Prague Blocks Vatican Pact: Confession Secrecy and Church Archives at the Heart of Constitutional Clash

Apr 02, 2026 21:34

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz

Good News•Local Church

More than 8,000 people will formally convert to Catholicism this Easter 2026 in the Diocese of Los Angeles alone

In 2023, LA welcomed 3,462 catechumens and candidates — both children and adults who had never been baptized, plus those who had been baptized but had never completed the other sacraments — into the Church at Easter. Then in 2024, there were 3,596. In 2025, a significant bump of a combined 5,587 entered.

Mar 28, 2026 21:00

ZENIT Staff

Causes of Saints•Local Church

Cardinal Tagle to preside over the beatification of Fulton J. Sheen: here is the date and location

A lecturer and brilliant speaker, he also hosted the weekly television series «Life is Worth Living,» which reached approximately 30 million viewers and earned him two Emmy Awards. From 1961 to 1967, he hosted «The Fulton Sheen Show.»

Mar 28, 2026 20:13

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Local Church•Religious Freedom

This is what the 2026 Annual Report on Religious Freedom in Latin America states

The comprehensive assessment of how freedom of religion is threatened in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and by organized crime, omits the stigmatization of “cults” in democratic countries.

Mar 27, 2026 10:30

ZENIT Staff

Local Church

Bishops speak out on tensions between Colombia and Ecuador over the trade war and its impact on border communities

The bishops’ intervention reflects mounting concern that what began as a policy dispute over security cooperation has evolved into a multidimensional crisis—economic, diplomatic, and increasingly social

Mar 26, 2026 19:22

Enrique Villegas

Local Church

Two out of three Catholics who have not gone to confession wish to receive the sacrament of confession by 2026

Among those who do confess regularly, 83% say their primary motivation is to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. Even among those absent from the confessional for over a year, 75% cite that same reason as what would draw them back.

Mar 26, 2026 18:19

ZENIT Staff

Under the agreement with China, Leo XIV appoints a new bishop

Chang Yanfeng, 42, was ordained bishop today under the Sino-Holy See agreement to a diocese that has been without its own pastor for 20 years. Just three weeks ago, the new prelate had to publicly commit the local Church to a controversial law designed to eliminate minorities.

Leo XIV encourages religious to view community life as a source of inspiration and sanctification

Message from Leo XIV to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men’s Religious Orders in the United States

Prague Blocks Vatican Pact: Confession Secrecy and Church Archives at the Heart of Constitutional Clash

German bishops push their progressive agenda in Rome: an audience with Pope Leo XIV and the presentation of a synodal project to the Curia

Oldest Benedictine Abbey in the West Approaches Landmark 1500th Anniversary

UK: Bishop Hendricks urges responsible use of artificial intelligence

What’s Driving the Rise in Catholic Conversions Across the US?

Holy Land: Cardinal Pizzaballa Says Palm Sunday Mass Ban in Jerusalem Was a Misunderstanding

France is set to break conversion records this Easter: here are the numbers, the reasons, and the origins

More than 8,000 people will formally convert to Catholicism this Easter 2026 in the Diocese of Los Angeles alone

Cardinal Tagle to preside over the beatification of Fulton J. Sheen: here is the date and location

This is what the 2026 Annual Report on Religious Freedom in Latin America states

Bishops speak out on tensions between Colombia and Ecuador over the trade war and its impact on border communities

Two out of three Catholics who have not gone to confession wish to receive the sacrament of confession by 2026