the homeland and the Indo-Pacific, allies and partners elsewhere will assume primary responsibility for their own defense, with crucial but more limited support from U.S. forces,” the document states.
The previous defense strategy, published during President Joe Biden’s administration, described China as Washington’s most consequential challenge and characterized Russia as an “acute threat.”
The new strategy, however, calls for maintaining “respectful relations” with Beijing and makes no reference to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China and allied with the United States. It also describes the threat posed by Russia as “persistent but manageable,” particularly affecting NATO’s eastern members.
While both the Biden-era strategy and the Trump administration’s approach emphasize the importance of defending U.S. territory, they differ significantly in their assessment of the challenges facing the country.
The Trump administration’s NDS sharply criticizes the previous government for neglecting border security, arguing that this failure led to an “influx of illegal immigrants” and widespread narcotics trafficking.
International
Guatemala considers sending high-risk gang members to military prisons
Amid the escalating crisis in Guatemala’s prison system, the government is considering transferring high-risk gang members to military-run detention facilities, a move that analysts say could help address overcrowding and the lack of control in civilian prisons.
The debate has gained urgency following the killing of ten police officers by gang members, reportedly in retaliation after the government refused to meet demands made by Aldo Dupie Ochoa, alias “El Lobo,” leader of the Barrio 18 gang, which authorities identified as responsible for the attack.
Guatemala’s Minister of Defense, Henry David Sáenz, told local media that the possibility of relocating high-danger inmates to military brigades has not been formally discussed. However, he noted that the practice is not new to the Armed Forces and said it is something that “was already being done.”
One example is the detention center located within the Mariscal Zavala Military Brigade, in Zone 17 of Guatemala City, where several inmates are held under military supervision. The facility also houses high-profile detainees, including former official Eduardo Masaya, who faces corruption charges.
In 2015, a ministerial agreement authorized the establishment of the Zone Seventeen Detention Center within the brigade, with a maximum capacity of 114 inmates in Area A and 21 in Area B. The agreement specified that the facility would be used exclusively for civilians or military personnel considered at risk of assassination.
Additionally, since 2010, a prison has operated within the Matamoros Barracks in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, holding dangerous or high-profile inmates. However, media outlets have described these military detention centers as “VIP prisons,” particularly for former government officials such as ex-president Otto Pérez Molina.
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