Venezuela's Maduro takes new oath amid protests and international rebuke

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a new term on Friday, extending his increasingly repressive rule in the face of renewed protests and rebukes from the United States and others who believe he stole last year's vote.

Venezuela’s legislative palace, where he was sworn in and delivered a fiery speech, was heavily guarded by security forces who have become Maduro's main hold on power since last summer's disputed election. Crowds of people, many sporting pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in adjacent streets and a nearby plaza.

Maduro, likening himself to a biblical David fighting Goliath, accused his opponents and their supporters in the U.S. of trying to turn his inauguration into a “world war.” He said his enemies' failure to block his inauguration to a third six-year term was “a great victory" for Venezuela's peace and national sovereignty.

“I have not been made president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America,” he said, after being draped with a sash in the red, yellow and blue of Venezuela’s flag. “I come from the people, I am of the people, and my power emanates from history and from the people. And to the people, I owe my whole life, body and soul.”

The backslapping among government insiders in downtown Caracas on Friday contrasted sharply with the hundreds of Venezuelans who took to the streets Thursday to protest Maduro’s power grab.

The protest took place in relative calm but after it ended, aides to the popular former lawmaker María Corina Machado — the driving force behind what’s left of Venezuela’s beleaguered opposition — said she was briefly detained by security forces. Machado, whom the government has barred from running for office, emerged from months of hiding Thursday to join rally against Maduro.

On Friday, she posted a video online in which she described the confusing incident. She said national guardsmen fired shots on her convoy, then dragged her off a motorcycle from behind and said they were taking her to prison. She said her motorcycle driver was shot in the leg.

But on the way to the military prison, the guards changed their minds and instead forced her to record a proof-of-life video denying her detention, she said.

Maduro’s supporters accused the opposition faction of spreading fake news to generate an international crisis. It pointed to the 20-second video it released on Thursday — in which Machado says she simply dropped her purse as she was being chased — as evidence that she was not detained.

“Today Maduro didn’t put the sash on his chest. He put a shackle on his ankle, which will tighten every day,” Machado said on Friday.

Maduro didn't mention Machado in his inaugural speech.

State TV said 10 heads of state attended. But far more governments around the world have rejected his victory claims, pointing to credible evidence validated by election observers that his previously unknown opponent, Edmundo González, won by a more than two-to-one margin.

To underscore Maduro's growing isolation, the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and European Union announced a coordinated round of new sanctions Friday on more than 20 officials, accusing them of gutting Venezuela's democracy. They include the loyalist Supreme Court justices, electoral authorities, the head of Venezuela's state oil company and cabinet ministers.

The Biden administration, citing Venezuela's "severe humanitarian emergency," also extended for 18 months a special permission allowing 600,000 Venezuelan migrants to stay in the U.S. It also upped to $25 million a reward for the arrest of Maduro and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S., and placed a new bounty of $15 million on Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.

In a video recorded from the Dominican Republic and released on social media, González thanked Venezuela’s “democratic friends” for their support, citing the latest sanctions.

“He’s crowned himself a dictator," González said of Maduro. "The people don’t support him, nor does any government that can call itself democratic.”

González said he will return to Venezuela once it is safe.

Maduro's 2018 reelection was widely rejected as a sham after authorities banned key opponents from running. And Venezuela's opposition faction accuse him of outright ballot fraud last year.

Their proof: tally sheets collected from 85% of electronic voting machines showing that González won by a landslide. Experts from the United Nations and the Atlanta-based Carter Center, whom Maduro invited to observe the election, said the voting records posted online by the opposition look legitimate.

Nevertheless, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner hours after polls closed on July 28 but, unlike in previous presidential contests, they did not provide detailed vote counts.

Global condemnation over the lack of transparency prompted Maduro to ask the country’s high court — which like every other institution in Venezuela is packed with loyalists — to audit the results. As expected, the court reaffirmed Maduro’s victory.

The dispute over the results sparked nationwide protests. The government responded with full force, arresting more than 2,000 demonstrators and encouraging Venezuelans to report anyone they suspect to be a ruling-party adversary. More than 20 people were killed during the unrest. Dozens of foreigners — including as many as 10 Americans — were also rounded up.

Outside Friday's inauguration ceremony, Maduro's supporters were overjoyed. One of them was Maricarmen Ruiz, 18, who couldn’t hold back her tears.

“I don’t have words to express my emotion, I’m happy,” she said, expressing relief that González wasn’t “imposed” instead as president.

Among those seen attending Maduro's inauguration were Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega and Cuba's Miguel Diaz-Canel. But several Maduro allies stayed home, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who cited the recent arrest of another longtime Venezuelan opposition member and a human rights defender as his reason for missing the event.

González, who left for exile in Spain in September, had pledged to defy an arrest order and return to Venezuela by Friday to take the oath of office himself. Doing so seemed impossible after Maduro ordered a 72-hour closure of Venezuela's air space and its border with Colombia. Machado, in her message Friday, said in light of Maduro's “coup” it was not advisable for him to return just now.

On Tuesday, González said his son-in-law had been kidnapped in Caracas by masked gunmen while taking his young children to school. González’s daughter, Mariana González de Tudares, in a statement accused the government of ordering her husband’s disappearance.

“At what point did being related to Edmundo González Urrutia become a crime?” she said.

