By Nia Williams

(Reuters) – As Canada’s main oil-producing province Alberta prepares for an election next month, its combative Premier Danielle Smith is facing a series of controversies and resignations that could undermine support for her ruling United Conservative Party (UCP), political analysts say.

In the space of a week, a leaked recording of a phone call between Smith and a Calgary pastor facing pandemic-related charges has raised questions about the premier’s judgment, two senior members of Smith’s cabinet said they would not be running for re-election in May and a UCP candidate resigned after accusing teachers of exposing kids to [censored]ography.

Polls show Alberta’s election, scheduled to take place no later than May 29, will be a tight two-way race between the UCP and left-leaning New Democratic Party, led by Rachel Notley.

The series of events, of which Smith’s phone call with controversial street pastor Artur Pawlowski is the most serious, may damage her standing among moderate conservatives and undecided voters in key election battlegrounds like Alberta’s corporate oil capital Calgary, said Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University.

“I think it will make a difference (to voters), it’s going to keep coming up,” Bratt said of the recording. “It’s going to be reluctant conservatives in Calgary who are concerned about the judgment and trustworthiness of Premier Smith and this adds to questions about that.”

Pawlowski is facing charges related to COVID-19 protests in Canada last year, which included a weeks-long blockade of the Coutts border crossing in southern Alberta. A verdict is expected in early May.

In the 11-minute phone call released on Wednesday by the NDP, Smith expressed sympathy with Pawlowski’s situation and said she would ask justice department officials about the case again. Critics including the NDP say it is inappropriate for the premier to discuss individual cases in the justice system with officials.

Smith denies any wrongdoing. In a statement, the premier said she had her staff work with the Ministry of Justice to determine if anything could be done to grant amnesty for people charged with non-violent, non-firearms COVID-related charges, and followed their advice when they recommended dropping the matter.

Smith became UCP leader and premier last October, replacing Jason Kenney, by appealing to grassroots UCP members in the traditionally conservative province. But some political analysts have said the UCP’s rightward shift risks alienating more moderate voters.

Last week’s controversies come just days after two senior Alberta government minister, Finance Minister Travis Toews and Environment Minister Sonya Savage, said they would not seek re-election.

Their departures will deplete the strength of Smith’s cabinet should she win in May. Savage’s retirement from front-line politics may also hamper collaboration between the Alberta and federal governments over climate policies.

“I think it’s a loss for Alberta and I think it’s a loss for Canada, she was a very effective minister,” federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters on Thursday.

(Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

By Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska and Kuba Stezycki

WARSAW (Reuters) – Thousands of Poles marched through Warsaw and other cities on Sunday to show their support for the late Pope John Paul II in the face of what they said were false allegations that he concealed child abuse in the Catholic Church.

The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which faces a tough election later this year, and other religious conservatives have said any calls to re-examine his legacy amount to a plot to discredit the nation’s biggest moral authority.

That argument resonates strongly with many older Poles who were inspired by John Paul to stand up to Communism in the 1970s and ’80s, although church attendance has been falling in the decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

“I felt the need to show my connection with (the pope’s) teaching,” said Donata Pronczuk, a retired teacher, who came to Warsaw from the northern city of Koszalin for the march, which marked the 18th anniversary of the pope’s death.

“John Paul II did nothing wrong. Any charges against him are false and have been manipulated.”

Dozens of people around her were praying the rosary as they waited for the march to begin snaking through the main arteries of the capital Warsaw in unseasonably cold, drizzly weather.

Some carried banners reading “You fought for our freedom, now we are fighting for you”, while others held wooden crosses and Polish flags as they walked.

Earlier in the day, workers of the state-owned railway company PKP gave out cream pies favoured by the late pope to train travellers heading to Warsaw.

Two separate investigations by Dutch journalist Ekke Overbeek and Polish private broadcaster TVN have stirred debate since last month by saying they have evidence the late pope knowingly hid clerical paedophilia scandals when he was archbishop of Krakow.

The Polish Catholic church urged Poles to respect the late pope’s memory, saying a review of its archives did not confirm the accusations against the church hierarchy, adding that some files could be opened in future.

Political observers say the puling party is using the allegations against John Paul to galvanise its core electorate ahead of the ballot, with many Poles angry over steep inflation and rising energy costs in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“With so many people participating, I am calm about the future of our country,” Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak was quoted as saying by niezalezna.pl news portal, after he took part in the Warsaw march.

Since the party came to power nearly eight years ago, religious values have become an increasingly contentious issue in Poland, with left-wing and moderate politicians accusing the party of seeking to instil its religious views in public life.

“Everybody should be able to speak out,” said Michal, a 37-year-old web designer, who was out on the streets of Warsaw but did not take part in the march. “(But) we should not mix politics with the church or with any faith.”

