Vatican City: In a significant step in the Church’s ongoing process of canonization, Pope Leo XIV has approved the promulgation of multiple decrees acknowledging martyrdom, heroic virtue, and the offering of life of several Servants of God. The decision came during an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, head of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
At the heart of the decrees is the formal recognition of the martyrdom of 49 Spanish faithful who were killed during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. These include Stanislao Ortega García (born Lorenzo) and 48 companions, members of the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Instruction of Saint Gabriel, along with diocesan priest Emanuel Berenguer Clusella.
They were executed between July and November 1936 in different parts of Catalonia, Spain, during a period marked by intense religious persecution. The Church has affirmed that they were killed in odium fidei in hatred of the faith thus recognizing their deaths as true martyrdom.
Alongside this, the Holy Father also acknowledged the “offering of life” of the Servant of God Pietro Emanuele Salado Alba, a lay member of the association “Hogar de Nazaret.” Born in 1968 in Chiclana de la Frontera, Spain, he passed away in 2012 in Playa de Tonsupa, Ecuador. His life was marked by a conscious and selfless offering rooted in Christian charity.
Further advancing the causes of sainthood, the Pope approved the recognition of heroic virtues in three Servants of God. Among them is Maria Eletta of Jesus (Caterina Tramazzoli), a Discalced Carmelite nun born in Terni, Italy, in 1605, who died in Prague in 1663 after a life of deep contemplative spirituality.
Also recognized is Maria Teresa of the Most Holy Trinity (Teresa Ysseldijk), a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Carmelites of the Divine Heart of Jesus. Born in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, in 1897, she died in St. Louis, United States, in 1926, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated religious service.
The third is Maria Raffaella De Giovanna, founder of the Congregation of the Tertiary Minim Sisters of Saint Francis of Paola. Born in Genoa, Italy, in 1870, she remained devoted to her mission until her death in 1933.
These decrees mark a decisive advancement in the canonization journey of each of these individuals, bringing them closer to possible beatification and sainthood. The recognition not only honors their witness of faith and sacrifice but also reaffirms the Church’s commitment to preserving the memory of those who lived and died in profound fidelity to the Gospel.