Religious Freedom

7th Circuit: Indiana music teacher can take his case to a jury

Indiana music and orchestra teacher John Kluge is challenging the legality of Brownsburg Community School Corporation’s decision to revoke his religious accommodation over students’ pronoun usage. When the school district mandated that teachers call students by their preferred gender pronouns and names, Kluge requested a religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to call all his students by their last names only—like a coach—instead of referring to female students with male names and pronouns and vice versa. The school district granted Kluge’s request based on his religious beliefs, and Kluge successfully continued teaching under the religious accommodation for an entire school year. But in response to the grumblings of a few students and faculty, the school district revoked the religious accommodation and forced Kluge to resign, ending his teaching career.

Aug 06, 2025 18:56

ZENIT Staff

Cardinals and Bishops•Holy Land

Cardinal of Jerusalem Warns Against E-mail Fraud in His Name

In the past, the names of Bishops from Mexico, Argentina, Spain, and Italy have been used in such a fraud attempt. Added now with this case is one from the Middle East.

Aug 04, 2025 21:46

ZENIT Staff

Testimonies•Vatican Diplomacy

US Senate approves appointment of Catholic from same city as Pope Leo as new ambassador

Burch, co-founder of CatholicVote, brings to the post a profile that blends religious conviction, political activism, and family life

Aug 04, 2025 17:58

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Pro Life

Veterans Deserve Care and Support, not Abortion, say U.S. Bishops’ President and Pro-Life Chairman

In 2022, the VA and dependents’ civilian health benefits were changed to include abortion

Aug 04, 2025 17:51

ZENIT Staff

Jubilee 2025•Pope Leo XIV•Young People

The encounter with the risen Christ that changes existence and illuminates affections, desires, and thoughts: Leo XIV’s homily to young people

Homily of Pope Leo XIV to young people at the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth

Aug 03, 2025 00:18

ZENIT Staff

Jubilee 2025•Pope Leo XIV•Young People

Friendship, the call to goodness, and the ability to decide: 3 questions from young people answered by Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV’s dialogue with young people during the prayer vigil for the 2025 Youth Jubilee

Aug 03, 2025 00:12

ZENIT Staff

Good News•Holy Land

American Jewish association to fund repairs to Gaza’s only Catholic church

The aid will be distributed through the Archdiocese of New York and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association—longstanding partners in humanitarian relief

Aug 03, 2025 00:07

ZENIT Staff

Persecuted Christians

Bloodshed in a Sanctuary: Congo’s Christians Face Terror Again

This is not the first time the ADF has targeted Christians. The group, which originated in Uganda in the 1990s with the goal of imposing a radical Islamic state, has pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) since 2019

Aug 02, 2025 23:57

ZENIT Staff

Pro Life•Young People

New study published by AP shows that support for abortion has declined by 7 percentage points

The findings challenge prevailing narratives often echoed in mainstream media—that abortion restrictions are deeply unpopular and out of step with public sentiment. Instead, the data suggests a more complex, and now shifting, moral landscape.

Aug 02, 2025 23:54

ZENIT Staff

Rome

Complete list of winners of the first edition of the Catholic Music Awards

The event was supported by two dicasteries of the Holy See: the Dicastery for Communications and the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Aug 02, 2025 23:42

ZENIT Staff

Pope Leo XIV•Young People

What did Leo XIV do when he learned that the young Egyptian pilgrim had died? A touching gesture and words

Words of Pope Leo XIV to a group of young Catholics from Egypt following the death of one of their companions in the context of the Youth Jubilee

Aug 02, 2025 00:09

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion

The Arrest of Shaolin’s Abbot Shakes Up Government-Controlled Chinese Buddhism

Known as a womanizer and a billionaire, but also as a strong supporter of the CCP, Shi Yongxin’s wrongdoings eventually became too infamous to overlook.

Aug 01, 2025 01:47

ZENIT Staff