(Reporting by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska, Kuba Stezycki and Anna Magdalena Lubowicka; Editing by Justyna Pawlak, Sharon Singleton and Andrew Heavens)

By Crispian Balmer

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis led a Palm Sunday service the day after he was discharged from hospital following a bout of bronchitis, and urged the world to take better care of the poor, the lonely and the infirm.

Thousands of people waved palm and olive branches as Francis was driven into St. Peter’s Square sitting in the back of a white, open-topped vehicle before the start of the Mass, which lasted two hours.

“I thank you for your participation and also for your prayers, which intensified during these past days. Thank you,” he said at the end of the service in an apparent reference to his recent illness, drawing loud applause from the crowd.

The pope, 86, was taken to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties, but recovered quickly following an infusion of antibiotics and returned to his Vatican residence on Saturday.

Looking to allay concerns about his health, the Vatican has said he will take part in a full array of Easter events this week, the busiest period in the Roman Catholic Church calendar, starting with the open-air Palm Sunday service.

The pontiff, wearing red vestments, spoke with a quiet, but clear voice as he addressed a crowd estimated by police to be 60,000-strong. For most of the service he remained seated, but he stood at the end for a final blessing.

In his homily he called on people not to ignore those experiencing great suffering and solitude.

“Today their numbers are legion. Entire peoples are exploited and abandoned; the poor live on our streets and we look the other way; migrants are no longer faces but numbers, prisoners are disowned; people written off as problems,” he said.

Speaking at the end of the Mass, the pope, as he often does, recalled “the battered people of Ukraine”, and urged the faithful to pray for an end to the war.

WAVING TO THE CROWD

Francis, who marked the 10th anniversary of his pontificate in March, has suffered a number of ailments in recent years, including severe knee pain, which means he uses a cane and often a wheelchair in his public appearances.

His difficulties with mobility have limited his participation at some events, and as happened last year, a senior cardinal celebrated the actual Mass on Sunday.

At the end of the ceremony, the pope was driven slowly around the square for around 10 minutes. He waved and smiled at the well-wishers and appeared in good spirits.

“We are very happy to see him and considering what has happened over the past few days, we think he looks quite well,” said Antonio Donatelli, a tourist from southern Italy.

Palm Sunday marks the day that the Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowds, the week before Christian believe he rose from the dead following his execution on the Cross.

On Holy Thursday, Francis will celebrate Mass in a prison for juveniles in Rome, but it was not yet clear if he would participate in the traditional Good Friday Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession around Rome’s ancient Colosseum.

However, the pope, head of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, will preside over the Mass on Easter Sunday, the most important day on the Christian liturgical calendar, where he is expected to read his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message.

(Additional reporting by Jaime Lopez and Roberto Mignucci; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Frances Kerry)

By Liliana Salgado

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) – A violent storm packing high winds and heavy rains ripped through Southern and Midwestern sections of the United States as it headed east on Saturday, leaving at least 22 dead and scores injured, according to officials and media reports.

At least five people were killed in Arkansas, according to officials, as first responders sifted through debris for more possible victims after tornadoes sliced through the state on Friday.

Officials also reported four deaths in Illinois and three in Indiana.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Department of Health confirmed seven weather-related deaths in McNairy County, at the Mississippi border. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Sheehan said the number of people injured and damaged structures in several counties were not yet determined.

Just south of the Tennessee border in Madison County, Alabama, 90-year-old Ovie Lasater was killed when a tornado destroyed her home, county coroner Tyler Berryhill told Reuters.

Fox News reported another death in Pontotoc County in neighboring Mississippi.

In Illinois, three people were killed in Crawford County after the collapse of a residential structure, the state Emergency Management Agency said.

These were in addition to the 50-year-old man who died in Belvidere, a city in northern Illinois, after a roof collapsed at a theater with 260 people inside. Dan Zaccard, a senior emergency management official in Boone County, said on Saturday that the incident left 40 people injured.

The crowd at the city’s Apollo Theatre was attending a concert featuring the heavy-metal group Morbid Angel, which was on its “Tour of Terror.”

One person was killed in Sussex County, Delaware, after a line of powerful storms tore through the region on Saturday night, an ABC News affiliate reported.

The National Weather Service on Saturday warned of thunderstorms moving across the eastern third of the United States, likely resulting in power outages and downed trees from winds with gusts over 60 mph (100 kph).

The twisters sheared roofs and walls from many buildings in Arkansas, flipped over vehicles and downed trees and power lines in Little Rock and large areas east and northeast of the state capital, officials said.

