Spanish Civil War martyr beatified
November 03, 2014
Father Pedro de Asúa, who was martyred during the Spanish Civil War, was beatified in the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz on November 1.
Cardinal Angelo Amato, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presided over the beatification, which took place in the city’s cathedral.
Born in 1890, Father de Asúa studied architecture before entering the seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1924 and, in addition to his priestly ministry, served as diocesan architect, according to a report in El Pais. He suffered martyrdom in 1936.
“A humble and austere priest, he preached the Gospel with the sanctity of his life, catechesis and devotion to the poor and needy,” Pope Francis said following his November 1 Angelus address. “Arrested, tortured and killed for having expressed his desire to remain faithful to the Lord and to the Church, he is a wonderful example of strength in the faith and witness of charity for us.”
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Nov. 03, 2014 8:32 AM ET USA
Every Catholic should study the Spanish conflict, especially the unspeakable evils perpetrated by Loyalist forces (socialists, anarchists, and republicans -- the communists usually refrained from this kind of stuff). Never has the fundamental opposition between the Church and the modern world, the world formed by the French Revolution, been more in evidence. (The Nationalists also committed atrocities but, bad as they were, they pale in comparison with the Loyalists' anti-Christian savagery.)
