Two Italian priests, Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni and Fr. Martino Capelli, martyred by the Nazis in 1944, will be beatified. The Pope authorized decrees for the beatification, recognizing their martyrdom in hatred of the faith. The priests were killed in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy during the Nazi occupation. Decrees were also promulgated recognizing the heroic virtues of four Servants of God, who will become Venerable. The Venerables include Archbishop Enrico Bartoletti, Fr. Gaspare Goggi, Sister Maria of the Sacred Heart, and Maria de Lourdes Guarda.
24 days ago
Pope Leo XIV authorized the promulgation of decrees on November 21, 2025, recognizing the martyrdom of two Italian priests killed by Nazis in 1944 and the heroic virtues of four Servants of God from Italy, Australia, and Brazil.1
These decrees pave the way for the beatification of the martyrs and the declaration of the others as Venerable, highlighting acts of faith during wartime and in service to the vulnerable.1
Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni, born in 1918 near Bologna, Italy, was ordained at age 24 and served as bursar at San Martino di Caprara parish during the Nazi occupation.1
On September 29, 1944, while en route to celebrate Mass, he sheltered parishioners in the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Casaglia amid an SS roundup.1
He urged men to flee and protected women and children, but negotiations failed; he was executed by a shot to the head before the altar, his body mutilated in hatred of the faith.1
His martyrdom is recognized both due to the Nazis' odium fidei and his conscious choice to remain with his flock despite escape opportunities.1
Fr. Martino Capelli, born Nicola Giuseppe in 1912 in Bergamo, Italy, joined the Dehonians at 17, was ordained in 1938, and studied in Rome before teaching in Bologna.1
In summer 1944, he assisted at San Michele di Salvaro parish amid clashes between Nazis, Allies, and partisans, refusing his order's request to return for safety.1
After the Creda massacre on September 29, 1944, he comforted the dying and was imprisoned with others, including Fr. Elia Comini, hearing confessions in a stable at Pioppe di Salvaro.1
On October 1, 1944, he was executed with the unfit for labor near a silk-mill cistern, his body discarded in the River Reno; this act stemmed from contempt for his priestly ministry.1
The decree affirms odium fidei and martyrdom ex parte victimae, as he prioritized aiding massacre victims over personal safety.1
Archbishop Enrico Bartoletti, born in 1916 near Florence, Italy, was ordained in 1938 and aided in hiding Jews during World War II, leading to his brief arrest by Nazis.1
As auxiliary bishop of Lucca and secretary of the Italian Bishops’ Conference from 1972, he advanced Vatican II implementation and pastoral guidelines on evangelization.1
He died suddenly in 1976 at age 59 from a heart attack, remembered as a post-conciliar bridge-builder fostering ecclesial unity.1
Fr. Gaspare Goggi, born in 1877 in Alessandria, Italy, joined St. Luigi Orione's Little Work of Divine Providence at 15, earning degrees in Turin and gathering faithful students amid anticlericalism.1
Ordained at 26, he served as a confessor in Rome's Sant’Anna dei Palafrenieri, aiding the poor despite frail health, and died at 31 in 1908, revered as a "little saint."1
Sister Maria of the Sacred Heart (Maria Glowrey), born in 1887 in Australia, became a doctor in 1910 and moved to India in 1920 to treat women and children in Guntur, joining the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph.1
She took perpetual vows in 1924, expanded a dispensary into St. Joseph’s Hospital, trained staff in Catholic ethics, and founded the Catholic Health Association of India in 1943.1
She collaborated on natural fertility methods and died of breast cancer in 1957 in Bangalore, exemplifying consecrated medical service to the poorest.1
Maria de Lourdes Guarda, born in 1926 in São Paulo, Brazil, became paralyzed at 21 from a spinal injury, later consecrating herself in 1970 to the Secular Institute Caritas Christi despite physical limitations.1
Bedridden for nearly 50 years, enduring amputations and cancer, she coordinated apostolic activities from her hospital room and led the national Fraternity of Persons with Disabilities for inclusion efforts.1
She died in 1996 at 70, her life of offered suffering inspiring a growing reputation for holiness.1
Beatification confirms Catholic martyrs' witness against Nazi persecution
The beatification of Catholic martyrs who stood firm against Nazi persecution serves as a profound affirmation of the Church's unwavering commitment to Christ amid totalitarian oppression. These declarations by the Holy See not only honor individuals who sacrificed their lives for the faith but also underscore the redemptive power of martyrdom, transforming suffering into a testament of divine truth. Drawing from papal homilies and decrees, this analysis explores how such beatifications illuminate the Church's resistance to ideologies that despised God and human dignity, offering timeless lessons on fidelity, forgiveness, and the fruitfulness of sacrifice.
