"We are not numbers." A reporter in Gaza shares about life and faith during the conflict

“We are not numbers.” That’s what Diaa Ostaz, a reporter in Gaza for a Catholic publication, said earlier this month during a Zoom recording from the territory. 

Ostaz, 26, was speaking about the many who have died in Gaza since October, 2023. According to the United Nations, that’s over 73,000 people killed and more than 173,000 injured since that time. At least 20,000 of the dead are children, with more than 44,000 injured. 

The numbers of killed and injured in Gaza are staggering, but people there are not statistics, Ostaz said. 

“We are human beings and we love life. We love to sing, dance and laugh. We love to work, progress and achieve our goals. We laugh a lot and we cry a lot. We are not just images you see on social media and in news broadcasts. We are real. We are not monsters as some people think, or criminals. What happened in the October 7th attack does not represent the beliefs of an entire civilian population … we are looking for peace.” 

Read my interview with Ostaz in the Free Press. 

Photo above: Diaa Ostaz talks with a boy in the rubble in Gaza.

U.S. war against Iran puts some in awkward position due to Iranian government's persecution of Christians, Jews and, especially, Baha'is

The war between the U.S. and Iran has put some of us in an uncomfortable position. 

On the one hand, we can feel like cheering on the Iranians as we watch them stand up to the American bully. It’s like the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the old saying goes. 

On the other hand, Iran doesn’t feel like much of a friend because of its terrible human rights record — including its treatment of religious minorities in that country such as Christians, Jews and Baha’is. 

Those abuses only seem to be increasing due to the war. The United Nations has condemned the Iranian government for how it is treating religious minorities during this time, saying it is using the war as “a smokescreen to deepen their machinery of repression and carry out crimes under international law with impunity.” 

Christians and Jews are among those targeted by the theocratic Shia Muslim regime. But it is members of the Baha’i faith who are getting the worst of it, and for the longest period of time. 

Read my latest column in the Free Press.

What are Canadian faith groups saying about Canada's increased military spending?

In response to growing threats around the world, Canada is increasing its military spending. In March, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the country had met its NATO benchmark of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, with plans to spend five per cent by 2035. 

Is this the right direction? Is the money being spent in the best way possible? And what about other forms of international engagement such as aid, diplomacy and peacemaking? 

Those were some of the questions raised by 14 faith groups in the United Kingdom in July in response to that country’s decision to also increase military spending over the next decade. 

In a joint letter with other organizations, the groups stated there is “a clear public appetite for broader discussion on how to build a more secure, resilient and peaceful world … beyond military force.” 

The UK letter got me thinking about whether Canadian faith groups are asking for a similar discussion in this country. At least three of them are. 

Read more in my column in the Free Press.

Photo above: Spencer Colby, The Canadian Press.

Vanishing Gods: A conversation with Reginald Bibby about the changing Canadian religious landscape

 

Over his 50 years of writing and researching about religion in Canada, Reg Bibby has written books with the titles Fragmented Gods (1987), Unknown Gods (1993), Restless Gods (2002), Beyond the Gods (2011), and Resilient Gods (2017). 

If Bibby was to write another book about religion in Canada today, the retired University of Lethbridge professor said he might title it: Vanishing Gods. 

“Religion in Canada has known something of a golden era,” he said. “But that era has been over since the final decades of the 20th century.” 

Bibby chronicles these changes to the religious landscape in a chapter in his new book, The Canadian Transformation: Social Trends 1975-2025. (Project Canada Books). 

Read my conversation with Reg about his book in the Free Press.

Anglican, Presbyterian and United churches gift $1.5 million to National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

 

The Anglican Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the United Church of Canada have collectively donated $1.5 million to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) in Winnipeg. 

The donation, which was announced at a June 18 gifting ceremony in Winnipeg, will be used to assist in the creation of a new permanent home for the centre at the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba. 

Each of the three denominations contributed $500,000, which will be put toward the $100-million cost of the new centre. 

Read my story about the gift, including the response from the NCTR, in Canadian Affairs.

Humanism as Resistance Theme of Aug. 7-9 World Humanist Congress in Ottawa

Manitoban Daniel Dacombe is looking forward to the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa.

“I’m going to network with other humanists from around the world,” said Dacombe of the August 7-9 event.

 

“I’m looking forward to meeting people from other countries who have been building their own humanist communities, especially in places with more restrictive laws around non-belief.”

The theme of the Congress is “Humanism as Resistance.” That theme was chosen because, as the organizers put it, this is a time of “resurgent authoritarianism, escalating religious nationalism, and the aggressive spread of anti-science disinformation.”

