A few weeks ago, on 21 February 2020, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis, having met with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, has formally approved the beatification of Fr Rutilio Grande. The Pope did this by proclaiming Rutilio a martyr for the Catholic faith. Once someone is declared a martyr, you don’t need a miracle, which the Church usually looks for, before beatifying a Servant of God.
Those who understood the mind of Pope Francis knew this was coming, as Pope Francis had remarked that Oscar Romero was Rutilio’s first miracle. Romero is now a saint and his close friend, Rutilio, will soon be a Blessed.
Rutilio was born on 5 July 1928 in a village called El Paisnal in the Central American country of El Salvador. He was the youngest of seven children of poor peasants. Because his parents divorced when he was a child, he was brought up by his grandmother, a strong and devout Catholic woman, with the support of his older brother. His Archbishop noticed the twelve-year old Rutilio when he visited his village and brought him to study in the high school-minor seminary in San Salvador, the capital.
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Fr M A Joe Antony SJ
