Argentina prepares for the beatification of its martyrs
In the northern province of La Rioja in Argentina, the people are preparing for the beatification of four people who died between 1976 and 1983 during the Argentinian dictatorship. They are: the late Bishop Enrique Angarelli, two priests—Pères Carlos Murias and Gabriel Longueville, and a layman, Wenceslao Pedernera.
The Mass of beatification will be celebrated by the Papal Nuncio, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, on the 27th of April in the capital of the province of La Rioja. On the following day, there will be a concelebration Mass in Rome with the Argentinian bishops which should echo the belief of the diocese that “the life and the martyrdom of these people contribute to the happiness of the people.”
Bishop Angelelli belonged to a group of bishops who denounced the atrocities of the then dictatorship. He died on the 4th of August of 1976 after a car crash on the motorway of La Rioja. At the time he was 53 years old, and he was writing a report about the army’s assignation of Fr Murias and Fr Longueville. The military regime tried to make the death of the bishop look like it was due to his injuries that he had suffered in the car crash, but the court of justice ascertained that the accident was provoked by another car; the bishop died due to a blow to his neck.
Fr Murias and Fr Longueville were kidnapped, tortured, and finally shot on the 18th of July of 1976, in Chamical. The layman, W. Pedernera was assassinated in Chilecito a week later.
The beatification of these people is extremely important for the people of La Rioja given that many survived the dictatorship of which these religious men were the victims.
Credit is due to the numerous persons that have worked to promote these beatifications that were finally announced in November of 2018.
Source: AgenziaFides
