The Assumption of the Virgin (and What It Has to Do with Us), Explained by Pope Leo XIV

Aug 15, 2026 22:43

Pope Leo XIV celebrated one of the great Marian solemnities at the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanueva (Castel Gandolfo) Photo: Vatican Media

Controversies

Appointment of an Alleged Freemason to the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences Sparks Controversy

The Holy See announced on August 13 that Leo XIV had appointed Longo, director of the Italian Historical Institute for the Middle Ages and a professor of medieval history at Sapienza University of Rome, alongside Francesco Cesareo, emeritus president of Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Anna Barańska, an associate professor at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin.

Aug 14, 2026 12:45

Valentina di Giorgio

Analysis Opinion

America’s Confidence Crisis Reaches the Pews: Why Trust in Churches Continues to Erode

New findings from Gallup’s 2026 annual survey reveal that only 33% of Americans express either “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in organized religion or the Church

Aug 13, 2026 11:41

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Holy Land•Persecuted Christians•Religious Freedom

Israel Declares the Only Entirely Christian City in the Holy Land a “Closed Military Zone”

For Taybeh’s Christian community, protection will be measured not by the announcement but by whether armed settlers are actually prevented from entering private property, damaging farmland and intimidating residents

Aug 13, 2026 10:36

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Pope Leo XIV

A Song for the Pope, a Collection for the Nation: Argentina Mobilizes for Leo XIV’s Historic Visit

With less than three months remaining before the Pope’s arrival, the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA) has launched two nationwide initiatives that reveal how seriously the local Church views this moment. One seeks financial support to organize the visit. The other seeks an official hymn

Aug 12, 2026 11:45

Enrique Villegas

Analysis Opinion•Gender Ideology

Do Laws Restricting Gender Transition Increase Youth Suicide? A New Scientific Challenge to a Widely Repeated Narrative

At the center of the controversy is a 2024 study published in Nature Human Behaviour, which attracted international attention after concluding that certain laws described as “anti-transgender” were associated with increased suicide attempts among young people identifying as transgender

Aug 12, 2026 11:19

ZENIT Staff

Leo XIV is discharged from the hospital, but will the Pope be able to visit Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru? The doctor who operated on him answers

Margaritora estimated that Leo XIV would need approximately another ten days to achieve a full physical recovery. In his assessment, a journey involving long flights and extensive travel, scheduled roughly three weeks after the interview, remained medically feasible

Pope Leo XIV Leaves the Hospital: What Kind of Patient Was He? The Doctor Reveals All. Here’s How the Pope’s Discharge Went After a 4-Day Hospital Stay

The Pope left the Gemelli Hospital at approximately 3:30 p.m., greeted by applause from patients, hospital visitors, faithful and members of the media who had gathered to wish him well

The Assumption of the Virgin (and What It Has to Do with Us), Explained by Pope Leo XIV

Church Denies Funerals to Masons: What Happened in Italy and the Explanation

For the first time, a Jewish woman will serve as president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America

Leo XIV presents the Mass as the primary school of liturgical formation and calls on priests to remain faithful to approved texts

U.S.: Bishop of San Antonio Announces the Laying Off of a Former Priest Found Guilty of Crimes Against the Faith

Bishop Who Disappeared Under the Nicaraguan Dictatorship Reappears on Camera, but Questions Mount

Peruvian government declares the Pope’s visit a “matter of national interest” and prepares for gatherings of up to 1 million people

Appointment of an Alleged Freemason to the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences Sparks Controversy

America’s Confidence Crisis Reaches the Pews: Why Trust in Churches Continues to Erode

Israel Declares the Only Entirely Christian City in the Holy Land a “Closed Military Zone”

A Song for the Pope, a Collection for the Nation: Argentina Mobilizes for Leo XIV’s Historic Visit

Do Laws Restricting Gender Transition Increase Youth Suicide? A New Scientific Challenge to a Widely Repeated Narrative