Rafael Llanes, Author at ZENIT - English

Articles By Rafael Llanes

Asteroid Dedicated to Catholic Priest: Who He Is and Why?

Luca Peyron is a cheerful Italian priest, writer, and founder of the Digital Apostolic Service of the Archdiocese of Turin.

Jul 10, 2025 06:50

Rafael Llanes

Local Church

Angolan Catholic Archbishop Calls for Outlawing Fortune-Telling and Penalizing Healers

Archbishop Imbamba made the declaration during his pastoral visit to the parishes of Dala, in the province of Luda Sur, in the east of the country and near the border with the Republic of Congo. He explained that superstitious practices are «destructive for families, divisive for communities, and an obstacle to development.»

Jul 10, 2025 06:47

Rafael Llanes

Local Church•Testimonies

Inspiring: More Than 400 Iraqi Children Make Their First Communion

In his homilies, Archbishop Hanno highlighted the vital role of Catholic families for the cultivation of the faith in their children: «When father and mother are united in faith, the family becomes a fortified castle, capable of resisting temptation, evil, and moral deviation.»

Jul 10, 2025 06:44

Rafael Llanes

Causes of Saints•Good News•Pope Leo XIV•Testimonies

First Woman with Dwarfism on the Path to Canonization Thanks to Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV recognized her heroic virtues as a next step in her Cause for Canonization, pending miracles verified through her intercession.

Jul 09, 2025 22:40

Rafael Llanes

Analysis Opinion

Will Leo XIV Remove Restrictions on The Traditional Mass? A Cardinal Has Asked Him to Do So. This Is What He Said

There is information about his work as Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, where he oversaw the application of Summorum Pontificum in his diocese, and there is no record that he restricted the Traditional Latin Mass.

Jun 30, 2025 17:42

Rafael Llanes

Cardinals and Bishops•Justice and Peace

Israel Asks for Peace Yet Invades Iran: The Logic of Reasoning of the Only «Iranian Cardinal»

Iran is home to Christian communities with a small number of Catholics among its population of 82 million, the vast majority of whom are Muslim: 90% Shi’ite and 5% Sunni. There are 22,000 Catholics among Assyrian, Armenian, and Latin-Rite faithful, in addition to immigrant foreigners.

Jun 22, 2025 07:27

Rafael Llanes

Justice and Peace

Israel’s Popularity Plummets As Gaza’s Civilian Population Is Being Exterminated

Sympathy for the Palestinian cause is growing, with the percentage of people identifying with Israel going from 18% to 33% to 7% to 18%.

Jun 18, 2025 06:38

Rafael Llanes

Holy Land•Justice and Peace

Caritas-Jerusalem Denounces Failure to Distribute Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

Anton Aafar explains the core of the problem: «We don’t just need a ceasefire, we need the opening of the corridors. They are all blocked now, so significant amounts of aid are not reaching Gaza.

Jun 13, 2025 14:06

Rafael Llanes

Local Church

Italian Government Unilaterally Changes Funding System That Harms the Church

The Catholic Church is one of 13 religious organizations that receive contributions through this system, along with the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, and the Italian Buddhist Union. The Catholic Church is by far the largest recipient of the 8 per 1000 funds, which it allocates to clergy salaries, church maintenance, and support for charitable projects.

Jun 12, 2025 16:23

Rafael Llanes

Pope Leo XIV•Vatican City

Leo XIV Appoints Former Doctor of Pope Francis New Director of Health of the Vatican

Dr Luigi Carbone said that «to receive a pontifical appointment is, above all, a great honour. I feel the weight of the task entrusted to me, linked to a position of such relevance, together with a profound sense of gratitude for the trust that the Holy Father has placed in me.»

Jun 06, 2025 23:24

Rafael Llanes

Vatican City

Pontifical Roman University Awards the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Former Priest and Theologian of Liberation Leonardo Boff

Friar Massimo Fusarelli, Minister General of the Franciscan Order, said: «The awards we are presenting today are not mere recognitions, but symbols of a universal call to ecological conversion.»

Jun 05, 2025 09:28

Rafael Llanes

Local Church

Study Shows That Practicing Catholics Are More Faithful to Tradition

The data showed that two-thirds of practicing Catholics prefer to maintain the Church’s traditional doctrine on issues relevant to the media, compared to 35% who favour changes.

May 22, 2025 18:41

Rafael Llanes

Two movements of love explained by the Pope to religious: God who comes to save and man who awaits his coming

Homily of the Holy Father on the occasion of the 30th World Day of Consecrated Life

Taiwan’s president writes to Pope Leo XIV: ‘Taipei wants peace, human rights, and democracy’

The president of Taiwan wrote to the pontiff in response to the latter’s call for a «disarmed and disarming peace” in his message of 1 January. A century ago, Chiang Wei-shui promoted nonviolence in Taiwan. The island, the world’s largest semiconductor producer, shares the pontiff’s concern for growing use of artificial intelligence in armed conflicts.