Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War
 | This article may be unbalanced toward certain viewpoints. |
Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War | |
|---|---|
| Martyrs | |
| Born | Various |
| Died | 1934, 1936-1939 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, March 11, 2001, and October 28, 2007 [1] |
| Canonized | 1999 (Nine Martyrs of the 1934 Asturias uprising)[2], Rome by John Paul II |
| Feast | September 22 |
"Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War" is the name given by the Catholic Church to the tens of thousands of people who were killed during the Spanish Civil War because of their faith. [3] [4]
History
During the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939, especially in the early months, vast numbers of Catholics were murdered simply because of their faith. [5] Entire religious communities were slaughtered. Not including the lay people killed for their faith, almost 7,000 clergy were killed. [6]
In 2001 John Paul II beatified hundreds of the martyrs[7] and Benedict XVI beatified 498 more in October of 2007[8] which as become the largest beatification in the history of the Church[9]. The beatification process has been criticized as dishonoring non-clergy who were also killed in the war, and as being an attempt to draw attention away from the church's support of Franco (some quarters of the Church called the Nationalist cause a "crusade").[10] Responding to the criticism, the Vatican has described the October 2007 beatifications as not about "resentment but... reconciliation". The Spanish government has also supported this ceremony, with Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos attending the ceremony.
The October 2007 beatifications has brought the number of Spanish martyrs to 977, eleven of whom have already been canonized as Saints.[11] Because of the extent of the persecution, many more cases could be proposed. The process for beatification has already begun for about 2,000 people.[12].
Background
During the 19th and the 20th centuries, the role of religion on the Spanish society was one of the issues polarizing Spanish society[dubious – discuss].
The Second Spanish Republic saw an alternation of leftist and rightist governments. Amidst the disorder caused by the military coup of July 1936, many leftists (especially anarchists) pointed their weapons against what they considered local reactionaries, including priests and nuns.
A paradoxic case for foreign Catholics was that of the Basque Nationalist Party, a Catholic party from the Basque areas, who after some hesitation, supported the Republican government in exchange for an autonomous government in the Basque Country. Although other groups on the Republican side were involved in the anti-clerical persecution, the Basques did not play a part.[13] The Vatican diplomacy tried to orient them to the National side, explicitly supported by Cardinal Gomá, but the BNP feared the Spanish nationalism of the Nationals.
See also
External Links
- Martyrs of Religious Persection During the Spanish Civil War (first of sixty pages of martyrs with photos)
- The Persecution of Catholics in the Spanish Civil War
References
- ^ Butler, Alban and Peter Doyle Butler's Lives of the Saints p. 169 Liturgical Press (February 2000)
- ^ Butler, Alban and Peter Doyle Butler's Lives of the Saints p. 169 Liturgical Press (February 2000)
- ^ Royal, Robert The New Spanish Martyrs, The Catholic Herald 2000
- ^ Butler, Alban and Peter Doyle Butler's Lives of the Saints p. 169 Liturgical Press (February 2000)
- ^ Royal, Robert The New Spanish Martyrs, The Catholic Herald 2000
- ^ Julio de la Cueva, "Religious Persecution, Anticlerical Tradition and Revolution: On Atrocities against the Clergy during the Spanish Civil War" Journal of Contemporary History 33.3 (July 1998): 355.
- ^ New Evangelization with the Saints, L'Osservatore Romano 28 November 2001, page 3 (Weekly English Edition)
- ^ Tucson priests one step away from sainthood Arizona Star 06.12.2007
- ^ 500 Spanish martyrs to be beatified Independent Catholic News 10 October 2007
- ^ "Vatican's Plan to Beatify Spanish Clergy Divisive" by Jerome Socolovsky. Morning Edition, National Public Radio, 13 July 2007.
- ^ 500 Spanish martyrs to be beatified Independent Catholic News 10 October 2007
- ^ 500 Spanish martyrs to be beatified Independent Catholic News 10 October 2007
- ^ Stanley G. Payne, A History of Spain and Portugal Vol. 2 (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1973), 649.