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Two 17th century priests who defended indigenous people and carried the evangelical message of peace still relevant, say Catholic prelates
Two missionaries -- a diocesan priest and a Jesuit -- who defended the indigenous people in Argentina will be beatified (Image courtesy of Vatican News)
By La Croix International staff | Argentina
Argentinean bishops have called on Catholics to live by the heroism of two 17th century priests who not only bore witness to the Gospel but were ready to go to great lengths to carry the evangelical message of peace among indigenous people.
Servants of God Pedro Ortiz de Zárate, a diocesan priest, and Father Giovanni Antonio Solinas, a member of the Society of Jesus, were beheaded on Oct. 27, 1683, in Valle del Zenta in the Viceroyalty of Peru, now part of Argentina.
Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Oct. 13 to promulgate the decree on the martyrdom of Fathers Ortiz de Zárate and Giovanni Antonio Solinas.
The two priests were tortured and killed odium Fidei (in hatred of the faith). The recognition of their martyrdom clears the way for their beatification, while the approval of a miracle would be needed for their canonization.
Following the decree, Bishop Daniel Fernandez of Jujuy asked Catholics of his diocese to "renew our missionary and evangelizing ardor as the best response to this gift we have received."
"We must feel encouraged and committed to honoring Don Pedro by living the heroism of the witness of faith, hope and charity," FIDES quoted Bishop Fernandez as saying.
"For us it is a great blessing of the Lord that an inhabitant of Jujuy, who was parish priest of our Cathedral, and even before in his civil life was elected mayor of San Salvador three times, is raised to the altars," the bishop said.
The two priests who were killed in the Zenta valley were in the area along with 18 lay people, including some indigenous converts, and were shot by aborigines belonging to the Tobas and Mocoví tribes, after celebrating Mass. Their bodies showed signs of violence and torture.
At that time, many tribes were in conflict with each other and the missionaries, who carried the evangelical message of peace, were at the center of these conflicts.
Known as "the martyrs of Zenta" the group is made up of Spaniards, Creoles, mulattoes and members of the indigenous communities of Humahuaca, a small city in the province of Jujuy.
Father Zárate was born on June 29, 1626, in San Salvador, capital of Jujuy, into a family of Basque origin. He married at the age of 17 and had two children.
A widower, he entrusted his children to the grandmother to become a priest in 1657 and served as a parish priest in Jujuy province, bordering Chile and Bolivia, for 24 years.
Bishop Fernandez noted that Zárate was a "father, public man, priest and missionary" at the same time and is "a great impulse for our pilgrim church in Jujuy."
Father Solinas was born in the province of Nuoro in Italy in 1643. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1663. He was first sent to Paraguay, where he was known for his apostolic zeal and charity towards the local people.
In 1683 he joined Father Zárate and was sent to the Chaco mission, which worked among the Indigenous populations of Latin America.
Their beatification process was started in 1988. Though the 18 lay persons were originally included, they were excluded in 2002 for lack of documentation.
The Diocese of San Ramón de la Nueva Orán in the northwest province of Salta, initiated their cause. The diocese is known for different ethnic groups with more than 120 native communities.
Bishop Luis Antonio Scozzina of San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, told Catholics that the process of a beatification "is a reason for joy and consolation for the faithful people".
After the creation of the diocese 60 years ago, this news is a sign of the "providential love of God in the missionary vocation of this Church of Nueva Orán," Bishop Scozzina said.
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