In addition to the two priests, Rutilio Gran’s fellow martyrs will also be beatified, who were assassinated alongside him in March 1977.
Salvadoran martyrs Rutilio Gran, Manuel Solórzano and Nelson Rutilio already have a date set to be beatified, the Episcopal Conference of El Salvador has confirmed in a press release.
According to reports, in addition to the three martyrs, who were killed on March 12, 1977 in Paisnal, north of San Salvador, will also be beatified Italian Father Cosme Spessotto, who was also killed in 1980 in San Juan Nonualco, Peace.
You can read: 10 important moments about San Óscar Arnulfo Romero
The date for the beatification is set for January 22, 2022, in San Salvador, and it was authorized by Pope Francis.
For the act of beatification, the pontiff has delegated to Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez to preside over the celebration that would pave the way for four more martyrs to ascend to the highest altars of the Catholic Church, thus joining St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero, who was canonized in October 2018 by the Pope himself.
Father Rutilio Gran was assassinated on March 12, 1977 in Paisnal. Photo: Archive.
The beatification process, meanwhile, had already received the approval of Pope Francis since 2020, when he authorized the Congregation for the Cause of Saints to enact the necessary decrees that led to the fact that both the high priest Rutilio as his two companions of martyrdom become beats next year.
Read also: 41 years of the martyrdom of Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero
Theologian Rodolfo Cardenal, quoted by Vatican News, the Holy See’s official medium, states that “the future beat Rutilio Gran is always a reference in the fight for justice and human rights in El Salvador,” and adds that “Rutilio is very associated with Monsignor Romero and are key references for the Salvadoran church “.
Cosme Spessotto, an Italian Franciscan, arrived in the country as a missionary in 1950.
