This Is How Pope Leo XIV Reaffirms the Role of the Seminary in the Process of Priestly Formation and Urges That It Not Be Underestimated

Sep 06, 2026 08:54

ZENIT Staff

The audience took place in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace Photo: Vatican Media

Local Church•Priests•Vocations

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

Rather than a single narrative of inevitable decline or universal revival, today’s Catholic Church presents a far more complex landscape—one in which signs of renewal and symptoms of crisis coexist, often separated by little more than a national border

Jul 07, 2026 15:55

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Priests•Protection of vulnerable people

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

The public restoration of honor for two priests, as often happens, has received far less coverage than the initial accusation and the blow to their reputations when the lawsuit was filed.

Jun 30, 2026 15:52

Rafael Llanes

Dicasteries•Liturgy and Divine Worship•Local Church•Priests

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

Response from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to a request for an indulgence to allow a lay faithful to deliver the homily during Mass

Jun 23, 2026 16:20

ZENIT Staff

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

Controversy Over Disagreements Between France and the Vatican Regarding the Pope’s Trip? The Trip Macron Wanted and the One Leo XIV Decided On

Macron had requested a private moment with Leo XIV inside the cathedral so that he could personally show him the reconstruction undertaken after the 2019 fire. The request was transmitted through diplomatic channels and the answer from the Holy See was no

Good social relations, the common good, and three matters of the utmost urgency, according to Leo XIV

Pope’s General Audience, September 16, 2026, on the Human Community

This Is How Pope Leo XIV Reaffirms the Role of the Seminary in the Process of Priestly Formation and Urges That It Not Be Underestimated

Vatican official stresses the importance of rest as part of mental health in the life of a priest

Loneliness or falling in love? Why does a priest leave the ministry?

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