2 priests, 2 lay people beatified in El Salvador
23/1/2022 19:26
The Roman Catholic Church beatified two priests and two lay people Saturday, all victims of right-wing death squads during El Salvador's civil war. The Rev. Rutilio Grande, a Jesuit priest killed alongside friends Manuel Solorzano and teenager Nelson Lemus on March 12, 1977, was known for his ministry to the poor and was an inspiration to St. Oscar Romero, the then-archbishop of El Salvador who himself was murdered three years later. Franciscan priest Cosme Spessotto, an Italian who arrived in El Salvador in 1950, was shot dead while praying at the altar of his parish by Salvadoran soldiers on June 14, 1980. He was known for his work in one of the poorest parts of El Salvador and his unwillingness to leave even in the face of death threats. Pope Francis' envoy, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez, called the four models and an example to all. Crowds of the faithful gathered around yellow and white Vatican banners and portraits of the four.
|
|