Martyrs of the war of Spain

The Martyrs of the war of Spain are catholic Spanish, mainly of the monks, carried out by the republican during the Guerre of Spain (1936 - 1939), and recognized like such by the Catholic church. These catholics died because of their faith according to the Catholic church, because of their support for the nationalist camp according to the republicans.

Historical context

At the beginning of the 20th century, the laic and republican currents are honnis by the monks who undertake a " croisade" in their opposition, prémice of future the " croisade" pro-Franco against the " vermin rouge" .

According to the historian Benoit Pellistrandi, “the main part of the assassinations of priests and monk had in August place, September, October 1936, at one moment when the apparatus of State crumbled and made place with settlings of score of villages and districts, where one killed as many republican teachers, humanistic and laic, priests. ”

According to Antonio Montero, 13 bishop S, 4 184 priests, 2 365 religious monks and 283 were assassinated for this period. According to the historian Guy Hermet, the victims which do not carry the habit are more numerous still and the simple fact of being located as catholic notorious constitutes a proof of culpability .

According to Julius Ruiz, the republicans would have carried out 37 483 people. According to Hugh Thomas, they would have carried out of them more 86 000. The nationalists would have killed some: 150000 of which: 50000 after the end of the war and charges a great responsibility to the anarchists, particularly active in Aragon, Catalogne and with Valence. This assertion is contradicted by the historian Benoît Pellistrandi according to whom, " there was not in Spain of plan concerted and organized persecution antichrétienne". The legal government does not condemn only one moment these Crime S made by its own partisans that it is by the trade-union militia - patrols of the paddle - or by simple leaders for whom the simple fact of carrying the Soutane is worth death warrant.

In September 1936, the archbishop of Salamanque is the first hiérarque catholic to give his support for the nationalist rebels stressing that by supporting Franco, it is a question of defending Christian values against the Atheists

Official recognition of the Vatican

After the civil war, many causes of Béatification are open in the Spanish Diocèse S and more particularly in that of Valence, where the massacres of catholics were numerous. Each case is studied individually by a special subcommittee which is charged to check the exemplarity of the life of the people proposed, but also, in this case, the circumstances of their death. Indeed, so that a person is declared Martyr , it should be proven that it was killed only by hatred of the faith , and not because of political convictions or of the hazards of war. Jean-Paul II thus specified the March 11th 2001 that “the happy ones which are high with the honor of the furnace bridges was not implied in fights Politique S or ideological, and did not want to enter there. (…) They lived while liking and died by forgiving” .

At the time of eleven celebrations, between 1987 and 2001, Jean-Paul II officially recognizes like martyrs 471 victims of the civil war, among which one counts 4 bishops, 43 secular priests, 379 monks and 45 laic. These acts of recognition are continued by Benoît XVI, though in a less solemn way since the Pape does not attend from now on any more the ceremonies of Béatification, which changes from now on to 977 the number of martyrs of the Guerre of Spain recognized like such by the Église. According to the Spanish Episcopal conference: 6832 catholics are Martyr ized during the civil war.

October 1st 1989: Jean-Paul II béatifie in twenty-six Rome monk Passioniste S of Daimiel, martyrized between the July 23rd and the October 23rd 1936.
April 29th 1990: Jean-Paul II béatifie in Rome eight Brothers of the Christian Schools like their spiritual director, religious passionist, martyrized with Tùron in 1934 (canonized the November 21st 1999), another brother of the Christian schools, Jacques Hilaire Barbal Cosan martyrized with Tarragone the January 18th 1937 (also canonized the November 21st 1999) and a nun of the Company of holy Therese, Marie Mercedes Prat, martyrized with Barcelona the July 24th 1936.
October 25th 1992: Jean-Paul II béatifie in Rome sixty-and-eleven monk of the hospital Order of Jean Saint of God, martyrized between the July 25th and the December 14th 1936 with Tolède, Tarragone, Barcelona and Madrid and fifty and one monk Clarétains of Barbastro martyrized between the 2 and the August 18th 1936.
October 10th 1993: Jean-Paul II béatifie in Rome Mgr Medina Olmos, bishop of Guadix, and seven brothers of the Christian schools martyrized between the August 29th and the September 13rd 1936 with Almeria, as well as a priest, Pierre Poveda Castroverde, martyrized the July 28th 1936 in Madrid (canonized the May 4th 2003) and a layman, Victoria Díez, martyrized the August 12th 1936 close to Cordoue.
October 1st 1995: Jean-Paul II béatifie in forty-five Rome martyrs, killed between 1936 and 1939, among which one finds a bishop, twenty-five priests and monk, seventeen nuns and laic.
May 4th 1997: Jean-Paul II béatifie in Rome Mgr Asensio Barroso, bishop of Barbastro and Zéphyrin Gimenez Malla, first gipsy with being béatifié, martyrized both the August 9th 1936.
May 5th 1998: Jean-Paul II béatifie in Rome seven nuns martyrized the November 18th 1936 with Madrid, two nuns of the sisters of the charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fransisca Aldea there Araujo and Rita Dolores Pujalte there Sanchez, shot Visitandines the July 20th 1936 with Canillejas and a Carmelite nun, Elvira Moragas Cantarero, martyrized the August 15th 1936 in Madrid.
March 7th 1999: Jean-Paul II béatifie in Rome seven Augustins Récollets martyrized between July and August 1936 with Motril, and the priest of this parish, the Manual abbot Martin Sierra, martyrized on July 26th of the same year.
March 11th 2001: Jean-Paul II béatifie in Rome two hundred thirty-three martyrs, killed between 1936 and 1939, among which one finds a great number of priests, monks and nuns but also of the laic ones, for the majority having belonged to the catholic Action.

Pontificate of Benoit XVI

The October 29th 2005, Benoit XVI béatifie in Rome, at the time of a ceremony chaired by the cardinal Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the causes of the saints, a nun of the eucharistic Congregation of the Zealoies of the Worship, Maria Ginard Marti, martyrized the August 26th 1936 with Dehesa of the Villa and seven priests of the diocese of Urgel, shot the August 13rd 1936 with Salted of Pallars.

The October 28th 2007, Benoit XVI béatifie in Rome four hundred and ninety eight martyrs of the war of Spain among which two bishops, twenty-four priests, four hundred and sixty two monks, three deacons or seminarists and seven laic. It is about the most important mass of beatification of the history to which assisted more than thirty thousand faithful and sixty-and-eleven Spanish bishops, that is to say the near total of those. The Pape pays homage to the Martyr S, “these witnesses heroic of the Foi who, moved exclusively by the love of the Christ, paid of their blood their fidelity with Christ and her Church. That their words and their gestures of forgiveness towards their persecutors push us to work inlassablement with the mercy, the reconciliation and the peaceful coexistence. the supreme testimony of blood is not an exception reserved for some individuals, but a possibility for all the Christian people. Admittedly, all are not called with the martyr of blood it exists also a martyr of the ordinary life a particularly important testimony in the secularized company of our time” the Minister for the Foreign affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos and the rapporteur of the bill, the socialist Jose Torres Mora, represented the government with the Messe. On the Place Saint-Pierre, the celebration was chaired by the representative of the pope, the cardinal Portuguese Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congrégation for the causes of the saints. The Pape was then addressed to the pilgrims of the window of his office, at the time of the Prière of the Angélus

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