Pope Francis has taken significant steps in the journey toward canonization for select individuals recognized for their holiness and sacrifice. In an audience granted to Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs, the Holy Father authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate various decrees advancing the causes of sainthood for multiple Servants of God.
Recognizing the “Offering of Life”
Among the decrees approved by Pope Francis is the recognition of the “offering of life” of two Servants of God: Fr. Emil Joseph Kapaun and Salvo D’Acquisto.
According to the Vatican, the category of “offering of life” is “a new cause for the beatification and canonization procedure, distinct from the causes based on martyrdom and on the heroism of virtues.” Pope Francis introduced this category in 2017 to recognize those who, “following more than closely the footsteps and teachings of the Lord Jesus, have voluntarily and freely offered their life for others and persevered with this determination unto death.”
Fr. Emil Kapaun, a United States Army chaplain, served during World War II and the Korean War. “Born on 20 April 1916 in Kansas, Emil Joseph Kapaun was a chaplain in the Burma theater of World War II, then served again as a chaplain with the U.S. Army in Korea, where he was captured. He died in a prisoner of war in the Pyoktong Prison Camp.” Ordained a priest in 1940, he joined the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 1944 and ministered to fellow prisoners while in captivity.
Salvo D’Acquisto, an Italian layman and member of the Carabinieri, was born in Naples on October 15, 1920, and died in Palidoro, Italy, on September 23, 1943. According to the Vatican, he is being recognized for his ultimate sacrifice during World War II.
Recognition of Heroic Virtues
Pope Francis also recognized the heroic virtues of three Servants of God:
- Michele Maura Montaner, a diocesan priest and founder of the Congregación de las Hermanas Celadoras del Culto Eucarístico, born in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) on September 6, 1843, and died there on September 19, 1915.
- Didaco Bessi, a diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Mary of the Rosary, born on February 5, 1856, in Iolo (Italy) and died there on May 25, 1919.
- Cunegonda Siwiec, a lay faithful from Poland, born on May 28, 1876, in Stryszawa – Siwcówka, and died on June 27, 1955.
Canonization of Two Blesseds
Furthermore, Pope Francis approved the favorable votes of the Ordinary Session of the Cardinals and Bishops of the Dicastery for the canonization of two Blesseds:
- Blessed Giuseppe Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, a lay faithful from Venezuela, born in Isnotú on October 26, 1864, and died in Caracas on June 29, 1919.
- Blessed Bartolo Longo, a lay faithful from Latiano (Italy), born on February 10, 1841, and died in Pompeii (Italy) on October 5, 1926.
Blessed Bartolo Longo’s story is particularly striking. He was a lawyer from Naples who initially despised the Church but later experienced a profound conversion. He became instrumental in establishing the Shrine of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii.
Next Steps in the Canonization Process
With these recognitions, the Servants of God who received the “offering of life” and heroic virtue decrees now hold the title Venerable. The next step toward Beatification requires confirmation of a miracle attributed to their intercession. For the two Blesseds, their canonization will be determined by a Consistory to be convened at a later date.
The faithful are invited to continue praying for these holy men and women, asking for their intercession and celebrating their inspiring lives of virtue and sacrifice.
(All information and quotes are according to official Vatican reports.)
