Covadonga Asturias, Author at ZENIT

Articles By Covadonga Asturias

Assisted suicide increases by 30% in Spain: the drift toward which other countries are heading

Newly released official figures show that 426 people ended their lives through state-approved assisted suicide or euthanasia in 2021 — a 27.54% increase over 2023, when 334 deaths were recorded

Jan 28, 2026 17:37

Covadonga Asturias

Good News•Local Church

100,000 euros in two weeks: How Spain came together to heat its monasteries

Last winter, DeClausura raised €68,400, enabling support for 64 contemplative communities, with an average of €1,070 per monastery. This time, surpassing €100,000 in record time reflects not only donor generosity but also heightened public awareness—an awareness sparked in large part by recent media coverage

Jan 25, 2026 13:07

Covadonga Asturias

Local Church

Church containing relic of the crown of thorns desecrated and Eucharist stolen. What will the Church do?

The setting of the latest profanation adds further gravity. The monastery of La Santa Espina is known for safeguarding a revered relic traditionally identified as one thorn from the crown placed on Jesus during his Passion

Dec 30, 2025 17:17

Covadonga Asturias

Analysis Opinion•Local Church

The return of confession: a sacrament regaining its place. What a French study says

The confessional, long considered a casualty of modernity, may thus be reemerging as a defining space for a Church that has learned to live as a minority—smaller, more urban, and more intentional than before

Dec 12, 2025 19:33

Covadonga Asturias

Dicasteries•Local Church

Vatican ends decades of speculation: alleged apparitions of Jesus in Dozulé declared “not of supernatural origin”

The decision, approved by Pope Leo XIV on November 3 and communicated to Bishop Jacques Habert of Bayeux-Lisieux on November 12, 2025, represents the culmination of a long process of discernment that began decades ago

Nov 13, 2025 13:46

Covadonga Asturias

Local Church•Religious Freedom

Spain’s anti-clerical government presents winning project to redefine the Valley of the Fallen from the left

For the anticlerical government of Pedro Sánchez, the “resignification” project is framed as an act of democratic renewal, a way of transforming a space long associated with Francoist triumphalism into one of inclusivity and plural memory. For critics, it represents a politically motivated desecration—a rewriting of history at the expense of faith, art, and cultural continuity

Nov 12, 2025 13:31

Covadonga Asturias

Local Church•Virgin Mary

Church proposes to French government recognition of candlelight procession as intangible cultural heritage of the country

The application, filed with the Ministry of Culture on September 26, represents more than a bureaucratic gesture. It is a declaration that what began with the humble act of Bernadette Soubirous carrying a single candle has blossomed into a kaleidoscopic

Oct 01, 2025 16:52

Covadonga Asturias

In what sense is the Bible the Word of God in human words? Pope Leo XIV responds

Pope’s general audience, February 4, 2026, on “Sacred Scripture: God’s Word in human words”

Leo XIV Prepares for a 2026 of Key Trips: Peru and Africa on the Horizon. Here Is All That Is Known

Peru will not be the only significant stop. The Vatican is also working on what will be Leo XIV’s first African visit as Pope. Although there is still no official schedule, two countries have already publicly confirmed their inclusion: Angola and Equatorial Guinea.