SW News: The Catholic Church in Spain is exulting as three Capuchins who were martyred during the Civil War in the 1930s have been declared Blessed, bringing them one step closer to sainthood. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, declared the three martyrs, Fr. Joseph Oriol of Barcelona, Fr. Domingo de Sant Pere de Riudebitlles, and Fr. Benito de Santa Coloma, Blessed on Saturday, November 6. The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Manresa in the diocese of Vic. Apostolic Nuncio of Spain, Monsignor Bernardito Aúza and bishops from various Catholic dioceses from the Catalonia region were present for the solemn occasion.

The postulator of the cause said 36 religious from Catalonia were killed for their faith during the religious persecution in the 1930s. Out of that, 26 have already been beatified. Three more priests from the remaining 10 have been declared blessed.

In his homily, Cardinal Semeraro said, "When the Civil War broke out, and the convent in which they lived was devastated by the militiamen, they in obedience to the instructions of the religious superiors sought refuge elsewhere. However, they were caught. Later they were subjected to beatings and humiliations." The torturers incited Father Pere to blaspheme and deny his faith but they failed. The three friars were summarily executed because they refused to give up their faith.

The Spanish Episcopal Conference commemorated the 2,053 martyrs on November 6. Out of these martyrs, 2,042 have been declared blessed, and 11 others are saints. They were all martyred during the Spanish Civil War. Apart from priests, nuns, and the religious, hundreds of consecrated people and laypersons were also killed for their faith.

The bishops said that more than 10,000 Spanish believers were martyred during the religious persecution in the 20th century. The martyrs were ordinary men and women who lived normal lives. However, when it came to defending their faith, they did not hesitate to bear witness for the same. They faced their end with bravery and also forgave their persecutors.

To mark the commemoration of the martyrs, prominent Catholic organization ACP hosted an event to spread awareness of their faith and lives. ACP's national secretary Rafael Murillo told Religionenlibertad.com, "The Church does not forget the brothers who died without renouncing their faith. In today's society, it is not understood that we celebrate martyrdom, which is something painful, but for Catholics, it is nevertheless a moment of joy: they are our brothers who have not been afraid to love Jesus Christ to the end."

Auxiliary bishop of Madrid, Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, pointed out that between 1934 and 1939, 17.5% of clergymen, prelates and seminarians were killed. He added that more than 41,000 priests and seminarians, 2,300 religious, and 280 nuns were executed for defending their faith.