ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 22, 2023 / 16:00 pm
The bishop for the military and head of the Bishops’ Delegation for the Causes of the Saints in Argentina, Santiago Olivera, announced the beginning of the cause for canonization of Argentino del Valle Larrabure, an army colonel tortured and murdered in 1975 by Marxist rebels.
The prelate made the announcement during a Mass celebrated Aug. 19 at Our Lady of Luján Parish for the military in the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires for the 48th anniversary of the colonel’s death.
Monsignor Gustavo Acuña, vicar general for the military, read the letter instructing the start of the cause “on the martyrdom of said Servant of God.” Rubén Bonacina has been appointed as postulator, whose role is to gather testimony on Larrabure’s life.
In his homily, Olivera noted that “various testimonies say that Larrabure could have been saved from his cruel fate, he could have said ‘yes’ and saved himself at too high a price: helping them make explosives to continue killing. However, holding an unwavering faith, he said ‘no,’ and while he was singing a hymn, he was martyred at the hands of the ERP [People’s Revolutionary Army].”