Vatican City Extends St. Peter’s Basilica Opening Hours for Summer 2026 Amid Increased Visitor Influx

Jun 03, 2026 16:53

ZENIT Staff

Vatican City Photo: Basilica de San Pedro Web

Local Church•Protection of vulnerable people

U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection Releases Annual Report

This is the twenty-third such report since 2002 when the U.S. bishops established and adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive framework of procedures to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and establish protocols to protect children and young people.

May 27, 2026 17:54

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Protection of vulnerable people

German government recognizes the Catholic Church as a model in the fight against child sexual abuse

One of her strongest observations concerns the local level, where child protection often succeeds or fails. She suggested that some Catholic communities have developed prevention mechanisms that, in practice, exceed standards found in municipal structures

May 25, 2026 17:10

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Documents•Vatican City

Artificial Intelligence and the Catholic Church: 3 Questions for Discernment in a Speech by the Co-founder of Anthropic to Pope Leo XIV

Full text in Spanish of the speech by Christopher Olah, co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, to Pope Leo XIV on the encyclical Magnificas Humanitas

May 25, 2026 10:04

ZENIT Staff

Dicasteries

The Vatican publishes guidelines for the implementation of the Synod on Synodality, with a view to 2028

Four stages — Recollecting, Interpreting, Orienting, Celebrating — will accompany the local Churches, Episcopal Conferences, and continental groupings of Churches on the path leading to the Ecclesial Assembly to be held in the Vatican in October 2028. Two documents will be prepared at the conclusion of each assembly. A common question will guide the entire process.

May 23, 2026 10:14

ZENIT Staff

Controversies•Dicasteries

Vatican Publicly Warns: Lefebvrist Ordination of Bishops without Papal Mandate Implies Schism and Excommunication

According to a letter from St. John Paul II, the faithful who adhere to the schism also incur excommunication.

May 13, 2026 22:23

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Here’s what the second consistory of Leo XIV will look like: topics, schedule, and procedure. All the cardinals will be in Rome on the last weekend of June 2026

The format itself reveals much about the Pope’s approach. Participants will be divided into twenty working groups. Nine groups will consist primarily of diocesan cardinals, including papal nuncios and retired ordinaries, while eleven will bring together members of the Roman Curia and non-elector cardinals. Each group will be guided by a moderator and a secretary responsible for synthesizing the discussion into a final report

Authentic Peace And Perfect Joy, According to Leo XIV: The Pope’s Message That Every Young Person Should Read

Video message of the Holy Father on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the ‘Steubenville Summer Youth Conferences

Vatican City Extends St. Peter’s Basilica Opening Hours for Summer 2026 Amid Increased Visitor Influx

From Vatican Radio to Renewable Energy: Leo XIV Advances an Ambitious Plan for an Energy-Independent Vatican

Mexican, a woman, a layperson, and former president of EWTN: this is the woman Pope Leo XIV chose as the first prefect of the Dicastery for Communication

“The Lord never abandons us”: the Pope’s reflection at the close of the month dedicated to the Virgin Mary

Pope Leo XIV authorizes the beatification of one of Lebanon’s founding fathers (and 80 Spanish martyrs)

Leo XIV authorizes a diocesan bishop to remove the superior of a monastery

Some Reflections on the Life of the Church, Looking Ahead to the Coming Years (by Pope Leo XIV)

U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection Releases Annual Report

German government recognizes the Catholic Church as a model in the fight against child sexual abuse

Artificial Intelligence and the Catholic Church: 3 Questions for Discernment in a Speech by the Co-founder of Anthropic to Pope Leo XIV

The Vatican publishes guidelines for the implementation of the Synod on Synodality, with a view to 2028

Vatican Publicly Warns: Lefebvrist Ordination of Bishops without Papal Mandate Implies Schism and Excommunication