Lourdes Shrine: Lefebvrist priests are prohibited from celebrating Mass there

A “synodality” that fails to convince: the best-articulated doubts of bishops and cardinals who are speaking out and appealing to Pope Leo XIV

Jorge Enrique Mújica

If questions concerning priestly ordination, the female diaconate, sexual morality or the nature of authority are repeatedly presented as matters awaiting discernment, some Catholics may reasonably conclude that fundamental teaching is itself awaiting a vote.

How Many Catholics Support the Death Penalty? U.S. Study Releases Findings

ZENIT Staff

A new Pew Research Center survey found that 65% of U.S. Catholics favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, including 28% who say they support it strongly. Yet the position articulated repeatedly by Pope Leo XIV points in the opposite direction

Italian Episcopal Newspaper Calls for the Nobel Peace Prize to Be Awarded to the Children Killed in Gaza

Valentina di Giorgio

The proposal was prompted by a stark figure: 300 children and adolescents reportedly killed during the 300 days following the ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025 — effectively one child a day during a period that was supposed to mark an end to the violence.

U.S. Bishops’ Initiative to Inform Communities on the Danger of Abortion Pills Includes Prayer, Education, and Advocacy

ZENIT Staff

In addition to invoking the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life, participants can learn about the danger of abortion pills

Missionary and Missioned Partner: The Remarkable Brazilian Case of Two Martyrs on the Path to the Altars

Rafael Manuel Tovar

Their beatification process began in 2016. The diocesan phase opened in January 2018. Vatican authorities issued their first positive decision regarding the beatification in late 2025.

Israel Turns Archaeology into a Tool for Annexation: How It Seized the Site Linked to the Tomb of John the Baptist

ZENIT Staff

In the West Bank, archaeology is used as a weapon of conquest; in Sebastia, a site linked to John the Baptist, Israel has moved to seize control of it. The same strategy was applied in the City of David. Science is being used for propaganda purposes, while the Palestinian Authority remains bankrupt.

Catholic baptisms in Ireland drop 30pc in ten years

ZENIT Staff

Decline driven by falling births and secularisation

What should the music be like during Mass (or in the liturgy in general)? Leo XIV provides the answer

ZENIT Staff

Pope’s General Audience, August 19, 2026, on Sacred Music

Catholic President of Chile Will Not Support Pro-Life Bill Requiring Women to Hear Baby’s Heartbeat Before Undergoing An Abortion

Rafael Manuel Tovar

The «Listen to Its Heart» bill was an initiative of the party to which President José Kast belongs. However, in an interview on August 10, he stated that while it is a legitimate parliamentary motion, he had pledged during his campaign to focus his administration on security and the economy, rather than pushing measures that generate «tension in certain aspects of social life.»

Cameroon Announces the Closure of 1,400 Revivalist Churches

ZENIT Staff

A Pentecostal woman killed her daughter. A minister used the tragedy as a pretext to crack down on local Pentecostals.

Lourdes Shrine: Lefebvrist priests are prohibited from celebrating Mass there

Covadonga Asturias

Lourdes Draws a New Line With the Society of St. Pius X as Pope Leo XIV’s Visit Nears

Rome Reaffirms Catholic Teaching on Sex Education as Hamburg Parents Demand a Diocesan U-Turn

Joachin Meisner Hertz

The Vatican has now intervened with a clarification that will be closely watched by Catholic educators and parents elsewhere in Germany. Responding to concerns raised by parents over the Archdiocese of Hamburg’s framework for sex education, the Dicastery for Culture and Education reaffirmed that the Church’s established position remains that set out in its 2019 document «Male and Female He Created Them.»