EU Court to Weigh Whether Baptismal Records Clash with Data Protection Laws

Jun 25, 2025 18:42

ZENIT Staff

illustrative image

Local Church•Religious Freedom

USA: Justice Department sides with Church in harassment over state violation of sacramental confession secrecy

According to the DOJ, the law does more than mandate reporting. It isolates clergy by denying them legal privileges afforded to other professionals, including attorneys and therapists, when it comes to confidential communications.

May 13, 2025 17:03

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Religious Freedom

USA: Supreme Court Hears Landmark Case on Religious Charter Schools

The case centers on St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, a proposed online institution backed by Oklahoma’s Catholic leadership and approved by the state’s Charter School Board last year. The school is designed to deliver a curriculum explicitly rooted in Catholic doctrine, with its mission unapologetically aligned with evangelization

May 02, 2025 13:54

Tim Daniels

Cardinals and Bishops•Local Church•Religious Freedom

Chinese Communist government takes advantage of Pope’s death to unilaterally impose new bishops

These appointments, proceeding so soon after the pope’s death, present an immediate and delicate test for the next pontiff. Will he continue Francis’s policy of cautious engagement with China, or draw a firmer line in defense of the Church’s independence? That decision could define the next chapter in Vatican-China relations.

May 01, 2025 13:31

ZENIT Staff

Holy Land•Persecuted Christians•Religious Freedom

Jewish persecution of Christians in the Holy Land on the rise, research reveals

In 2024, a total of 111 incidents targeting Christians were recorded, ranging from verbal harassment to physical assaults on clergy and vandalism of churches and holy sites. Thirty-five of these attacks were directed specifically at religious properties—sacred spaces turned into symbols of vulnerability

Apr 08, 2025 15:18

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Religious Freedom

French Laïcité vs. American Secularism

When Americans look at bans on religious clothing in France, they should remember the broader historical and social context, and that laïcité remains a decisively French answer to universal problems.

Mar 28, 2025 18:32

ZENIT Staff

From Africa to Spain via Monaco: this is Leo XIV’s global travel schedule for 2026

The schedule outlines three distinct journeys: a ten-day pilgrimage across four African nations, a one-day visit to Monaco, and a six-day trip to Spain that will culminate in the Canary Islands. Together, they form a carefully calibrated map of priorities that blends history, diplomacy, evangelization and social concern.

Did Pope Leo XIV speak out against the Spanish party Vox, which is aligned with the Trump administration?

The episode underscores how quickly nuanced papal language can be refracted through national political debates—and how carefully episcopal conferences now feel compelled to guard the boundary between pastoral guidance and partisan interpretation

EU Court to Weigh Whether Baptismal Records Clash with Data Protection Laws

Orthodox join Catholics in suing Democratic Party government in Washington for confessional secrecy

Amid Tight Restrictions, Nicaragua Allows Rare Clergy Ordinations in Managua

Catholic Church in USA to sue Democrat government to protect sacrament of confession in all cases

Faith at Work: Accenture Leads the Charge as Corporate America Redefines Religious Inclusion

United Kingdom joins countries attacking full sacramental stealth

Nigeria, Congo and Mozambique: deadliest countries for any Christian according to new research

USA: Justice Department sides with Church in harassment over state violation of sacramental confession secrecy

USA: Supreme Court Hears Landmark Case on Religious Charter Schools

Chinese Communist government takes advantage of Pope’s death to unilaterally impose new bishops

Jewish persecution of Christians in the Holy Land on the rise, research reveals

French Laïcité vs. American Secularism