Pope Leo XIV has authorized the promulgation of six decrees from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, advancing the causes of several men and women whose lives reflected heroic virtue, missionary zeal, and fidelity to Christ in times of suffering.
Among the most notable is the approval of the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek, the former Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and a key figure in the formation of modern Lebanon. Born in 1843, Hoyek dedicated his priesthood and episcopal ministry to catechesis, clerical formation, and care for the poor. During World War I, he opened monasteries and convents to the hungry and displaced, regardless of religion. He also played a major role in the negotiations that led to the establishment of the state of Lebanon in 1920. A miracle attributed to his intercession, involving the healing of a Lebanese army officer in 1965, cleared the way for his beatification.
The Holy Father also approved the beatification of 80 martyrs of the Spanish Civil War. The group includes priests, seminarians, religious, and lay faithful who were killed during the anti-Catholic persecution of the 1930s. Many endured imprisonment, torture, and execution rather than abandon the faith. Among them was Fr. Francisco Gonzáles de Córdova, a parish priest who remained with his people despite growing threats against clergy. Even while imprisoned, he continued hearing confessions and leading fellow prisoners in prayer before eventually being executed.
In addition to the beatifications, Pope Leo recognized four new venerables.
One was Salesian missionary Fr. Costantino Vendrame, an Italian priest who spent decades serving the poor in India. Known for his simplicity and tireless missionary work, he traveled long distances on foot to minister to isolated communities and remained a source of encouragement even while imprisoned during World War II.
The Pope also recognized the heroic virtue of Br. Jean-Thierry of the Child Jesus and the Passion, a young Cameroonian Discalced Carmelite who died of cancer at just 23 years old. Deeply devoted to the Rosary and to Our Lady, he offered his suffering for vocations after realizing his illness would likely claim his life.
Also declared venerable was Mother María Ana Alberdi Echezarreta, a Spanish Conceptionist Franciscan nun remembered for guiding her religious community through the hardships of the Spanish Civil War and the years following the Second Vatican Council. Her life was marked by humility, wisdom, and charity.
The final decree recognized Fra Nazareno da Pula, a Capuchin lay brother from Sardinia affectionately known as “the saint with the sweets” for his habit of giving children candy while encouraging them to pray a Hail Mary. His quiet life of prayer and service left a lasting spiritual legacy among the people he served.