German priests loyal to the Pope respond to their own bishop (and cardinal), who is pressuring them to bless same-sex couples in a major diocese

Jul 24, 2026 19:21

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Cardinal Reinhard Marx Photo: Vatican Media

Local Church•Priests•Vocations

The number of priestly ordinations in Catholic Poland is plummeting: here are the figures for 2026

Poland welcomed 235 new priests in 2024 and 208 in 2025. While the downward trajectory is unmistakable, the broader context remains significant: Poland still produces more priestly vocations than any other European nation. By comparison, France recorded 90 priestly ordinations in 2025, while Germany had just 25

Jun 22, 2026 17:04

ZENIT Staff

Good News•Priests•Vocations

A predominantly Catholic community dedicated to the Latin Mass sets a record for priestly ordinations in a single year: more than in all of Germany

The figure is striking not merely because it sets a record for the fraternity itself, but because it equals the total number of diocesan priestly ordinations recorded throughout Germany in 2025

Jun 22, 2026 09:12

ZENIT Staff

Justice and Peace•Local Church•Priests•Protection of vulnerable people

U.S.: Sexual abuse of individuals under the pastoral care of a clergy member is classified as a specific crime in the Civil Penal Code

Signed by Brian Kemp on May 11, 2026, Senate Bill 542 creates a specific criminal offense for clergy who engage in sexual misconduct with individuals over whom they exercise pastoral, spiritual, or religious authority

Jun 20, 2026 10:16

ZENIT Staff

Pope Leo XIV•Priests

Pope Leo XIV writes to clergy around the world about holiness on the Feast of the Sacred Heart: the Pope’s letter that every priest should read

Letter from the Pope to all priests of the Catholic Church on the occasion of the Day for the Sanctification of Priests

Jun 12, 2026 23:34

ZENIT Staff

Priests•Testimonies

The World’s Oldest Priest Dies: Who Was He? How Old Was He? Where Did He Live?

Father Bruno Kant always carried his breviary, «his last and most precious memento.» He obtained his high school diploma in Danzig in 1934. He lost his father in the War, a painful thorn that haunted him for a long time: «I wanted to be a priest because I thought that, after all the disappointments I had experienced, perhaps I could improve the world a little.»

Jun 11, 2026 08:25

Rafael Llanes

How popular is Pope Leo XIV in the six countries with the largest Catholic populations in Latin America in 2026? Research findings are published

Leo XIV Wins Broad Latin American Support, but His First-Year Numbers Fall Short of Francis’ Debut

Another change (and not a minor one): Leo XIV completely replaces Pope Francis’s Vatican law

Leo XIV Rewrites the Vatican’s Constitutional Logic, Returning Papal Sovereignty to Its Legal Foundations

German priests loyal to the Pope respond to their own bishop (and cardinal), who is pressuring them to bless same-sex couples in a major diocese

Sexuality and Mental Health in Seminaries: What a Major U.S. Study on Psychology and Sex Reveals

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

A young Kenyan diocese faces a test of authority as its bishop suspends nearly one in six priests

Decline, Resurgence, and Breaking Stereotypes: The State of Vocations and Priestly Ordinations in France, Germany, and Italy

Are There False Accusations of Abuse Against Priests? An Italian Case Ends with the Accuser’s Conviction

The Vatican Rejects German Bishops’ Request to Allow Laypeople to Deliver Homilies: Here’s Why

The number of priestly ordinations in Catholic Poland is plummeting: here are the figures for 2026

A predominantly Catholic community dedicated to the Latin Mass sets a record for priestly ordinations in a single year: more than in all of Germany

U.S.: Sexual abuse of individuals under the pastoral care of a clergy member is classified as a specific crime in the Civil Penal Code

Pope Leo XIV writes to clergy around the world about holiness on the Feast of the Sacred Heart: the Pope’s letter that every priest should read

The World’s Oldest Priest Dies: Who Was He? How Old Was He? Where Did He Live?