Martyrs of Damascus to be proclaimed saints
Eight Franciscans and three Maronite brothers were killed together in hatred of the faith in the Bab-Touma neighbourhood in 1860. They symbolise the "ecumenism of blood" that Christians have experienced in the Middle East in the recent past. The pontiff also approved the decrees for the canonisation of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis and Fr Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Consolata missionaries.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Martyrs of Damascus, eight Franciscans and three lay Maronites killed in hatred of the faith in 1860, will be proclaimed saints.
Pope Francis approved the favourable votes by the cardinals and bishops of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints for the canonisation of Blessed Emanuele Ruiz and seven Companions of the Order of Friars Minor, as well as Francis, Abdel Mooti and Rafael Massabki, three brothers killed in hatred of the faith during a wave of violence that saw the Druze attack Christians for political reasons in what was then the Ottoman Empire.
The pontiff announced his intention to hold an ordinary consistory regarding the canonisation of four other blessed, including Fr Giuseppe Allamano (1851-1926), from Italy, founder of the institute of the Consolata Missionaries, which is also present in some Asian countries, and 15-year-old Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), a student with a strong Eucharistic orientation but also passionate about new technologies and for this reason considered particularly close to today's young people. Pope Francis recognised two miracles that took place through their intercession.
The canonisation of the Martyrs of Damascus was a long-awaited gift for Christians in the Middle East. Their story sums up much of their suffering. The Franciscan friars (seven Spaniards and one Austrian) lived in the neighbourhood of Bab-Touma, where they shared bread with the poor at a very difficult time.
Amid the crisis of the Ottoman Empire and the pressures of European powers, in December 1842 Sultan Abdulmejid I accepted a proposal by the chancellor of the Austrian Empire, Prince Klemens von Metternich, to divide Mount Lebanon into two distinct districts, one in the north for Christians and one in the south for Druze.
However, when violence broke out in Beirut in 1860, Christians were attacked across the region resulting in the death of thousands of Christians.
On the night of 9-10 July 1860, the friars and the three Maronite brothers took refuge within the solid walls of a convent.
Father Custodian Emanuele Ruiz prepared the confreres for the worst, inviting them to confess and receive Communion. In fact, they were betrayed and their killers were allowed into the compound through a small door.
Beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1926, their liturgical feast is celebrated on 10 July in the Church of St Paul, which houses their remains in Damascus.
Their story is a testimony to the ecumenism of martyrs that has united over time so many Christian communities in the Middle East. Although divided for historical reasons in different rites, they have found themselves in the recent past bearing the same witness to the point of giving their lives for the same faith in Christ Jesus.
The canonisation of the Martyrs of Damascus is also significant in light of the upcoming jubilee next year. In the bull of indiction Spes non confundit Pope Francis writes:
“We need to treasure their testimony, in order to confirm our hope and allow it to bear good fruit.
“The martyrs, coming as they do from different Christian traditions, are also seeds of unity, expressions of the ecumenism of blood.”
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09/05/2023 19:40
