Good News•Local Church

The Cross Atop the Jesus Christ Tower of the Basilica of the Holy Family, which the Pope will Inaugurate in Barcelona, ​​Is Now Visible

The church’s Construction Board is gradually removing the scaffolding, and the 17-meter cross is now visible.

Mar 13, 2026 18:47

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Persecuted Christians

Nicaraguan dictatorship bans priestly and diaconal ordinations in four dioceses across the country

For a Church already weakened by years of repression, the measure appears designed not merely to punish current leadership but to obstruct the formation of the next generation of clergy.

Mar 13, 2026 13:31

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion

Pew Research Center: Why Buddhism is in decline in East Asia

A new report looks at the reasons for the decline based on qualitative interviews in Tokyo and Seoul. In addition to demographic decline, the erosion of faith between generations, the “pressures of modern life”, the decline in religious practices, and negative views of religion have also played a role. However, many claim to maintain a cultural connection with Buddhism and still feel drawn to its teachings.

Mar 13, 2026 13:16

ZENIT Staff

Rome

The Global Alliance is launched: an international platform for research and action on integral ecology, spearheaded by the Catholic Church

The initiative, led by the Laudato Si’ Higher Education Center and the University of Notre Dame, brought together scholars from a wide range of disciplines with the goal of strengthening cooperation among universities worldwide, and directing scientific research toward concrete processes of environmental, social, and economic transformation; in line with the vision of the care for our common home advanced in the teachings of Pope Francis and promoted by Pope Leo XIV

Mar 13, 2026 13:03

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion

China: Xi Jinping Walks Into Your Home—and Tells You to Have Babies

The General Secretary rings your bell—and delivers a simple message: giving birth is not optional.

Mar 13, 2026 12:54

ZENIT Staff

Documents

A Final Theological Testament: Unpublished Benedict XVI Letter Reflects on Prayer, the Eucharist, and the Uncertain Future of Faith

The text appears in “La fede del futuro” (“The Faith of the Future”), the fourth installment in a collection of lesser-known and unpublished writings by Joseph Ratzinger. The book, published by the Italian house Edizioni Cantagalli, gathers texts that span different moments of the German theologian’s career but also includes material composed during his retirement in the Vatican after his historic resignation from the papacy in 2013.

Mar 12, 2026 21:52

ZENIT Staff

Pope Leo XIV•Rome•Vocations

Pope Leo XIV assumes his role as Bishop of Rome for the second time and will ordain new priests for his diocese

The authorization, granted on March 7, clears the way for the ordination of eight future priests and seven permanent deacons who have completed the required stages of formation and examination under the diocesan commissions responsible for evaluating candidates for sacred orders

Mar 12, 2026 21:35

ZENIT Staff

Cardinals and Bishops•Dicasteries

Another (important) change by Leo XIV in the Roman Curia: this is the Pope’s new almoner (and prefect of the Dicastery for Charity)

The decision, announced March 12, also brings a major change for the outgoing almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. After more than a decade directing the Pope’s charitable initiatives from Rome, the Polish cardinal has been appointed metropolitan archbishop of Łódź, returning to the diocese where he began his priestly formation

Mar 12, 2026 21:23

ZENIT Staff

Holy Land•Persecuted Christians•Testimonies

This was the funeral of the Lebanese Catholic priest who died in Israeli army bombings

On March 10, the Maronite Catholic community buried Father Pierre El Raii, the parish priest of St. George Church in Qlayaa, who died a day earlier after being wounded during an Israeli artillery strike while attempting to assist injured parishioners

Mar 12, 2026 21:09

ZENIT Staff

Cardinals and Bishops•Pope Leo XIV•Vatican Diplomacy

Cardinal of Iran arrives at the Vatican and meets with Pope Leo XIV after the bombing of the country and days without news of him

The Vatican has also recalled the Holy See’s diplomatic representative in Iran, the Indian priest Sebastian Febin, who had been serving as chargé d’affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in the absence of a nuncio

Mar 12, 2026 20:14

ZENIT Staff

Good News•Testimonies

The testimony of faith of Christian cricket champion Sanju Samson

In the final of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India beat New Zealand. Indian player Sanju Samson attributed his success to God. A key athlete and the player of the match, the Kerala wicket-keeper-batter was seen praying on his knees. Simple gestures can have profound meaning for the country’s Christian minority.

Mar 12, 2026 19:35

ZENIT Staff

Good News•Local Church

Catholic Church in Singapore to Receive Largest Number of New Catholics at Easter 2026: Here Are the Numbers

On the weekend of February 21 and 22, some 978 catechumens and 155 candidates participated in the Rite of Election and Call to Ongoing Conversion in English at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Highland Road and the Church of Christ the King in Ang Mo Kio.

Mar 12, 2026 07:04

ZENIT Staff