Two Polish missionaries, Italian priest beatified in Peru

Polish Franciscans Friar Zbigniew Strzalkowski and Friar Michal Tomaszek as well as Italian priest Alessandro Dordi were beatified in Chimbote, Peru, on Saturday. The mass was led by Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Cardinal Angelo Amato.

EPA/STR Dostawca: PAP/EPA. / A photo made available on 06 December 2015 shows an image depicting Polish priests Miguel Tomaszek (L) and Zbigniew Strzalkowski (R) during their beatification ceremony at the stadium of Chimbote, Peru, 05 December 2015. Miguel Tomaszek, Zbigniew Strzalkowski and Alessandro Dordi were killed by Peruvian terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) in 1991. EPA/STR Dostawca: PAP/EPA.

The two Polish missionaries, aged 33 and 31, were killed in the area by guerrillas of the Shining Path terrorist group on August 9, 1991. The Italian priest was killed a dozen or so days later in the same diocese by the same terrorist group.

In a letter read out by Cardinal Angelo Amato Pope Francis wrote that the martyrs gave their lives in witness to the faith and Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Amato said in a homily that the life and death of martyrs proved that love would always conquer evil. According to the Vatican hierarch, even though they came from different countries and spoke different languages (Polish and Italian), in fact they shared a language of love.

According to Cardinal Amato, love is the true shining path which brings life and not death, and which builds brotherhood instead of divisions.

Some 20,000 people attended the beatification ceremony in the town of Chimbote.

Franciscans from the Krakow (south Poland) province also work in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Russia, Albania and Ukraine. (PAP)

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