A new Swiss law requires priests and monks to perform military service based on the premise that, in modern society, the clergy is no longer essential

Jul 17, 2026 15:38

priests, monks and members of religious orders are no longer automatically exempt from Switzerland's compulsory military service Photo: Wikimedia Commons user TheBernFiles. - Own photograph. Shot at the Army Days 2006 (Heerestage 2006) in Thun.

Analysis Opinion•Religious Freedom

China planning algorithm to control religions vs Magnifica Humanitas

While Leo XIV raises the question of freedom in the age of data science, China’s National Religious Affairs Administration publishes an article about a new computing centre at Southeast University tasked with using generative artificial intelligence to uncover (and ban) any ideas that diverge from what the Party wants religions to say.

Jun 20, 2026 09:33

ZENIT Staff

Religious Freedom

Diocese, pregnancy center ask appeals court to protect right to hire consistent with faith

An Illinois law forces religious organizations to hire employees who violate their religious beliefs on reproductive issues like abortion.

Jun 19, 2026 10:55

ZENIT Staff

Religious Freedom

NC school district pays $95K after censoring student’s Charlie Kirk tribute

A family is suing the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education for censoring the speech of their high school daughter who painted a rock on school grounds with the words “Freedom 1776” and “Live Like Kirk—John 11:25” after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Jun 19, 2026 10:52

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Persecuted Christians•Religious Freedom

Attacks by Jews against Christians in the Holy Land could exceed those of 2025, according to a new 2026 report

According to the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, 155 incidents targeting Christians were documented in Israel during 2025. These included 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks against Church property, 28 cases of harassment and 14 acts of vandalism against Christian signs and symbols.

Jun 15, 2026 17:05

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Persecuted Christians•Religious Freedom

FIFA World Cup: 14 of the competing nations are marked by religious persecution or discrimination

As 48 countries prepare to battle for the World Cup, religious freedom remains an elusive goal for one in every three nations competing.

Jun 15, 2026 15:33

ZENIT Staff

Pope Leo XIV personally ordered his Dicastery for Communication to stop using works by the former Jesuit Rupnik, according to the bishop of Lourdes

The Vatican quietly removed the images in June, a decision that initially came without an official explanation. Micas’s account now provides an explanation for that change and portrays Leo as having taken a deliberate position on an issue that had become increasingly difficult for the Church to treat simply as a question of artistic preference

Leo XIV Reforms the Code of Canon Law: Synods May Remove the Patriarch or Major Archbishop in Eastern Catholic Churches

The reform, contained in the apostolic letter issued on August 29 under the title Mutua Concordia, changes canons 106 and 126 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. It took effect immediately

A new Swiss law requires priests and monks to perform military service based on the premise that, in modern society, the clergy is no longer essential

Arkansas Surges to the Top of America’s Religious Liberty Ranking as States Compete to Strengthen Legal Protections

Little Sisters of the Poor Return to Court in Long-Running Religious Freedom Battle Over Contraception Mandate

The United States Intervenes Following the Arrest of a Catholic Bishop by the Nicaraguan Dictatorship

Arizona Legislature Rejects Bill That Would Have Forced Catholic Priests to Break the Seal of Confession

The Business of Blasphemy: Accusations for Profit in Pakistan

Canada: Parliament Makes It a Crime to Speak Publicly About What the Bible Says Regarding Homosexuality

China planning algorithm to control religions vs Magnifica Humanitas

Diocese, pregnancy center ask appeals court to protect right to hire consistent with faith

NC school district pays $95K after censoring student’s Charlie Kirk tribute

Attacks by Jews against Christians in the Holy Land could exceed those of 2025, according to a new 2026 report

FIFA World Cup: 14 of the competing nations are marked by religious persecution or discrimination