Eight Civil War ‘martyrs’ to be saints

19 April 2004

VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II approved decrees Monday certifying the martyrdom of eight people who died during the Spanish Civil War, paving the way for their beatification.

The future blessed include seven priests from the diocese of Urgell, murdered because of “hatred of the faith” during the religious persecutions of 1936.

Maria de los Angeles Ginard Marti of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, who was murdered in Dehesa de la Villa, on the outskirts of Madrid, in 1936, is also to be beautified.

The priests in question are Jose Tapies Sirvant , Pascual Araguas Guardia, Silvestre Arnau Pascuet , Jose Boher Foix , Francisco Castell Brenuy , Pedro Martret Moles  and Jose Juan Perot Juanmarti.

Pope John Paul II has so far canonised 11 Spanish martyrs murdered during the 1934 revolution in Asturias and the Spanish Civil War.

Father Pedro Poveda was the last to be canonised, with Pope John Paul II officiating at the ceremony last May during his fifth visit to Madrid.

During his 25-year papacy, John Paul II has beatified 471 Spanish martyrs.

The Catholic Church estimates the number of those “persecuted because of hatred of the Catholic faith” between 1931 and 1939 – the time of the revolution in Asturias and the civil war – at between 7,000 and 10,000.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

  Subject: Spanish news