Participants at the Congress—which was originally planned for Washington, D.C. until organizers decided it wasn’t safe for participants from around the world—will hear speakers and panels address the theme, and discuss their shared humanistic values such as respect and care for the natural world; the primacy of reason and science; rejection of the supernatural; standing against all forms of racism and prejudice; and promoting human rights for everyone, including the right to freedom of religion and unbelief.

 

Read more about the Congress in my recent Free Press column.

What is the future of Christian presence in Canada? Denominational leaders meet to discuss that question

What is the future of the Christian presence in Canada? How dependent is it on church buildings? What is the role of service to others? That was the topic of discussion in May when representatives from various Canadian Protestant denominations met in Winnipeg.

Read about that discussion in my recent Free Press column.

Standard or Daylight Savings time debate has implications for at least one religious group

Manitobans are being asked by the provincial government if they want to end seasonal time changes by making either standard or daylight savings time permanent in the province. 

So far, three-quarters of those who answered a survey by Winnipeg-based Prairie Research Associates support an end to seasonal time changes. Of those, 34 per cent prefer a move to permanent daylight time — which means the sun would rise and set later each day. 

Eighteen per cent prefer standard time, while 21 per cent just want the province to choose one time or another. 

Talk about time change got me thinking about how such a change could impact religious groups. 

As it turns out, at least one faith group would experience a serious impact: Judaism. Other groups? Not so much, or at all.

Read what some local rabbis say about why they prefer to stay on Standard Time in my recent Free Press column.

Story of the Doctrine of Discovery complicated, but still worth talking about

The negative impact of colonization on Indigenous people in the Americas is known only too well. So is the role the Roman Catholic Church played in it. That includes what became known as the Doctrine of Discovery — the idea that by “discovering” the Americas, colonizing countries like Spain and Portugal could claim Indigenous land as their own. 

But the story is more complicated than most people realize — and also incomplete without noting opposition from those in the Church during that age of discovery and conquest from Dominican priests and the Vatican itself. 

That included a Papal Bull issued in 1537 that declared Indigenous people must not be deprived of their freedom or lands. This remains the official position of the Roman Catholic Church — it was affirmed in 1987 by Pope John Paul II when he visited Canada. 

Read my recent column on this topic in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Premier's remark about Old versus New Testaments draws reaction from Winnipeg Jewish community and others

If you grew up going to Sunday school and church, you were probably taught that what Christians call the “Old Testament” was a book of rules and laws from a stern and punishing God. The “New Testament,” on the other hand, was about love, mercy and grace—as epitomized by Jesus. 

I don’t know if that was the experience of Manitoba premier Wab Kinew. But it seems like it might have been from when he described the province’s approach to the drug crisis: “Old Testament for the drug dealers, New Testament for the drug users.” 

Unsurprisingly, some Jewish people took exception, even as they cut Kinew some slack for his penchant for shooting from the lip. That’s not how they view their scriptures—which they call the Tanakh—at all. 

Sure, there are commandments and laws in the Hebrew Bible, along with accounts of divine punishment. But those accounts are balanced by messages of God’s mercy and an enduring covenantal relationship—a relationship that is characterized by God’s forgiveness, patience and redemption. 

It all added up to an educational moment, as I noted in my recent Winnipeg Free Press column.

The Canadian census and religion; what does it mean to be religious today?

 
Did you get the long form of the census? If you did, then you are among the 25 per cent of Canadians who had a chance to answer this question about religion: “What is this person’s religion? Indicate a specific denomination or religion, even if this person is not currently a practising member of that group.” 

The second part of that question is problematic for The Centre for Inquiry, one of Canada’s leading Humanist groups. It thinks that second part of the question skews the answer, with the result that there is an overestimation of how many people in Canada are actually religious. 

For the Centre, it's about accuracy. If you aren’t actually practising a religion — if you aren’t attending a place of worship, for example, or donating to help others because of your faith or following religious tenets in other practical ways — can you really say you are religious? The Centre says no, and it wants the question rephrased to: “Are you currently a practising member of whatever you selected?” 

Do you agree? What makes someone religious? 

Read more about this in my recent Free Press column.

"Faith groups don’t have an option to sit this one out." Religion scholar weighs in on the role of religion and AI

The Pope weighed in on AI in his first encyclical on May 24. But before that, Anthropic, the creator of Claude AI, invited 15 Christian scholars and theologians to its headquarters in California to talk about faith and AI. One of those who was invited was Meghan Sullivan, a Roman Catholic who teaches philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. I spoke with her a week ago about that meeting. 

