Cardinal Eduardo Pironio was proclaimed blessed Dec. 16 in the plaza outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján -- a shrine to the national patroness of Argentina -- as thousands of clergy, religious and laity celebrated under rainy skies.
Pope Francis has recognized the miraculous healing of a toddler in Argentina as the miracle needed for the beatification of Argentine Cardinal Eduardo Pironio, a close collaborator of St. John Paul II and the person who organized and oversaw the first six
"In the martyrdom of the new Blessed, a particularly evocative role is played by the tiny child that Wiktoria carried in her womb, coming into the world during the painful moments of her mother's slaughter," Cardinal Marcello Semeraro said in his beatification
"As a pastor of my parish, I would frequently ask my parishioners to send in their intentions so that I can pray for them if ever I went on a pilgrimage … and so this is just an extension of that. I
With a beatification Mass for the Ulma family set for Sept. 10, the Vatican emphasized that all nine members of the Polish family are considered martyrs, including the child that was born during the massacre.
Uruguay celebrates beatification of Bishop Jacinto Vera, home-grown saint and father of local church
Uruguay's Catholic Church celebrated the beatification of Bishop Jacinto Vera May 6. Blessed Bishop Vera was not only the first bishop of Montevideo, the country's capital, but is considered the father of the local church.
It was a celebration like no other since
Five Catholic priests have been beatified in France, 152 years after they were seized as hostages and shot in the street by rebels of the Paris Commune.
"The story of these martyrs offers a warning for today, but also a message of hope
The Diocese of Rome will host a prayer vigil the evening before the beatification of Pope John Paul I and his hometown will host the main Mass of Thanksgiving a week later, the office promoting his sainthood cause announced.
Pope Francis is scheduled
Beatifying 10 Polish nuns killed by Russian soldiers at the end of World War II, it is difficult not to think of the suffering being endured by the people of Ukraine today and the need for peace in the world, said Cardinal
Like a light piercing through the darkness of despair in beleaguered Lebanon, two martyred Lebanese Capuchin priests were beatified on the eve of Pentecost.
The beatification comes as Lebanon is drowning in a catastrophic economic meltdown in which poverty is now a reality