Holy Land•Local Church

Is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed? The Catholic Church in the Holy Land issues a statement in response to rumors on social media

Statement from the Custody of the Holy Land regarding the closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Mar 22, 2026 18:37

ZENIT Staff

Justice and Peace•Pope Leo XIV•Vatican Diplomacy

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.”

Mar 22, 2026 18:28

ZENIT Staff

Local Church

Catholic bishops in the U.S. call for “rejecting anti-Semitism and the lies and conspiracy theories that fuel it”

The archbishop’s remarks address a distortion with deep historical roots: the notion of collective Jewish responsibility for the death of Jesus. Drawing on authoritative Church teaching, including the Catechism of the Council of Trent, he underscores that such an interpretation is not only inaccurate but theologically untenable

Mar 22, 2026 18:21

ZENIT Staff

Angelus•Pope Leo XIV

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

Mar 22, 2026 18:05

ZENIT Staff

Rome

The King of Spain is invested with his title at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major

The title Felipe VI assumed is not a mere honorary distinction, but a unique ecclesiastical privilege reserved exclusively for the Spanish head of state

Mar 20, 2026 17:37

ZENIT Staff

Cardinals and Bishops•Local Church

Amazon Synodality Enters a New Phase: Cardinal Steiner Elected to Lead CEAMA Through 2030

Steiner’s election must be read against this institutional backdrop. According to CEAMA, his leadership is expected to “strengthen the path of a Church with an Amazonian face,” a phrase that has become shorthand for a model of inculturation that goes beyond symbolic gestures. In practical terms, this includes promoting indigenous leadership within ecclesial structures

Mar 20, 2026 17:10

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Holy Land•Justice and Peace•Pope Leo XIV•Vatican Diplomacy

A Church Against the Logic of War: Vatican Voices, Middle East Realities, and the Risk of a Vanishing Christianity

Parolin, speaking on the sidelines of a book presentation dedicated to Pope Leo XIV, framed the current moment as one of dangerous escalation. His message was directed not only at Washington but also at Israel: conflicts must be resolved through diplomacy, not force

Mar 20, 2026 17:03

ZENIT Staff

Interview•Testimonies

Some Priests Need Therapy, and This Is Not a Sign of Weak Faith or Lack of Prayer, Says Father Mariusz Marszalek

A Pallottine priest in the Polish Province of Częstochowa, Mariusz Marszalek is also a Doctor of Canon Law, a psychotherapist, and coordinator of the Apostolate of Divine Mercy. He has extensive experience in accompanying priests.

Mar 19, 2026 10:57

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Vocations

The Land of a Thousand Islands, 150,000 Catholics, and… 44 Seminarians!

The Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña believed he had found the source of King Solomon’s «Gold of Ophir» in the Islands he discovered, and so he named them the Solomon Islands.

Mar 19, 2026 10:41

ZENIT Staff

General Audience•Pope Leo XIV

What does it mean that the Church is a priestly and prophetic people? Pope Leo XIV explains it

General Audience with the Pope, March 18, 2026, on the Church as a priestly and prophetic people

Mar 19, 2026 10:32

ZENIT Staff

Pro Life

Late-night vote in the British Parliament gives the green light to abortion even at 9 months

At the heart of the debate lies a profound shift in legal framing. Under current law, abortion in England and Wales is regulated within a defined gestational limit—generally 24 weeks—with specific conditions. Clause 208 does not formally legalize late-term abortion as a clinical practice, but it removes criminal liability for women who terminate their own pregnancies outside that framework

Mar 19, 2026 10:24

ZENIT Staff

Persecuted Christians

34 anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe in February 2026 alone

A notable development in February 2026 was again the high number of arson-related attacks targeting churches and Christian sites, with eleven incidents recorded during the reporting period

Mar 19, 2026 10:14

ZENIT Staff