Spain: Priest and layman murdered for hatred of the faith beatified

On Saturday, in the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and before about 2,000 people, the priest Cayetano Clausellas Ballvé and the father of the family Antonio Tort Reixachs, murdered out of hatred for the faith in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, were beatified.

“Let us thank God for the great gift of these exemplary witnesses of Christ and the Gospel. “Applause for the new Blesseds!” said Pope Francis this Sunday, November 24, after praying the Angelus in the Vatican.

The ceremony was celebrated at 11:00 am (local time) by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints; and concelebrated by Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​and by Mons. Salvador Cristau, Bishop of Terrassa.

“What our two blesseds did: they left the choice of their path to God. They accepted to be condemned like Him for the gift of their lives to others. This is what makes a martyr: the imitation of Christ, even when following him leads to the choice of accepting death,” Cardinal Semeraro said during the ceremony.

A father of 11 children and a chaplain at a senior center

According to the Archdiocese of Barcelona, Mons. Cayetano Clausellas Ballvé He was ordained a priest in 1888 and dedicated much of his ministry to caring for the elderly at the Asilo de las Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados de Sabadell. Recognized as the “father of the poor” for his humility and service to the most vulnerable, he stood out for his dedication and courage.

In 1936, despite the danger of religious persecution, he refused to abandon the elderly in his care, stating: “I never promised to abandon the elderly, and if I have to shed my blood, I accept it.” He was captured and killed on August 15 of that year, bearing witness to his faith until the end.

Antonio Tort Reixachs He was a jeweler born in 1895 near Barcelona, ​​father of 11 children, known for his deep piety and devotion. During the religious persecution of 1936, he sheltered his brother, Bishop Manuel Irurita, in his home, along with a priest and four nuns who were persecuted by the militiamen.

Witnesses report that, when the militiamen broke into his house, Tort defended the Eucharist by snatching the ciborium from one of them and exclaiming: “They don’t touch my Lord,” after which he distributed Communion. He was arrested, tortured and, along with his brother, murdered on December 3 in the Moncada cemetery.