Zenit News Agency
ZENIT was a non-profit news agency that reported on the Catholic Church and matters important to it from the perspective of Catholic doctrine. Its motto was "the world seen from Rome." The agency suspended operations at the end of 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Mission
The ZENIT Internet site describes the perspective of the agency as one which was "convinced of the extraordinary richness of the Catholic Church's message, particularly its social doctrine ... [and which] sees this message as a light for understanding today's world." ZENIT's "compass is the social doctrine of the Church, summarized in the Compendium[2] published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace"[3] of the Holy See.
The name "ZENIT" denotes "zenith" in many languages, being the highest point in the sky that the Sun reaches, which was a symbol associated with Jesus Christ by early Christians.[4]
Presence
ZENIT began publication in 1997, and published in seven languages at its peak. By its own account, ZENIT had 520,000 email subscribers and its articles have been reprinted in more than 100,000 media sources.[4]
A number of Catholic authors have cited ZENIT reports in their printed works.[5]
Publisher
According to the ZENIT site, Innovative Media Inc. published and edited the publications of the agency, and ZENIT worked directly or in collaboration with the following non-profits internationally: Fundación ZENIT España in Spain, Association ZENIT in France, ZENIT eV in Germany, and Asociacao ZENIT in Brazil.[4] Innovative Media Inc. was a non-profit corporation based in New York, United States, according to ZENIT, and was registered as a non-profit organization in Atlanta, Georgia.[6][7][8] Its president was Antonio Maza.[9]
ZENIT states that Aid to the Church in Need, the Italian Episcopal Conference, and the Legion of Christ largely funded it during its first three years.[10] As of 2007, ZENIT stated that donations of its readers account for 75% of its funding and donations of institutions and benefactors for 13%.[11] One report in Commonweal alleged that Innovative Media Inc. was a "front" for the Legion.[12]
See also
- America
- Catholic News Service
- Commonweal
- EWTN
- National Catholic Register
- National Catholic Reporter
- Faith & Family Magazine
- Delia Gallagher, former columnist and editor
References
- "Zenit English Thanks Readers and Supporters – Operations Suspended Today". Zenit. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
To this unusual year, given the family, economic, political and social circumstances caused by COVID-19, is added the suspension of Zenit's daily and weekly services in Spanish, English, and Italian – 23 years of service to the Pope and to the Church... This is our last news dispatch but the mission of evangelizing will continue through all of us.
- Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (April 2005). "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. To his Holiness Pope John Paul II Master of Social Doctrine and Evangelical Witness to Justice and Peace". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. ISBN 88-209-7716-8. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- "FAQ - Organization". zenit.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- ZENIT website | Audience. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- West, Christopher (2003). Theology of the Body Explained: A Commentary on John Paul II’s "Gospel of the Body". Gracewing. p. 487. ISBN 0-85244-600-4.
- ZENIT FAQ - Identity and Organization. Retrieved July 2007.
- TaxExemptWorld.com | Innovative Media Inc Report. Retrieved July 2007.
- Internal Revenue Service | Search for Charities, Online Version of Publication 78. Searched for Innovative Media (all words), nationwide. Retrieved July 2007.
- ZENIT website | The ZENIT team. Retrieved July 2007.
- All About ZENIT | Growth and Financing Retrieved July 2007.
- zenit.org | Annual Budget. Retrieved July 2007.
- Schilling, Timothy (8 September 2006). "Spreading the News: A Report on Europe's New Evangelization". Commonweal. Section on ZENIT is also available here .
External links
- zenit.org Official site
- Schilling, Timothy (September 8, 2006). "Spreading the News: A Report on Europe's New Evangelization". Commonweal. Section on ZENIT was also available here