Russia's ambassador to Turkey assassinated in Ankara

The assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey was a "terror attack," a spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry said.

"Today is a tragic day in the history of the Russian Federation. During a public event, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov got wounded and died later. We qualify what happened as a terror attack. We are currently in contact with Turkish authorities who are assuring us that a thorough, comprehensive investigation will be conducted," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in remarks broadcast on Russian television. "Murderers will be punished. Terrorism won't sustain. We'll fight it. A memory about this outstanding diplomat will always remain in our his career."

A gunman shot and killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey Monday at an art exhibition in Ankara, Russia's foreign ministry said.

Ambassador Andrey Karlov was giving a speech at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibit when an assailant opened fire, Turkey's official Anadolu news agency said.

In a caption, The Associated Press news agency described the man with the gun as the attacker. CNN has not independently confirmed the identities of the people in the photograph.

In a video circulating on social media that shows the shooting of the ambassador, the gunman is heard shouting, "Allahu akbar (God is great). Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria!"

"Get back! Get back!" the man can be heard shouting in Turkish as he waves a gun.

"Only death will remove me from here. Everyone who has taken part in this oppression will one by one pay for it," he said.

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, on Monday.

Authorities haven't said who they believe was responsible for the attack. Anadolu reported that the gunman had been neutralized. But it was not immediately clear whether the attacker was killed or captured by police.

Police cars quickly swarmed the scene after the shooting.

Pope Francis extends Catholic priests' right to forgive abortion

Pope Francis has extended indefinitely the power of Catholic priests to forgive abortions, making the announcement in an apostolic letter released Monday.

It continues a special dispensation granted last year for the duration of the Year of Mercy -- which finished Sunday -- which gave all priests, rather than just bishops, the power to absolve the sin of abortion.

The announcement reiterates that the Church's stance on abortion has not changed -- it is still viewed as a "grave sin." But it makes it easier for women who have had abortions to be absolved for their actions, and rejoin the Church.

"I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life," the Pope's letter states.

"In the same way, however, I can and must state that there is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father."

The letter continues: "May every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on this journey of special reconciliation.

"I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion."

'Moral evil'

Since the first century, the Catholic Church has held that abortion is a "moral evil." The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that every human life "from the moment of conception until death is sacred" -- and that any Catholic who procures an abortion incurs automatic excommunication, a penalty that often only a bishop can lift.

But Pope Francis announced a shift last year when he said that priests around the world would be authorized to forgive the "sin of abortion" for the duration of the Church's Year of Mercy, which ran from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016.

The Year of Mercy is a longstanding Catholic tradition during which believers may receive special indulgences for their sins.

hardline view on abortion, describing it as "murder," and the Church has been a strong force behind pro-life groups worldwide.

"The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented," he said at the time, expressing sympathy for women who had been through the "agonizing and painful" decision to terminate their pregnancy.

In some regions, such as in the US and Britain, priests have been delegated the power to forgive abortion, but in most parts of the world only bishops have that authority.

Vatican officials last year described the temporary extension of these powers to priests as "a widening of the church's mercy" -- and indicated that it was possible they could be extended beyond the Year of Mercy, as has proved the case.

Priest: 'Another gesture of mercy and welcome'

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America magazine in New York, described Pope Francis' announcement as "a significant one."

Before the Year of Mercy, in dioceses in many parts of the world, special permission from a bishop was required to absolve the sin of abortion, he said.

"In the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis extended that permission to all priests for a year. Today he extended it indefinitely," he said.

"It's another gesture of mercy and welcome from a Pope whose hallmarks are mercy and welcome."

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

5 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

6 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

7 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

8 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

9 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

1 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

2 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

3 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

4 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

5 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

6 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

7 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

8 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

9 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

1 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

2 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

3 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

4 of 9

Photos: The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings

Hide Caption

5 of 9

Pope Francis has forged a more forgiving, merciful direction for the Church since his papacy began in March 2013, taking a more welcoming position toward groups that had previously found themselves on the margins of the Catholic establishment, such as gays and lesbians, and divorced Catholics.

Obama seeks to calm US allies over Trump concerns

President Barack Obama has sought to assure America's allies that President-elect Donald Trump will honour the country's international alliances when he takes office in January.

Mr Obama told reporters that Mr Trump had expressed an interest in maintaining the US commitment to Nato.

This came hours before Mr Obama was due to arrive in the Greek capital, Athens, on his final official overseas trip.

Mr Obama will later travel on to Germany and then to Peru.

Security has been stepped up in Athens where anti-US protests are planned.

Mr Obama is expected to use his final foreign visit to calm nerves over the forthcoming administration of Mr Trump.

The property tycoon's surprise election victory has raised concern among some world leaders after a string of controversial statements he made during his campaign.

At a White House news conference on Monday, Mr Obama said his successor had "expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships".

He said this included "strong and robust Nato" partnerships, which he said would convey "enormous continuity" to the world.

Trump, Putin speak about future of US-Russia ties

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with US President-elect Donald Trump Monday, according to statements from the Trump transition team and the Kremlin.

Putin "called to offer his congratulations on winning a historic election," according to a Trump statement. The two leaders discussed issues including shared threats, strategic economic issues and the historical US-Russia relationship.

The two men also spoke about working to normalize relations between the two countries and emphasized the importance of creating a foundation of bilateral ties through trade, the Kremlin said.

They also discussed the need for "joint efforts in the fight against common enemy No. 1" -- international terrorism and extremism.

Putin was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his win, after a campaign dogged by alleged Russian hacking and Trump's cozy relationship with the Kremlin.

Trump praised Putin as a strong leader even as US officials accused Moscow of meddling in the election by leaking hacked Democratic campaign emails to undermine Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

Multiple critics of Putin have been outspoken in their shock at Trump's win. "Russia was a democracy, if briefly," wrote Gary Kasparov on Twitter. "Then Trump's idol won our last real election."

Masha Gessen, author of "The Man With No Face," a biography of Putin, drew parallels between the Russian leader and Trump in a piece for the New York Review of Books on "rules for surviving in an autocracy."

During the campaign, Trump was criticized for saying that Putin "is not going into Ukraine," two years after the invasion of Crimea. He later claimed that he meant as President he would not allow further incursions.

The President-elect also made a habit of questioning NATO's relevance, a departure from over 60 years of bipartisan foreign policy. Putin has been a long time critic of the alliance's expansion into eastern Europe.

However, on Monday, in his first news conference after Trump's election, President Barack Obama said that Trump had told him he was committed to NATO.

Last week, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN that he hoped Trump would help improve relations between Washington and Moscow.

"Because what we have currently is a very lousy relationship," he said.