Goodman reported from Miami. Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda contributed to this report.

An opponent of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hangs up an image of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado outside the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico City, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2024, a day before Maduro's inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Government supporters listen to President Nicolas Maduro speaking on his inauguration day for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Military and government supporters wave from the roof of the presidential guard headquarters as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks at the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, on his inauguration day for a third term. The banner shows Maduro's predecessor, the late President Hugo Chavez. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro talks to high-ranking officers during a military ceremony on his inauguration day for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel waves after the swearing-in ceremony of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Russia's Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, left, and Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez walk together after attending the swearing-in ceremony of President Nicolas Maduro for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega gestures to government supporters after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reviews the honor guard after being sworn in for a third term as government supporters gather outside the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores stand at the National Assembly after his swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro waves next to his wife Cilia Flores, after Maduro's swearing-in ceremony for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures to government supporters before entering a vehicle after his inauguration for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Government supporters gather outside the National Assembly during the swearing-in ceremony for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Government supporters and military guard listen to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speak after his swearing-in ceremony for a third term as they watch a live video of him on a screen outside the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrive at the National Assembly for his swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who has been recognized by several governments including the U.S. as Venezuela's president-elect, waves a Venezuelan flag during a meeting with supporters in Panama City, Jan. 8, 2025, two days ahead of Maduro's inauguration ceremony where he will be sworn in for a third term. (AP Photo/Agustin Herrera)

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro participate in a protest the day before his inauguration for a third term, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro participate in a protest the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro protest the day before his inauguration for a third term, at Simón Bolivar Plaza in Guatemala City, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, wearing a helmet, sits on the back of a motorcycle as she is driven away after addressing people at a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, the day before his inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hold a banner that reads in Spanish: "Venezuela, you're not alone" at Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, the day before Maduro's inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Government-backed militias march in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, the day before President Nicolas Maduro's inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrive at the National Assembly for his swear-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A pro-government supporter dressed as Super Mustache, a character depicting President Nicolas Maduro as a superhero, partakes in a rally at Miraflores Palace, days ahead of Maduro's presidential inauguration for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the National Assembly for his swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A campaign banner of President Nicolas Maduro adorns a building in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, center, his wife Cilia Flores, left, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez arrive at the National Assembly for Maduro's swearing-in ceremony for a third term in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV lifted a wooden cross and held it aloft from his waist at the start of the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on his first Good Friday as pontiff, marking the first time in decades that a pope has set out to carry the cross to every station.

“I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents, a spiritual leader in the world today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ still suffers,” Leo told reporters this week outside of the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo. “I carry all of this suffering in my prayer.”

Inside the Colosseum, Leo began the procession flanked by two young people holding torches, and followed by clergy.

At the first station, marking the moment Jesus was condemned to death, the meditation prepared especially for Leo's first Good Friday underlined that those with authority will have to answer to God for how they exercise their power.

"The power to judge; the power to start or end a war; the power to instill violence or peace; the power to fuel the desire for revenge, or for reconciliation,'' read the meditation written by Rev. Francesco Patton, who was custodian of the Holy Land 2016-25, charged, among other things, with looking after sacred sites.

Thousands gathered outside the pagan monument, where the procession continued, following the stations as they were recited over loud speakers.

They included Sister Pelenatita Kieoma Finau from Samoa and a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary.

"We have been part of our parish stations of the cross, but this is so exciting. It is very meaningful to have the experience of being with the people of Rome on this special occasion,'' she said.

John Paul II carried the cross for the entire procession from his first Good Friday as pontiff in 1979 until his hip surgery in 1995, when he carried it just part of the way, according to AP reports at the time.

For the first two years of his papacy, Benedict XVI carried the cross for the first station inside the Colosseum, then followed other bearers in the procession that ends on a platform on the Palatine Hill.

Pope Francis never carried the cross, but participated in the procession until his health worsened. He died after a long illness last year on Easter Monday, which fell on April 21.

Pope John Paul II was just 58 when he became pope, and was known as a hiker and outdoorsman. His two successors were in their late 70s when they began their papacies, and Francis was missing part of a lung due to a pulmonary infection as a young man.

The Way of the Cross commemorates the final hours of Jesus’ life, from his death sentence to taking up the cross to his crucifixion, death and burial. The procession ends outside the Colosseum atop the Palatine Hill.

“The Way of the Cross is not intended for those who lead a pristinely pious or abstractly recollected life,” Patton wrote in his introduction. “Instead, it is the exercise of one who knows that faith, hope and charity must be incarnated in the real world.”

At 70, Leo is physically fit and an avid tennis player and swimmer. Before becoming pope, Leo would work out regularly at a gym near the Vatican, with a plan befitting a man in his early 50s, according to his former trainer.

On Holy Saturday, the pontiff will preside over a late night Easter vigil, during which he will baptize new Catholics, and lead Roman Catholics into Christianity’s most joyous celebration marking Christ’s resurrection.

On Easter Sunday, the pope will celebrate an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before delivering his Easter message and offer the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the city of Rome and the world.

——

Barry reported from Milan.

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Faithful attend the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession led by Pope Leo XIV at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV attends the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Catholic Good Friday, Friday, April 3, 2026 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Leo XIV attends the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Catholic Good Friday, Friday, April 3, 2026 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)