ZENIT is a non-profit news agency that reports on the Catholic Church and issues important to it from the perspective of Church doctrine. ZENIT's motto is, "The world seen from Rome."
Contents
Mission
The ZENIT website describes their perspective as one which is "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 published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace."
The name "ZENIT" means "zenith" in many languages, and refers to the highest point in the sky reached by the sun, a symbol associated with Jesus Christ by early Christians.
Presence
ZENIT began publication in 1997 and now publishes in seven languages. By its own account, ZENIT has 520,000 e-mail subscribers and its articles have been reprinted in more than 100,000 media sources .
A number of Catholic authors such as Christopher West have cited ZENIT stories in printed works.
Publisher
According to the ZENIT website, the organization's publications are published and edited by Innovative Media Inc., and ZENIT works 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.
Innovative Media Inc. is a non-profit based in New York, according to ZENIT, and is registered as a non-profit organization in Atlanta, Georgia. Its president is Antonio Maza.
ZENIT says it was funded during its first three years in large part by Aid to the Church in Need, the Italian Bishops' Conference and the Legion of Christ. As of 2007, ZENIT says it is funded 75% by reader donations and 13% by institutions and benefactors.
One report appearing in the progressive Commonweal magazine alleges that Innovative Media is a "front" for the Legion of Christ.