Martyrs

The Latest

The 10 Elizabethan sisters beatified on June 11, 2022, in Wrocław, Poland.

Meet the 10 newest blesseds of the Catholic Church

Jun 18, 2022

By CNA Staff

The 10 Elizabethan sisters were murdered by Red Army soldiers in 1945. Read more

Sister Paschalis Jahn and nine fellow Elizabethan sisters martyred during World War II were beatified June 11, 2022, in Wroclaw, Poland.

Pope Francis praises 'example of faith' of newly beatified Polish nuns martyred in WWII

Jun 12, 2022

By CNA Staff

Sister Paschalis Jahn and nine fellow Elizabethan sisters were beatified Saturday in Wroclaw, Poland. Read more

The beatification of Father Leonard Melki and Father Thomas Saleh in Jal el Dib, Lebanon, on June 4, 2022.

Catholic priests martyred under Ottoman Empire beatified in Lebanon

Jun 6, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Father Leonard Melki and Father Thomas Saleh were martyred in 1915 and 1917 respectively. Read more

Titus Brandsma as rector magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen in 1932.

Who was Titus Brandsma?

Mar 8, 2022

By Luke Coppen

Pope Francis will canonize the World War II martyr in May. Read more

Blessed Martyrs of Compiègne were guillotined for their faith on July 17, 1794.

Pope Francis opens special process to canonize 16 Carmelite martyrs of the French Revolution

Feb 25, 2022

By Kelsey Wicks

At the request of the bishops of France and the Order of Carmelites Discalced (OCD), Pope Francis agreed on Feb.... Read more

Four martyrs are beatified at a Mass in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Jan. 22, 2022.

Pope Francis honors newly beatified El Salvador martyrs for their ‘heroic example’

Jan 25, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Father Cosme Spessotto, Father Rutilio Grande, and two lay companions were declared blessed. Read more

Blessed Titus Brandsma, O.Carm.

Pope Francis recognizes miracle attributed to WWII martyr Bl. Titus Brandsma’s intercession

Nov 25, 2021

By CNA Staff

The decision paves the way for the Dutch Carmelite friar’s canonization. Read more

A Mass in honor of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Warsaw, Poland, Oct. 19. 2021.

Poland commemorates anniversary of Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko’s martyrdom

Oct 20, 2021

By CNA Staff

The blessed was killed on Oct. 19, 1984. Read more

St. Jose Sanchez del Rio banner in St. Peter's Square, Oct. 16, 2016.

St José Sánchez del Río's witness highlighted at Mexican Martyrs Shrine statue dedication

Oct 18, 2021

By David Ramos

At the dedication of the statue of Saint José Sánchez del Río at Guadalajara’s Martyrs Shrine, the city’s archbishop highlighted... Read more

The Martyrs of Zenta.

Argentine bishops welcome Vatican recognition of priests' 1683 martyrdom

Oct 15, 2021

By Giselle Vargas

Bishops in Argentina have welcomed the promulgation of a decree by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints that regards... Read more

An image of Blessed Paul Yun Ji-chung and 123 companions, who were beatified Aug. 16, 2014.

Relics of first Korean Catholic martyrs identified with DNA testing

Sep 1, 2021

By Courtney Mares

The martyrs were among the first of thousands of Catholics to be tortured and executed. Read more

Blessed Stanley Rother during a carnival. Courtesy of Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Archives.

5 things you need to know about Blessed Stanley Rother

Jul 28, 2021

By Gretchen Siegel

Not much is popularly known about Blessed Stanley Rother, the small town Oklahoma native who was declared blessed in September... Read more

Fr. Jan Macha (1914-1942).

Polish Catholic priest guillotined by Nazis to be beatified in November

Jun 17, 2021

By CNA Staff

Fr. Jan Macha will be declared blessed in Katowice, southern Poland, on Nov. 20. Read more

Fr. Peter Johnson celebrates Mass at Carrive Mass Rock in Armagh.

Catholic priests offer Masses ‘for renewal of the faith’ at Ireland’s Mass rocks

Jun 16, 2021

By CNA Staff

Masses were celebrated at Mass rocks in all of Ireland’s 26 dioceses. Read more

The 10 Russian Catholic martyrs of the 20th century whose beatification process is underway.

Catholic Church in Russia reorganizes causes of 20th-century martyrs

Jun 5, 2021

By CNA Staff

All the candidates died after the Russian Revolution and the Bolshevik establishment of the Soviet Union. Read more

Skulls identified as those of the Welsh Catholic martyrs Philip Evans and John Lloyd

Catholic martyrs’ bones identified almost 150 years after discovery in an attic

Apr 8, 2021

Two skulls were discovered in an attic in Wales in 1878. Researchers believe they have now identified them as belonging... Read more

Martyred Italian judge Rosario Livatino (1952-1990). Public domain.

Pope Francis: Martyred Catholic judge showed mafia’s ‘intrinsic denial of the Gospel’

Mar 31, 2021

In the preface to a new book, Pope Francis says that the martyrdom of Italian Catholic judge Rosario Livatino in... Read more

Irish High Cross at the Rock of Cashel in Co. Tipperary, Ireland. Credit: Marie-Lise Van Wassenhove via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

How a former heroin addict unearthed a book of Irish martyrs

Feb 27, 2021

Damien Richardson rediscovered his faith and overcame addiction. Then he unearthed an extraordinary book about Ireland’s Catholic history...  Read more

Archbishop George Frendo, O.P., Archbishop of Tiranë-Durrës in Albania. Courtesy photo.

Archbishop: ‘The Catholic Church in Albania enjoys great credibility and respect’

Feb 9, 2021

By Luke Coppen

Pope Francis only spent 11 hours in Albania when he visited the country in 2014. But for some, his trip was... Read more

Fr. Giuseppe Livatino, postulator and cousin of martyred judge Rosario Livatino. Credit: www.piolatorre.it.

Rosario Livatino’s postulator: Christians urgently need ‘credible witnesses’

Jan 12, 2021

By Courtney Mares

The postulator of the beatification cause of a judge martyred by the mafia says that Christians today urgently need “credible... Read more