Newly elected Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski of Poland embrace at the Vatican in this 1978 photo. Pope Francis advanced the sainthood cause of Cardinal Wyszynski, St. John Paul II’s mentor. (CNS photo/Arturo Mari)
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis recognized the miracle needed for the beatification of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, a mentor and friend of St. John Paul II. The pope also signed decrees recognizing the miracles needed for the future beatifications of Father Francesco Mottola, an Italian priest who founded the Secular Institute of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart, and Alessandra Sabattini, an Italian laywoman who volunteered helping people with drug addictions and those with disabilities through the Pope John XXIII community, run by the late Father Oreste Benzi. She died in 1984 at the age of 22 after being struck by a car. The other decrees included recognition of the martyrdom of Juan Roig Diggle, a 19-year-old layman who was killed in 1936 during Spain’s civil war, and Benigna Cardoso da Silva, a 13-year-old laywoman who was murdered in 1941 in Brazil by a would-be rapist. The pope signed the decrees after a meeting Oct. 2 with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. The Vatican published the news the next day. The late Cardinal Wyszynski had been the primate of Poland and one of the late pope’s most ardent supporters, starting when then-Karol Wojtyla was a young bishop.
Pope clears way for three new saints, including first woman from Venezuela Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonizations of three blesseds: an Armenian Catholic archbishop martyred during the Armenian genocide, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea killed during World War II and a Venezuelan religious sister who dedicated her life to education and the poor.
Pope to canonize Acutis, Frassati, host meeting on children’s rights Pope Francis announced that he will canonize Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati next year and that the Vatican will host a world meeting on the rights of the child Feb. 3.
Saints hold lessons for bringing peace to world, bishop tells synod With war and violence plaguing so many parts of the world, Christians can look to the saints to discover from their example the true meaning of peace, Maronite Auxiliary Bishop Paul Rouhana of Beirut told participants at the Synod of Bishops.