Pope Francis has advanced the sainthood causes of one woman and five men, including Antoni Gaudí, the Spanish architect who designed the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain. Source: CNS.
The Vatican announced yesterday that the Pope authorised the decrees during an audience yesterday with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Among the decrees was the approval of a miracle attributed to Indian Sr Eliswa Vakayil, founder of the Teresian Carmelites, who lived 1831-1913; the approved miracle clears the way for her beatification.
The Pope also recognised the heroic virtues of Antoni Gaudí, a Spanish architect and designer who was born in Catalonia in 1852.
Gaudí, who created many one-of-a-kind projects, eventually renounced secular art and dedicated more than 40 years of his life to building Barcelona’s Basilica of the Holy Family, often referred to by its Spanish name as the Sagrada Familia.
He started the project in 1882 when he was 31 years old; the church is expected to be finished in 2026 – the 100th anniversary of his death in 1926. When questioned about the lengthy construction period, Gaudí used to answer, “My client is not in a hurry.”
Because of his dedication to his faith and serving God through architecture, he earned the moniker, “God’s architect”.
Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church in 2010 and granted it the status of a minor basilica. It is the most visited site in Spain, attracting millions of visitors a year, and it is one of seven of Gaudí’s works that have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Among the other decrees approved, Pope Francis also recognised the martyrdom of Fr Nazareno Lanciotti, an Italian priest born in Rome in 1940 who was killed “in hatred of the faith” in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2001.
Pope Francis also approved decrees recognising:
— The heroic virtues of Fr Agostino Cozzolino (1928-1988), an Italian priest dedicated to charity, catechesis and pastoral care in poor and difficult neighbourhoods in Naples;
— The heroic virtues of Fr Angelo Bughetti (1877-1935), the founder of the Institute of St Catherine; and
— The heroic virtues of Fr Peter Joseph Triest (1760-1836), the Belgian founder of the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity, the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, and the Congregation of the Sisters of the Childhood of Jesus.
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Pope advances sainthood cause of famed Spanish architect, five others (By Carol Glatz, CNS)
