Why didn’t the Pope pray in a Turkish mosque?

Rome and the Church in the United States

ZENIT Staff

The canard about the bishops’ alleged disunity and fractiousness is typically accompanied by other fairy tales

What you should know about Pope Leo XIV’s letter on Christian archaeology

Jorge Enrique Mújica

The letter repeatedly emphasizes archaeology’s capacity to inspire hope. Modern technologies capable of recovering microscopic details or reconstructing damaged inscriptions remind scholars that even the most neglected materials can reveal unexpected depths

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris surpasses the Louvre Museum in visitor numbers: here are the figures

ZENIT Staff

Notre Dame is once again the beating heart of the city.

This is how the Venezuelan dictatorship revoked the cardinal’s passport and prevented him from leaving the country

Enrique Villegas

For now, Cardinal Porras remains in Caracas, deprived of his documents and unable to fulfill obligations abroad

The Pope’s advice to European parliamentarians on the art of debate (and on religious freedom and dialogue between faith and reason)

ZENIT Staff

Address by the Pope during the audience with members of the European Parliament from the European Conservatives and Reformists group

What is death? A short but profound catechesis by Pope Leo XIV

ZENIT Staff

Pope’s general audience, December 10, 2025, on how Christ’s Resurrection sheds light on the mystery of death

The Gospel According to the Elves: Quebec Secularism Law Targets Even Baby Jesus

ZENIT Staff

Quebec’s new “Secularism 2.0” law is less about neutrality than about neutering religion, reducing faith to folklore while policing prayer out of public life.

China’s Reported Marriage Surge: A Turning Point or a Mirage of Reform?

ZENIT Staff

To address a significant demographic issue, the authorities promote marriage and report an improvement. It may not be real.

100 children kidnapped from Catholic school in Nigeria are freed… hostages remain

ZENIT Staff

For the families of Papiri, the road to recovery is only beginning. Children who escaped or were freed have returned home carrying deep emotional scars, and educators warn that repeated attacks are discouraging school attendance across entire regions

Why didn’t the Pope pray in a Turkish mosque? Trump, Ukraine, and Pope Leo XIV’s next residence

Valentina di Giorgio

Questions from the press inevitably turned to his recent visit to Turkey, and specifically to the now-viral discussion about whether he prayed during his stop at Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Juanito.ai Takes a Bold Leap: From Guadalupan AI to Platform for Catholic Formation

Jorge Enrique Mújica

What distinguishes this new stage is its pedagogical vocation. Juanito.ai presents itself as an ally for those who dedicate their lives to educating and accompanying others: teachers, catechists, pastoral agents, and evangelizers.

Japanese court reaffirms natural marriage, creating new tensions in Japan’s LGBT debate

ZENIT Staff

Presiding judge Ayumi Higashi argued that the current statutory language, which describes marriage as the mutual consent of “both sexes,” cannot be stretched to include same-sex couples without legislative intervention

In defense of the Virgin Mary? International Marian Association against document by Cardinal Fernández and Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Jorge Enrique Mújica

At the center of the dispute is Mater Populi Fidelis, the note released by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) in early November under the signature of Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández

Polish bishops speak out against attacks on the legacy and figure of Saint John Paul II

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Scrutiny of John Paul II has become increasingly visible in digital spaces, where detractors highlight his conservative positions on moral issues

For the third time and in the midst of war, the president of Ukraine meets with Pope Leo XIV

Valentina di Giorgio

Zelenskyy highlighted this dimension after the meeting, thanking the Pope for his continued prayers and for the Holy See’s assistance. He confirmed that the Vatican remains involved in efforts to reunite abducted children with their families and added that he had invited the Pope to visit Ukraine

A Tested Church in a Tense Land: Beijing’s Recognition of a Detained Bishop Rekindles Debate Over the Vatican–China Deal

ZENIT Staff

Whether the events of December ultimately strengthen trust or deepen mistrust within China’s Catholic circles will depend on what follows: the transparency of authorities regarding Bishop Zhang’s status

Here’s what you need to know about the new “Google of the Vatican”: the Pontifical Yearbook Online blessed by Pope Leo XIV

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Beyond the technical details lies a more consequential development: a Church of more than a billion people now has immediate access to its own structural map, updated continually and accessible from virtually any corner of the world