The blast of extreme spring weather swept much of the United States on Friday, menacing the nation’s midsection from Texas to the Great Lakes with thunderstorms and tornados.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Saturday said there were five confirmed dead in the state.

“Right now, we have five confirmed fatalities. We have a couple of others that have been reported, but we do not have confirmation from local law enforcement on the ground. And, so, awaiting that. But right now, statewide, we have five confirmed fatalities,” she said.

Four of the Arkansas fatalities were reported in Wynne, about 100 miles (160 km) east of Little Rock, Cross County Coroner Eli Long said.

One person was killed and more than 50 people were hospitalized in North Little Rock, Pulaski County spokeswoman Madeline Roberts told the Washington Post.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Huckabee Sanders and the mayors of Little Rock and Wynne, the White House said in a statement. He also spoke with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell.

Huckabee Sanders said Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in phone calls on Saturday, offered federal government support.

“Anything that Arkansas needs, they have assured us that those resources will be here and on the ground,” she said at a news conference.

In Sullivan County, Indiana, three people were killed, Indiana State Police Sergeant Matt Ames said. A state of emergency was declared for the affected areas, Sheriff Jason Bobbitt said on Facebook.

The turbulent weather occurred one week after a swarm of thunderstorms unleashed a deadly tornado that devastated the Mississippi town of Rolling Fork, destroying many of the community’s 400 homes and killing 26 people.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, Calif., Daphne Psaledakis, Christopher Bing, Richard Cowan, Kanishka Singh and Tom Rowe in Washington and Steve Holland in Wilmington, Delaware; Additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif. and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Paul Simao, Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis)

By Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Joe Biden was asked on Friday morning about the impact that the indictment of his White House predecessor and political rival Donald Trump would have on America, the U.S. president had an emphatic response: no comment.

“I’m not going to talk about Trump’s indictment,” Biden elaborated after being pressed several times by reporters.

Biden was continuing a strategy his White House has honed on Trump over two years – silence is golden. Now that Trump has been indicted in a New York hush money case, White House officials indicate they plan to follow the same “keep quiet and carry on” playbook.

That plan could be tested in the days ahead, as Republicans rally around Trump, attack the U.S. judicial system, and some, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, make plans for a New York City protest on Tuesday – the day the former president is due in court in Manhattan – that some fear could turn violent.

Biden, a Democrat, won the presidency in 2020 by directly attacking Trump, promising to restore the “soul of America” after his predecessor’s chaotic four years in office. As president, Biden has lambasted the former president’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) allies and policies, but rarely Trump himself.

Democratic strategists said the deliberate silence by Biden and his team made political sense.

“The administration should continue to do what they’ve done all along, focusing on governing and addressing Americans’ concerns,” Democratic strategist Karen Finney said. “This is a moment to reassure Americans by continuing to demonstrate what strong, stable, effective leadership looks like.”

Biden is set to travel on Monday to a manufacturing facility in Minnesota and is expected to be in the White House on Tuesday, when Trump is due to turn himself in to authorities in New York, where a grand jury indicted him.

“They’ve been smart to stay out of it,” Democratic strategist Lis Smith said of the White House strategy on Trump. “In 2020, Joe Biden benefited from voters’ exhaustion with the chaos of the Trump administration. The split screen of President Biden focused on doing his job well versus Trump and the Republican Party in chaos will only help him.”

Trump as president publicly referred to Biden as a criminal and labeled protesters “thugs.” Trump faces other investigations related to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters and his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden.

The White House has said it will not comment on Trump because his actions are being investigated by Biden’s own Justice Department, which the president has pledged to leave independent.

That calculation could shift if Trump supporters upset by the criminal charges erupt in violence and once Biden begins an expected re-election campaign and may be forced eventually to confront Trump directly on a debate stage. Trump is seeking to regain the presidency in 2024.

Biden had not yet been inaugurated as president when the Capitol attack occurred. On that day, Biden urged Trump to call off the rioters, asking him on social media to “go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution.”

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on Friday about any precautions the federal government may be making, except to say that “we’re always prepared” for the prospect of violence. Jean-Pierre reiterated Biden’s often-stated support for people to “protest peacefully.”

Trump is set to plead not guilty to the charges and has indicated he will not drop out of the race.

Biden views his predecessor as stoking a dangerous movement, and his warnings about “MAGA” extremism are heartfelt, according to two people who have spoken with the president recently.

Democratic strategist Donna Brazile noted that Biden has not yet officially declared himself a candidate for the 2024 election and did not need to comment on Trump’s predicament.

“President Biden is not a candidate, and while he may or may not have an opinion, I see no reason for the president to put his hands on the scales of justice of another branch of government,” Brazile said.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Steve Holland; Editing by Will Dunham and Heather Timmons)