ZENIT Staff, Author at ZENIT - English

Articles By ZENIT Staff

Cautious Hope Emerges Among Christians in Syria Amid Transition

Although ACN’s research indicates no evidence of systemic persecution against Christians, occasional reports of discrimination and religiously motivated aggression persist. These incidents serve as reminders of the precarious position of Syria’s Christian minority, even as the broader situation improves.

Dec 16, 2024 17:38

ZENIT Staff

Ecumenism•Pope Francis

Pope Francis Emphasizes Unity and Shared Mission During Meeting with Methodists

Pope to World Methodist Council delegation

Dec 16, 2024 17:36

ZENIT Staff

Pope Francis

Pope Francis in Ajaccio: A Meeting Between Spirituality and Dialogue in the Heart of The Mediterranean

The visit ended with a meeting between Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron, marking a gesture of mutual respect between the Church and State. Before his departure, the Holy Father signed the Book of Honour of Ajaccio’s Municipal Council, leaving a message of peace and hope for the Corsican community.

Dec 15, 2024 06:56

ZENIT Staff

Pope Francis•Rome

The Pope’s Global Prayer Network has a new director: this is what the network looks like and does

An important part of the work of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is the Pope’s Video, an innovative communication project launched in 2016. These videos, which feature the Holy Father himself, highlight a prayer intention every month. It is officially translated into 23 languages and adapted into at least 20 more, with a reach of over 22 million people globally.

Dec 13, 2024 13:54

ZENIT Staff

Good News•Testimonies•Vocations

The Papal Foundation Awards $800,000 in Scholarships to 110 Priests, Brothers, Sisters, and Lay Faithful

Since its founding, the program has provided nearly $14 million in scholarships to more than 1700 individuals, known as Saeman Scholars, to advance their education and prepare them to return home and serve in leadership positions in their own countries.

Dec 13, 2024 13:52

ZENIT Staff

Holy Land•Justice and Peace•Religious Freedom

Israel frees two young Christian women arbitrarily detained by Jewish regime

Administrative detention, a practice widely criticized by human rights organizations, allows imprisonment without trial or charges, often for indefinite periods. Advocates argue it infringes on fundamental rights and disproportionately affects Palestinians.

Dec 13, 2024 13:50

ZENIT Staff

Liturgy and Divine Worship

Questions about liturgy: Combining Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology and director of the Sacerdos Institute at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.

Dec 12, 2024 17:31

ZENIT Staff

Cardinals and Bishops

New digital resource revolutionizes understanding of Church leadership ahead of eventual Conclave

The initiative responds to the evolving dynamics within the Sacred College under Pope Francis. Many newly appointed cardinals hail from “peripheral” regions and are less familiar to their peers. With fewer regular consistories and limited opportunities for in-person meetings, the cardinals often lack comprehensive insights into each other’s backgrounds and perspectives

Dec 12, 2024 17:20

ZENIT Staff

Holy Land•Pope Francis•Vatican Diplomacy

A Historic Icon and a Call for Peace: Pope Francis Meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

According to a statement from the Vatican Press Office, the dialogue emphasized the urgency of a ceasefire and the liberation of hostages in Gaza. Both parties reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and stressed the necessity of dialogue and diplomacy to achieve a two-state solution

Dec 12, 2024 17:15

ZENIT Staff

Local Church•Pope Francis•Vocations

See Vocation as a Pilgrimage: Pope’s Address to Spanish Seminarians

Meeting of the Pope with the community of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Santiago de Compostela, Tui-Vigo and Mondoñedo-Ferrol

Dec 12, 2024 06:58

ZENIT Staff

Pope Francis•Virgin Mary

The Pope, the Virgin of Guadalupe and the Ideologies that Have Instrumentalized Her

Words of the Pope at the mass on the occasion of the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe

Dec 12, 2024 06:54

ZENIT Staff

Vatican City

Mary Magdalene in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Last Judgment fresco identified

Penco’s findings, which she plans to elaborate on in her forthcoming book, Mary Magdalene in Michelangelo’s Judgement, suggest that the artist’s depiction was a deliberate homage to the disciple’s spiritual significance. By placing her in such proximity to Christ, Michelangelo might have intended to elevate her role within the fresco’s narrative of redemption and salvation.

Dec 11, 2024 19:22

ZENIT Staff

Pope’s article in The New York Times: There Is Faith in Humor

“Generally, we priests tend to enjoy humor and even have a fair stock of jokes and amusing stories, which we are often quite good at telling, as well as being the object of them”, writes the Pope in the best-known newspaper in the United States

the Vatican formally launches his cause for beatification and canonization

The process of beatification of King Baudouin of Belgium officially begins: Vatican and Pope give their approval

In a statement released by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, it was confirmed that the process officially began on December 17, 2024, with the establishment of a historical commission. This panel, comprising leading experts in Belgian history and archival research, is tasked with gathering and evaluating documentation related to King Baudouin’s life and deeds.