UK government launches £92m Places of Worship Renewal Fund

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

ZENIT Staff

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

The Israeli invasion of Palestine: governments, churches, and humanitarian groups are sounding the alarm

ZENIT Staff

In a rare and strongly worded joint declaration, the governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and the Netherlands warned that recent developments in the West Bank threaten both stability and the long-standing framework of a negotiated two-state solution.

UK government launches £92m Places of Worship Renewal Fund

ZENIT Staff

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund was announced in January 2026 and is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and delivered by Historic England.

Southern Lebanon: Stories of Occupation

ZENIT Staff

In the 600 square kilometers occupied by Israel in the south of the country, there are 68 villages under military control and more than 200,000 displaced people. The war has caused almost three thousand deaths. The Maronite Bishops urge Lebanon to be sovereign and neutral, while the population only asks to live with dignity. The testimony of Friar Toufic Bou Mehri, Franciscan parish priest.

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

Joachin Meisner Hertz

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

Italian Car Company Presents Ferrari Luce to Pope Leo XIV and Gifts Him the Steering Wheel

ZENIT Staff

John Elkann donated the car’s steering wheel to the Pope

Freemasonry Behind the Campaign Against Pope Leo XIV’s Visit to Spain

ZENIT Staff

In Barcelona, a coalition of secularist organizations has launched a campaign under the slogan “I Do Not Wait for You,” calling for a boycott of the Pope’s visit

Everything You Need to Know About Mel Gibson’s Film «The Resurrection»: Release Date, Budget, Cast…

Rafael Llanes

The budget is US$250 million. The first images from the set have been released on social media.

Beautiful Stories of Priestly Longevity! These Are the Greatest Priests in the World

ZENIT Staff

The faithful often find in certain priests a wisdom that is difficult to replace. Decades of spiritual accompaniment, shared sufferings, and human experience allow them to speak serenely about faith, pain, death, and hope.

Africa is Catholicism’s future, but Pentecostal churches are growing faster

Conservative Christians love this painting of George Washington. The event it depicts may not have happened
NPR: A 1975 oil painting by Arnold Friberg of George Washington praying is on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.

 

Africa is Catholicism’s future, but Pentecostal churches are growing faster*
The Washington Post: The growth of Christianity in Africa has turned the continent into a denominational battleground. Pope Leo’s visit to Angola came as his church confronts a rising challenge.

 

A seminary where queer students belong*
Insider Higher Ed: Union Theological Seminary offers an affirming faith community while challenging exclusionary narratives about LGBTQ+ identity.

 

Inside the unlikely Vatican-Anthropic relationship that's reshaping the AI ethics debate
Religion News Service: Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on AI was released Monday (May 25), with Chris Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, at his side.

 

Religious leaders, lawmakers push for $1 billion to secure houses of worship
NPR: At a recent Shabbat service in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Rabbi Jen Lader shared plans to lobby Congress to pour more funding into a federal program that strengthens security at houses of worship.

Amani Interest List Now Open

 

U.S. bishops praise Leo’s encyclical on AI

Vice President Vance calls Magnifica Humanitas ‘profound’ “The thing about morality is that the principles never change, but the way you apply those principles does, because the world changes, right?” Vance told NBC News. U.S. bishops praise Leo’s encyclical on AI, echo concern for human dignity, common good Bishops encouraged “people of goodwill” to reflect and apply the teachings. Anthropic co-founder points to 3 ethical challenges of AI at Magnifica Humanitas presentation Christopher Olah singled out the duty to the global poor, rediscovering and rethinking what it means to flourish as a human being and the need for discernment on the part of AI model developers. Society of St. Pius X names priests to be consecrated bishops July 1 The SSPX named four priests to be consecrated as bishops without papal permission — despite a warning from the Vatican that the “schismatic” consecrations would incur excommunication.

St. Philip Neri, the ‘Apostle of Rome,’ is an example of Christian charity and zeal Deep in the catacombs, St. Philip Neri had his spiritual epiphany on the eve of Pentecost in 1544. Today, May 26, is his feast day.

15 quotes from Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas

Polish initiative aims to ensure every euro reaches Lebanese families in need Lebanon in Need combines European financial regulation with Church and humanitarian expertise on the ground, seeking to ensure that aid reaches Lebanese families quickly, transparently, and credibly. When to say ‘no’ to AI in the classroom and at home: A key warning of Magnifica Humanitas Pope Leo XIV issues a broad call to rethink what it means to educate people in the use of artificial intelligence and its implications, especially for young people. Start here: 15 quotes from Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas Pope Leo XIV just released his first encyclical — and it may be the most important Church document of our lifetime. Pope Leo unveils his encyclical: AI has ‘even greater consequences’ than Industrial Revolution The pope thanked Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah for his presence at the presentation: “What a great sign of hope it is that with our differences we can listen to one another.”

Tolkien, Beethoven, MLK Jr., and Hannah Arendt: The voices that resonate in Magnifica Humanitas In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV draws on a broad range of cultural and philosophical figures for inspiration.