The main idea she and the others emphasized at the meeting was the same thing the Pope talked about: human dignity has to be the bedrock of AI, as it should be for any new technology.

 

“Christian teaching about human dignity is paramount” when it comes to AI, she said. “That’s what makes life unique. And it is never more relevant than right now . . . faith groups don’t have an option to sit this one out."

 

Read more about her thoughts about that meeting, and about faith and AI, in my recent column in the Free Press.

Photo above: Meghan Sullivan.

Your opportunity to support the new religion in the news partnership between Broadview and the Winnipeg Free Press

After 9/11, Muslims across North America faced suspicion, hatred and, in some cases, verbal and physical harassment. This included Winnipeg, where vandals smeared animal feces and eggs on the walls of the Muslim Islamic Centre. Local Muslims avoided leaving their homes to go to worship, for fear of facing anger and hostility. 

In response, Rabbi Neal Rose, a leader in the city’s interfaith movement, helped organize rallies outside of the local mosque on Fridays so Muslims could feel safe and secure inside. The message, he said, was: “We will not let anyone harm those people.” 

At that time, Rose dreamed of a day when people of faith in Winnipeg might regularly find ways to stand together to promote interfaith relations and understanding and dispel hate. That dream, he said, was never realized. 

I recently had a chance to connect with Rose. I told him I think his dream was, in fact, realized — but not in the way he imagined. Maybe it was being accomplished as Winnipeggers came together to support the Religion in the News Project. 

In so doing, they have not only made it possible to learn about other faiths, but also to put a human face on their interfaith neighbours and make it hard for hate to win. 

And now, with the new partnership with Broadview Magazine, you can get a tax receipt for donating to the Project during the spring Crowdfunder—and keep Rabbi Rose’s dream going. 

Read more about it here. 

Or go directly to the donation page to make your gift during this spring Crowdfunder. Thanks!

Winnipeg Anglican church that serves food to 300 people a week needs help to get a new roof

When word got out that St. Thomas Anglican Church in Winnipeg’s Weston-area needed money for a new roof, the first donation came from a man who depends on it each week for food. 

“It was some pocket change,” said Cassandra Golondrina, the deacon who leads the church. “It was like the widow’s mite in the Bible, small but so very significant.” 

It’s going to take a lot of pocket change to repair the roof of the church, which was built in 1906. In total, $50,000 is needed. 

The roof is failing, and there is a risk of long-term structural harm if it isn’t repaired—which might force the church to close. And that would be bad news for the more than 300 people in the lower-income neighbourhood who get a home-cooked meal from the church every week. 

About 60,000 meals have been prepared and served by volunteers who work out of the parish hall since the meal program began in 2019. 

Read my story about this remarkable church of 15-20 regular attenders in the Free Press.

You can donate online here.

Photo above: Deacon Cassandra Golondrina stands in the food pantry beneath a hole in the ceiling due to a leaky roof. 

Seniors and students grow vegetables and friendships using hydroponics

Seniors and high school students in North Kildonan are growing vegetables and community through a unique indoor gardening project. 

It began three years ago when Donwood Manor, which is owned by eight Mennonite Brethren churches in Winnipeg, purchased six three-tier indoor hydroponic gardens. 

Through the hydroponic gardening, seniors grow food like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and herbs year-round—and friendships students from a nearby high school. 

Read my story in the Winnipeg Free Press. 

Photo above: River East Collegiate students Jenna Martino, Dhyani Patel and Dyana Kehler and Donwood tenant Melba Doerksen with freshly harvested  produce from the hydroponic garden. Credit: Jennifer Kappy.

Community enrichment coordinator Minoli Maharage hands lettuce to Donwood tenant Adina Goertzen. 

Mennonite congregations in Canada, the U.S. reach across border to defy Trump's tariffs and talk of annexation or invasion

Mennonite churches in Manitoba and Ohio and Illinois are reaching across the border to build relations through a new program called Called Companion Congregations. 

It was created last year by Mennonite Church Manitoba when U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs against Canada — along with making threats about annexing or invading the country. 

“People in our congregations started talking about not going to the U.S. anymore,” said conference minister Michael Pahl of church events outside the country. 

Through the program, he hopes to create a practical way for churches to show that “the body of Christ transcends borders.” 

To date, four churches are participating: River East and Hope Mennonite in Winnipeg and First Mennonite in Bluffton, Ohio and Mennonite Church of Normal, Illinois.  

Read the article here in the Free Press.

