The Catholic Church will soon recognize two new Blesseds—Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni and Fr. Martino Capelli—both young Italian priests who were murdered during Nazi reprisals in 1944 for their steadfast commitment to their faith and their people.
Pope Leo XIV authorized the decrees during an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, according to Vatican News.
Martyrs “in hatred of the faith”
Both priests were killed in the Emilia Romagna region during the Nazi occupation, and the Vatican determined that their deaths were motivated by odium fidei—hatred of the Christian faith.
According to the Vatican News report, the Holy Father approved decrees “regarding the martyrdom — in hatred of the faith — of Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni, 26… and Fr. Martino Capelli, a Dehonian religious, 32.”
In both cases, the young priests refused to abandon the faithful entrusted to them, remaining physically present even as Nazi operations intensified.
Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni: executed before the altar
Born in 1918 near Bologna, Fr. Ubaldo was ordained at age 24 and continued ministering to his community despite ongoing danger. On September 29, 1944, after seeking to protect terrified villagers sheltering in the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, he attempted to negotiate their release.
The report notes that those negotiations failed, stating that “all were taken to the cemetery and killed,” while the priest himself “was brought back into the church and then shot in the head in front of the altar.” Vatican News explains that the mutilation of his body further confirmed the presence of odium fidei.
He knowingly accepted the risk of death, remaining with his community out of priestly devotion—described as “martyrdom ex parte victimae,” meaning on the part of the victim he willingly embraced danger for the sake of the flock.
Fr. Martino Capelli: killed after ministering to the dying
Fr. Martino Capelli, born in 1912 in northern Italy, entered the Dehonians at 17 and later earned degrees in biblical studies and paleography in Rome. During the war, he provided pastoral support in the mountainous Salvaro region—an area soon overtaken by German forces.
Even after being urged to leave for safety, he remained to serve those suffering in the conflict. According to Vatican News, he “rushed to bring comfort to the dying” after nearby massacres, was later imprisoned, and continued caring for fellow detainees by hearing confessions.
On October 1, 1944, the Nazis executed him alongside a Salesian priest and a group of civilians “near the cistern of the silk-mill at Pioppe di Salvaro.” His body was thrown into the River Reno with the others. The Vatican identified the primary motive as “hatred of the faith,” citing the Nazis’ contempt for his priestly ministry and his refusal to abandon those in danger.
Four new Venerables recognized
In addition to the two martyrs, Pope Leo XIV also approved decrees of heroic virtue for four Servants of God, who now bear the title Venerable:
• Archbishop Enrico Bartoletti of Lucca, described as “a guide of the post-conciliar Church”
• Fr. Gaspare Goggi, a priest of the Little Work of Divine Providence
• Sister Maria of the Sacred Heart (Maria Glowrey), an Australian doctor and missionary pioneer in India
• Maria de Lourdes Guarda, a Brazilian consecrated laywoman who spent nearly fifty years bedridden while carrying out an apostolate for the disabled
These individuals lived lives of extraordinary fidelity—ranging from defending Jews during World War II to founding medical institutions grounded in Catholic ethics to offering decades of suffering to God while serving the marginalized.
Witnesses for the Church today
The witness of the two soon-to-be Blesseds stands as a reminder of the cost of discipleship and the profound charity that marks authentic priestly ministry. Their choices, made in the face of mortal danger, show the depth of pastoral love modeled by Christ the Good Shepherd.
As the Vatican News report described of each priest, they chose to remain “aware of the dangers” yet committed to their people to the end—an example for all the faithful in times of hardship or fear.
