The number of students studying theology in Germany plummets: only Cardinal Woelki’s Cologne diocese sees growth

Feb 14, 2026 12:02

In the span of just six years, the number of students enrolled in full-cycle Catholic theology programs has nearly halved Photo: InfoCatólica

Pope Francis•Vatican City

Epstein’s documents, Pope Francis, and what they say about the Vatican

Taken together, the correspondence portrays the Vatican as more than a spiritual authority in the eyes of Epstein and his associates. It appears as a pressure point in global politics: influential in debates over migration, environmental stewardship, populism and relations with China

Feb 13, 2026 17:01

ZENIT Staff

Persecuted Christians

Mass Abductions, Empty Villages and a New U.S. Military Footprint in Nigeria

Nigeria’s security emergency is often described in abstract terms: insurgency, extremism, instability. In Kadarko, it is experienced as a village 98 percent deserted and a list of names that grows longer with each passing week

Feb 13, 2026 16:43

ZENIT Staff

Pope Leo XIV

The leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the largest church in communion with Rome, is received by the Pope

One of the most concrete moments of the audience came when the archbishop presented updated lists of prisoners of war and missing persons. These names, he explained, were gathered directly from families—an act that transforms abstract geopolitics into a ledger of human anguish

Feb 13, 2026 16:32

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Persecuted Christians

The persecution continues: more than 50 people kidnapped in Christian districts of Nigeria

The attacks have not spared religious leaders. In Kajuru Local Government Area, gunmen stormed the residence of Father Nathaniel Asuwaye, parish priest of Holy Trinity Church in Karku, during the night between Friday and Saturday, February 6. According to the Archdiocese of Kafanchan, which confirmed the incident, the raid left three people dead and ended with the priest taken captive alongside 10 others

Feb 12, 2026 17:54

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Pro Life

The most important Catholic university in the United States openly challenges Pope Leo XIV and the Church

At the center of the storm is the appointment of political scientist Susan Ostermann—an outspoken advocate of abortion rights—as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, a key unit within the Keough School of Global Affairs

Feb 12, 2026 17:37

Tim Daniels

Trump responds to Pope Leo XIV: I don’t want a ceasefire

Donald Trump has publicly dismissed the very idea of a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict involving Iran. Questioned about the Pope’s earlier call—issued on 15 March—for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a reopening of dialogue, the U.S. president was blunt: “We can talk, but I don’t want a ceasefire.”

The account of the resurrection of Lazarus and the symptom of a longing for the infinite, as reflected upon by Leo XIV

Address on the occasion of the Angelus prayer on Sunday, March 22, 2026

The number of students studying theology in Germany plummets: only Cardinal Woelki’s Cologne diocese sees growth

The Lefebvrians’ meeting with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, as told by themselves

Cuban bishops cancel special visit to the Pope: there is no gasoline in the country, not even for airplanes

Pope Leo XIV Suppresses Body Created by Pope Francis: The Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day

The deputy director of the Vatican Press Office resigns. Pope Leo XIV appoints a Croatian nun as her replacement

Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion. This is what Pope Leo XIV’s first message for Lent 2026 says

Milei formally invites the Pope to visit Argentina: he sends his foreign minister to the Vatican to deliver a letter by hand to Leo XIV

Epstein’s documents, Pope Francis, and what they say about the Vatican

Mass Abductions, Empty Villages and a New U.S. Military Footprint in Nigeria

The leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the largest church in communion with Rome, is received by the Pope

The persecution continues: more than 50 people kidnapped in Christian districts of Nigeria

The most important Catholic university in the United States openly challenges Pope Leo XIV and the Church