Photo above: Keith Poysti and Don Loewen of River East show stained glass art they made to send to Bluffton Mennonite Church. 

 

Why are evangelicals and Roman Catholics so critical of Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act?

 

Why are Canadian evangelicals and Roman Catholics so critical of the government’s decision to remove the “good faith defence” from Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act? What do they want to preach and teach that might get their clergy into trouble if the Bill is passed into law with that provision removed? I asked the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops that question in order to find out. 

Click here to read their answers in my Free Press column. 

Image above from the Renew Church website. 

 

New horizon for me and for Winnipeg Free Press religion coverage: New partnership launched with Broadview Magazine

By: Paul Samyn

Posted: 12:00 PM CDT Friday, May. 1, 2026

In 2019, the Free Press launched our Religion in the News project on little more than a wing and a prayer. 

Seven years later, we can count more than 1,200 articles touching on all faiths as a testament to the value of that initiative — the only one of its kind among major Canadian daily newspapers. 

Today, I am pleased to announce a new chapter for this project that will broaden its reach and strengthen its journalism. 

As part of a new partnership, the Free Press will be working with Broadview, an independent Canadian magazine known for its award-winning coverage of progressive Christianity as well as its broader reporting on the diversity of religious and spiritual life. 

Broadview brings to our partnership an impressive track record since its founding in 1829, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in North America, and the second oldest in the English-speaking world. 

In its nearly 200-year history, Broadview has won international acclaim for journalistic excellence and garnered more editorial awards than any other faith-based publication in Canada.

By partnering with Broadview, donations to our Religion in News project will now be eligible for charitable tax receipts, a move that will help to ensure its long-term sustainability.

This new chapter will see Free Press editors work with the editorial team at Broadview on stories that will be published on both organizations’ platforms.

This new chapter will also see the addition of a new reporter as our longtime faith writer, John Longhurst, prepares to step down from the project he was instrumental in establishing.

Over the next few months, John will be working with Josiah Neufeld to guide him into the reporting role that has been key to the project’s success.

John’s body of work and passion for this project helped earn him the Order of Canada, an honour that speaks to his character and the importance of the work he has done for the Free Press.

In these increasingly polarized times, his reporting diversified our coverage and delivered a world of understanding.

I think Payam Towfigh, past-president of Manitoba Multifaith Council, may have said it best when he offered this perspective of the Religion in the News project: “Faith reporting by the Free Press helps create a space where the diversity of various faith-based communities can be showcased to create a just and caring society.”

I’m excited to welcome Broadview to the space we have created and to read what Josiah will bring to the project. 

And I am ever grateful for the faith readers put in the Free Press.

Paul Samyn is editor of the Free Press. Learn more about the Religion in the News project and make a tax-deductible donation here.

paul.samyn@freepres.mb.ca

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba through our Religion in the News project. This reporting continues because readers like you step forward to fund it.

Donate now to support our reporting on religion.
Your donation is eligible for a charitable tax receipt.BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER

Paul Samyn

Spiritual directors share: "It’s a ministry of listening.”

Does God feel far away? Does your spiritual life feel flat? Is your prayer life unsatisfying? Or maybe things are going well, but you just want to feel closer to God or the divine in your life. 

If that describes your situation, you might want to consider spiritual direction, where a trained guide can help you enter into a deeper relationship with God — however you describe God — in order to grow spiritually. 

I spoke with three spiritual directors from Manitoba recently. Read their thoughts about how spiritual direction can help you become more aware of God’s movement in your life, and how you can respond to the promptings of the spirit. 

Read their thoughts and reflections in my recent Free Press column.

Study that shows "quiet revival" among youth in the UK retracted; no evidence it is happening in Canada

There’s been lots of media attention recently about the idea of youth religious revival — that young people, especially those from Gen Z, are flocking to church. But is it true? 

A survey in the UK a year ago suggested it was. But then it was retracted when it was found to be untrustworthy and unreliable, due to poor polling methods. This was no surprise to many, who noted that anyone who visited a church on a Sunday morning could see for themselves the lack of youth in the pews. 

A recent study in Canada confirmed there is no evidence of youth revival here. There are anecdotal stories about some churches seeing an influx of youth, but there is no firm evidence to suggest a national youth revival in this country, either. 

To learn more about this situation, I contacted scholars who study religion for their thoughts. Read about it in my latest Free Press column. 

To read the full responses from the scholars, click here. (I never have enough room in a column to include everything they share with me!)

Photo above from the Daily Declaration, Australia's largest Christian news site.