As Stephen Colbert signs off, America loses a prophet

Pope Leo takes aim at big tech in sweeping encyclical on AI
NPR: Pope Leo XIV took direct aim at the power of Big Tech in his first encyclical on Monday (May 25), warning that artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, weakening democracy and undermining what it means to be human.
Axios: 5 ways Pope Leo says AI could warp humanity
Religion News Service: What is an encyclical? Inside Pope Leo’s urgent warning about AI and the ‘culture of power’

 

As seminaries shuttered, Union grew. For Serene Jones, controversy was the price of survival.
Religion News Service: Jones is stepping down as president of Union Theological Seminary after 18 years. Her tenure has been defined by difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions that helped stabilize the institution even as mainline Protestantism declines.

 

As Stephen Colbert signs off, America loses a prophet
Religion News Service: Comedians are doing some of the most serious moral work in America right now.

 

Another Pope Leo warned about modernization — in 1891*
The Washington Post: For Pope Leo XIV, AI poses great challenges for society. For Pope Leo XIII, it was the Industrial Revolution. Here’s a comparison of two encyclicals — 135 years apart — addressing technological upheaval.

 

Years of ignored warnings freed a children’s pastor to sexually abuse girls, lawsuit says
NBC News: Long before an Assemblies of God pastor was convicted of rape, children told church leaders about hidden cameras, drugged drinks and abuse, a new lawsuit says.

Queering southern hospitality

 

A priest whose life has been shaped by suicide offers a book to help others Q&A WITH RHONDA MAWHOOD LEE We are not OK. Does it help to start saying so? BY ALETA PAYNE

How some churches offer professional counseling to congregants, letting overextended pastors focus on spiritual guidance BY MELISSA KUIPERS

How to preach the good news when you are suffering BY LYDIA SHIU

‘Embodied Reconciliation: Congregational Healing as Pastoral Care’

By Leanna K. Fuller

In this excerpt, a scholar asks, What are the tasks of pastoral care and leadership in the wake of conflict or tension within a community of faith?

How can the Black church combat the erasure of Black history?

By Kenneth Young

The current threats to Black historical memory should serve as a call for Christian leaders to preserve, celebrate and commemorate Black history, says a pastor of a historic church.

Queering southern hospitality

By Claire Brown

How churches practice welcome in the rural South.

Why religious leaders need to understand agentic AI

By Heidi A. Campbell

To ignore or remain silent about the agentic revolution is to forfeit the ability to shape and speak into the moral framework of a world already being reshaped by agentic intelligence, writes a scholar.

Why are Christian congregations important today?

By Alaina Kleinbeck and David L. Odom

The Forum for Congregational Life will work to facilitate learning among all types of congregations in ways that strengthen and support them.

Beyond church walls, common threads catalyze communities

By Edie Gross

Faith & Leadership checks in with three previously featured projects about their continued learning and growth over recent years.

6 easy activities to help children understand Memorial Day

Magnifica Humanitas: Pope invokes justice to combat ‘anti-human vision’ in AI Published Monday, the pope’s new encyclical warns of a “culture of power” fueled by the digital revolution and artificial intelligence. 6 easy activities to help children understand Memorial Day As Americans remember those who have given their lives in defense of their country, here are some ideas to help children remember the meaning of the day. National Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicks off in St. Augustine, Florida, on Pentecost The pilgrimage, whose 2026 theme is “One Nation Under God,” will travel the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route from Florida up the eastern seaboard before concluding July 5 in Philadelphia. Leo XIV at Pentecost: The Spirit overcomes war with the omnipotence of love The pontiff prayed that the Holy Spirit would save humanity from war, misery, and sin.

EWTN News explains: Why do popes issue papal documents and what are they? Encyclicals, motu proprios, apostolic constitutions, and exhortations — here is a guide to some of the types of documents the pope uses to lead the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas: A Summary in English

 

Trump, the Pope, and the First «TikTok War»

Pope Leo XIV and the Need to Guide the Use of Digital Technology and AI Toward Human Dignity and the Mission of Evangelization

ZENIT Staff

The Pope’s Address to Participants in the International Conference “Safeguarding Human Voices and Faces”

Pope Leo XIV will visit Uruguay, according to statements from the Uruguayan government: here’s what we know

Enrique Villegas

Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that preparations are underway, while the country’s bishops have stated that progress toward the visit is advancing «with hope» and that there is a high probability of the Pope’s arrival

Barcelona: Sagrada Familia Presents Plans for the Inaugural Ceremony of the Tower of Jesus Christ by Leo XIV. The Atheist President of Spain Will Attend the Mass.

ZENIT Staff

The Basilica of the Sagrada Familia [Holy Family] has donated 4,200 tickets, which will be distributed to the public through parishes. Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain, the President of the Spanish Government, and the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia have confirmed their attendance.

Trump, the Pope, and the First «TikTok War»

Simone Varisco

«The first ‘TikTok War’ and the first internationally significant conflict in which we can observe an innovative application of artificial intelligence, particularly in its generative form,» explains Rassa Ghaffari, a researcher in Sociology, Migration Studies, and Gender Studies at the University of Genoa. «Generative AI has, in fact, ushered in new forms of information warfare that target perceptions, information environments, and trust.»

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

ZENIT Staff

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.

Questions about liturgy: Use of the Papal Ferula

Fr. Edward McNamara

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

Three aspects of the Holy Spirit reflected upon by Pope Leo XIV on the Solemnity of Pentecost

ZENIT Staff

Homily by Pope Leo XIV on the Solemnity of Pentecost

The Three Doors Opened Today by The Holy Spirit

ZENIT Staff

Address on the occasion of the Regina Caeli prayer on Sunday, May 24, 2026