Pope Francis has authorized the publication of decrees advancing several causes of canonization, paving the way for three new saints, a new blessed, and a new venerable in the Church.
Blessed Peter To Rot: First Papuan Saint
Blessed Peter To Rot, a layman martyred for his faith in present-day Papua New Guinea (PNG), is set for canonization.
Born on March 5, 1912, he was raised in the Christian faith and became a catechist, known for his charity, humility, and dedication to the poor and orphans. During the Japanese occupation of PNG in World War II, he secretly continued his pastoral work despite the dangers. He staunchly defended the sanctity of marriage, opposing polygamy, even confronting his older brother. As a result, he was reported to authorities, imprisoned, and died of poisoning in July 1945.
Pope St. John Paul II beatified him on January 17, 1995, in Port Moresby.
Blessed Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan: Armenian Archbishop Martyred in the Genocide
Born in 1869 in Mardin, present-day Türkiye, Blessed Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan was ordained a priest in 1883 in Lebanon. Known for his excellent preaching in Arabic and Turkish, he devoted himself to parish ministry and biblical studies in Alexandria, Egypt.
In 1911, Pope Pius X appointed him Archbishop of Mardin. During World War I, he was arrested along with 13 priests and 600 other Christians amid persecution of Armenian Christians. When he refused to renounce his faith, he was executed on June 3, 1915.
Pope St. John Paul II beatified him on October 7, 2001.
Blessed Maria del Monte Carmelo: First Venezuelan-born Saint
Venezuela will soon have its first native-born saint, Blessed Maria del Monte Carmelo, born Carmen Elena Rendíles Martínez in Caracas on August 11, 1903.
She joined the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus of the Blessed Sacrament in 1927 and later founded the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus in 1946. A car accident in 1974 left her in a wheelchair for her final years. She passed away on May 9, 1977.
A miracle attributed to her intercession involved the 2015 healing of a young woman in Caracas who suffered from a heart condition.
Miracle of Fr. Carmelo De Palma, Italian Priest
Pope Francis also recognized a miracle attributed to Fr. Carmelo De Palma, an Italian priest from Bari, born on January 27, 1876.
Inspired by the Benedictine charism, he became known as a “hero of the confessional,” offering spiritual guidance to priests, nuns, and seminarians. The miracle involved the 2013 healing of a Benedictine nun suffering from a debilitating degenerative illness.
Heroic Virtues Recognized for Brazilian Priest
The Pope also acknowledged the heroic virtues of Servant of God José Antônio de Maria Ibiapina, a 19th-century Brazilian politician-turned-priest.
These recognitions mark significant moments in the Church’s ongoing journey of faith and sanctity.
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