Three Areas Where the Fire of Pastoral Ministry Can Be Rekindled, According to Pope Leo XIV

Feb 19, 2026 22:17

ZENIT Staff

Pope Leo XIV met with the clergy of the Diocese of Rome in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall Photo: Vatican Media

religious freedom is not only holding steady but growing.

Vatican Diplomacy

Vatican says no to Trump and declines to join the “Board of Peace”

In declining to join the Board of Peace while reaffirming the centrality of the United Nations, the Vatican signals a preference for established multilateral frameworks over newly configured coalitions. Whether that strategy will prove effective in a world where consensus is increasingly elusive remains an open question

Feb 17, 2026 17:51

Valentina di Giorgio

Gender Ideology

The progressive Anglican Church decides not to bless same-sex couples (for now)

«Bishop» of London Sarah Mullally told the Synod, as reported by The Telegraph, that the Living in Love and Faith process has wounded both individuals and the institution itself. The debates, she said, have touched core theological convictions and the Church’s sense of identity

Feb 17, 2026 17:45

Elizabeth Owens

Marriage and Family

Chinese government announces ban on online and AI content that discourages marriage or having children

By including “fear of marriage” and “childbirth anxiety” among prohibited themes, the latest campaign highlights how demographic policy has migrated into the realm of content control

Feb 17, 2026 17:05

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Pro Life

Notre Dame “Catholic” University against (at least) nine American bishops (including the president of the Episcopal Conference)

As the most prominent Catholic university in the United States, its decisions reverberate nationally and internationally. When bishops speak in unusually unified tones — at least nine within days — the signal is unmistakable: they perceive not a routine hiring matter, but a test of identity

Feb 17, 2026 16:43

ZENIT Staff

Justice and Peace•Religious Freedom

USA: Judge orders that migrants detained by ICE be allowed to receive ashes on Wednesday, 2026

He has ordered both sides to confer not only about Ash Wednesday but also about ongoing ministry at Broadview, including whether clergy may pray inside and outside the facility and interact directly with detainees

Feb 17, 2026 16:34

ZENIT Staff

Amid the polarization between Trump and Leo XIV, U.S. police respond to a bomb threat at the home of the Pope’s brother

Police in New Lenox, a suburban community outside Chicago, responded on the evening of April 15 at approximately 6:30 p.m. to reports of a bomb threat at the home of John Prevost, one of the Pope’s two older brothers

Leo XIV on TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people

Pope Benedict XVI appeared three times, while Francis was featured on six occasions, reflecting different phases in the Church’s engagement with global issues

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Three Areas Where the Fire of Pastoral Ministry Can Be Rekindled, According to Pope Leo XIV

Catholic Church in the US publishes its 2026 annual report on religious freedom in the country

Bishops Representing Latin America, Canada, and United States Gather to Pray, Discuss, and Reaffirm Their Unity as One Church

Exile as Policy: Nicaragua Expels Another Priest as Pressure on the Catholic Church Intensifies

Israel unprecedented expropriation of Palestinian land

Puerto Rico’s pro-life governor redefines the concept of “human being” in criminal law, opening a new phase in the abortion debate

Pope Leo XIV to Equatorial Guinea: video captures the Holy Father’s travel coordinator visiting the country ahead of a papal trip

Vatican says no to Trump and declines to join the “Board of Peace”

The progressive Anglican Church decides not to bless same-sex couples (for now)

Chinese government announces ban on online and AI content that discourages marriage or having children

Notre Dame “Catholic” University against (at least) nine American bishops (including the president of the Episcopal Conference)

USA: Judge orders that migrants detained by ICE be allowed to receive ashes on Wednesday, 2026