Pope to beatify Fr. Ramirez in Colombia
Fr. Ramirez, who is to be beatified by Pope Francis in Villavicencio, Colombia, on Sept 8, 2017.- RV |
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will declare Bishop Jesús
Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve of Arauca and Father Pedro Maria Ramirez Ramos
of Colombia “Blessed”, which is a step away from final sainthood. Both
were martyred for their faith in the last century. The Pope will beatify
them at a morning Mass on Friday in Villavicencio, some 94 kms southeast of the
Colombian capital Bogota.
On July, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing the
martyrdom of Fr. Ramirez, killed during the outbreak of Colombia’s civil
war known as “La Violencia”.
Refused to abandon his people
Born in La Plata on Oct. 23m 1899, Fr. Ramirez was ordained
to priesthood in 1931. He served as the pastor of Chaparral then of
Cunday and later of El Fresno before opting for Armero, where he was
killed on April 10, 1948. When violence between the liberals and
conservatives erupted, families in Armero offered to smuggle him out of the
area to safety but he refused to abandon his people.
The rebels burst into his church and dragged him to the town
square where they lynched and mutilated him.
Trinitarian Father Antonio Doménico Sáez Albéniz, the
postulator or promoter of the cause of beatification and canonization of
Fr. Ramirez, told Vatican Radio that he was a very faithful priest given much
to prayer, especially to the Eucharist, and quite demanding in questions of
morality of the people. As he was about to be taken to the town square by
the rebels, he wrote down his last declaration, thanking the bishop for having
posted him in Armero and expressing his gratitude to the Church. He said
he was ready to shed his blood for his people.
Fr. Saez said Fr. Ramirez is a martyr because he died
for his faith and for justice. With several Protestant sects and
Communists active there, Armero was not a particularly religious town.
Several priests assigned to Armero before him had given up and gone away
but Fr. Ramirez volunteered to go there.
Faithful to the last
The postulator said that with the eruption of violence in
1948 in Bogota, Armero also was involved, with Fr. Saez was accused of
everything. Some women persuaded him to go into hiding, but the priest
said he had “consulted his Lord” who asked him to say on. While being dragged
to the square amidst insults, Fr. Ramirez forgave those about to kill him, Fr.
Saez said. The messge of Fr. Ramirez is one of fidelity,
which he expressed in the profound awareness of his priesthood, Fr. Saez
added.
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