Pope approves group of Spanish Civil War martyrs
20/12/2005 - 14:12:56Pope Benedict XVI has approved the latest group of martyrs from the Spanish Civil War, adding to the roll call of faithful the Vatican has honoured for dying while defending their faith.
Among the group was Antero Mateo Garcia, the father of a family, who died at the age of 61 in 1936.
The martyr declaration is part of the Vatican’s sainthood process. In October, seven priests and a nun who were killed during the war were beatified in St Peter’s Basilica.
The Church says that more than 4,000 clergy were killed by the Spanish government or by Republicans, who accused the Church of backing Fascist General Francisco Franco during the conflict.
