On friendship in a letter to Egyptian Copts: this is what the Pope of Rome says to the Pope of Egypt

May 15, 2026 12:02

ZENIT Staff

Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the Coptic Patriarch, Tawadros II Photo: Vatican Media

Holy Land•Justice and Peace

Prison sentence for two Israeli soldiers who desecrated an image of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon

On Monday, May 11, the Israeli army announced disciplinary measures against the soldiers involved. According to military authorities, the soldier who staged the act received a sentence of 21 days in military prison, while the soldier who photographed the incident was sentenced to 14 days.

May 13, 2026 22:20

ZENIT Staff

General Audience•Pope Leo XIV•Virgin Mary

What does it mean that Mary is a model of the Church? Leo XIV’s response

General Audience with the Pope, May 13, 2026, on Mary, Model of the Church

May 13, 2026 22:06

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Church and World•Young People

The Bible and Young People: 7 Striking Findings from New Global Research

For churches often tempted to discouragement, that may be one of the most important findings of all

May 13, 2026 21:57

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Analysis Opinion•Islam•Local Church•Young People

Vienna’s Silent Transformation: Nearly 50% of students in schools are already Muslim. Only 17% are Catholic

Perhaps no recent controversy symbolizes Vienna’s cultural unease more clearly than the city government’s decision earlier this year not to erect a statue honoring Polish King John III Sobieski. Sobieski led the Christian coalition that defeated Ottoman forces outside Vienna on September 12, 1683, in one of the decisive battles of European history

May 13, 2026 21:43

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Local Church•Persecuted Christians

Over 100 dead, 98,000 displaced, 217 churches destroyed in the diocese of Wukari

After destroying houses, churches, and other buildings, the attackers often illegally occupy the land of the displaced residents. The herding raids exacerbate the centuries-old land conflict between the Tiv and the Jukun.

May 12, 2026 18:15

ZENIT Staff

Leo XIV Returns to Peru: Government to Invest $18 Million

The government authorized the transfer of the funds to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize the Pope’s visit from November 11 to 16, according to a supreme decree published in the country’s official gazette on September 5.

The Pope’s visit to France has also sparked a surge in donations and sales of books by Leo XIV

The pattern of giving has been particularly striking. The average donation has been around €200—approximately twice the average single donation in France in 2024—and some contributions have exceeded €10,000.

On friendship in a letter to Egyptian Copts: this is what the Pope of Rome says to the Pope of Egypt

Spanish prisoners will receive Bibles as gifts on the occasion of the Pope’s visit to Spain

The UEFA Soccer League Referee Who Is Also a Theologian

France and England: Two Pro-Life Victories in the Face of the Culture of Discard (Assisted Death and Euthanasia)

Vatican Clarifies Iran Ambassador Controversy: Routine Diplomatic Honor Miscast as Political Endorsement

Neither the Sum of What We Have, Nor Algorithms, Nor Matter Assembled at Random: What Are We? Two Questions Posed in Pope Leo XIV’s Address to University Students

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

Prison sentence for two Israeli soldiers who desecrated an image of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon

What does it mean that Mary is a model of the Church? Leo XIV’s response

The Bible and Young People: 7 Striking Findings from New Global Research

Vienna’s Silent Transformation: Nearly 50% of students in schools are already Muslim. Only 17% are Catholic

Over 100 dead, 98,000 displaced, 217 churches destroyed in the diocese of Wukari