Vatican City: In a landmark decision highlighting the Church’s ongoing commitment to honoring those who lived and died in faithful witness to the Gospel, Pope Leo XIV has approved several decrees advancing the causes of more than 170 individuals, including martyrs, miracle-workers, and servants of heroic virtue.
During an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Pope authorized the promulgation of multiple decrees. These include the recognition of a miracle attributed to a 19th-century Spanish priest, the martyrdom of scores of clergy and laypeople in Spain and France, and the heroic virtues of four figures from Brazil and Italy.
One of the most significant decrees recognizes a miracle attributed to the intercession of Fr. Salvador Valera Parra, a Spanish diocesan priest born in 1816 in Huércal-Overa. Known for his tireless pastoral work during cholera outbreaks and natural disasters, Fr. Parra was deeply devoted to the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. He worked closely with Saint Teresa Jornet to establish a home for the elderly and earned the admiration of his community for his compassion and leadership. His legacy now positions him for beatification.
In a powerful acknowledgment of those who died for their faith, the Pope approved three separate decrees recognizing mass martyrdoms. Fr. Manuel Izquierdo Izquierdo and 58 companions from the Diocese of Jaén were murdered during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1938. A second group, led by Fr. Antonio Montañés Chiquero and composed of 64 individuals, also from Jaén, faced the same fate between 1936 and 1937. Additionally, the decree honored the martyrdom of 49 faithful in France between 1944 and 1945 including diocesan priest Raimond Cayré, Franciscan brother Gerard Martin Cendrier, seminarian Roger Vallée, layman Jean Mestre, and 46 others killed out of hatred for the faith during the turmoil of World War II.
Pope Leo XIV also recognized the heroic virtues of four Servants of God, offering a window into modern sanctity beyond martyrdom. Among them is Raffaele Mennella, an Italian cleric of the Sacred Hearts Congregation who died young in 1898 but was revered for his holiness. From Brazil, João Luiz Pozzobon, a permanent deacon and father, is honored for his life of deep Marian devotion and missionary outreach through the Schoenstatt Movement. Italy’s Teresa Tambelli, a Daughter of Charity, dedicated her life to serving the poor in Cagliari, while laywoman Anna Fulgida Bartolacelli, a member of the Silent Workers of the Cross, lived out a hidden life of prayer and sacrifice in illness.
These decrees reflect Pope Leo XIV’s desire to highlight diverse expressions of faith whether lived in heroic suffering, tireless service, or unwavering conviction unto death. By moving forward with these causes, the Pope underscores the Church’s mission to raise up models of holiness who inspire the faithful and reflect the light of the Gospel in every age.
This wave of recognition affirms that sanctity is not limited to the past, nor confined to the clergy. It is a living call, answered by individuals in all walks of life priests, laypeople, young and old who embodied Christ’s love even in the darkest hours of history.