The Nazi regime's assault on the Church was part of a broader wave of 20th-century persecutions that echoed ancient trials of faith, yet adapted to modern ideologies of racial supremacy and state absolutism. Pope John Paul II, reflecting on Poland's ordeal, described how "many martyrs there were during the time of the Second World War," with victims suffering in "the death camps of Hitler," their blood making the land "fertile for growth and for the harvest." This era produced a "great martyrology," where Catholics from diverse nations—Polish, Ukrainian, German, and Italian—faced execution, imprisonment, and torture for refusing to renounce their allegiance to Christ and the Church. In Ukraine, the Greek-Catholic Church endured "mountains of corpses and rivers of blood," with martyrs tested by "the followers of the infamous Nazi... ideologies." Similarly, in Germany, the Church opposed the "despotism [of] national-socialism" through quiet resistance and ultimate sacrifice, as seen in the lives of those who rejected the "ideology of the brown shirts."
These persecutions were not mere political conflicts but odium fidei—hatred of the faith—manifesting in the destruction of sacred symbols and direct violence against clergy and laity. Priests like Giovanni Fornasin, a parish priest killed by SS soldiers in 1944, embodied this struggle; his "cruelty of... execution attests the hatred that the SS soldiers had for this young man of God, who in the name of Christ and the Church fought against violence and injustice." The beatification process, as outlined in apostolic letters and decrees, rigorously verifies that such deaths occurred "in hatred of the Christian faith," ensuring their recognition as true martyrdom. In Poland alone, 108 martyrs from concentration camps were beatified in 1999, symbolizing the "inhuman occupation" and the Church's heroic witness. This historical backdrop reveals how Nazi persecution targeted the Church as an obstacle to total control, yet elicited a response of unyielding fidelity.
In Catholic tradition, beatification elevates martyrs as models of the Beatitudes, particularly "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake," confirming their union with Christ's Passion. Pope John Paul II emphasized that these "martyrs, many of them nameless, 'unknown soldiers' as it were of God’s great cause," are "tried... like gold in the furnace," their sacrifice bearing "fruit a hundredfold" for the Church. The process, governed by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, discerns not just violent death but the motive of faith: for instance, in the case of Ukrainian martyrs like Omeljan Kovč, a priest who died in a concentration camp "fighting for the faith" during wartime deportation. Their beatification declares that "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," linking personal sacrifice to the communal edification of the faithful.
Decrees highlight the ecclesial breadth of these witnesses: bishops, priests, religious, and laity, all "represent[ing] all categories of the ecclesial community." For Giuseppe Bernardi and Mario Ghibaudo, diocesan priests killed in 1943, their beatification in 2022 recognizes lives "dedicated to the ministry... to save others," even amid known dangers. This theological framework, rooted in Scripture (e.g., Jn 12:24, the grain of wheat dying to bear fruit), positions martyrdom as the "highest measure of service of God and of the Church," fostering reconciliation and Easter hope. Where sources note divergences, such as varying intensities of persecution across regions, the Church prioritizes the unity of witness, with recent papal approvals (e.g., under Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis) taking precedence to affirm contemporary relevance.
Several beatified figures exemplify this witness, their stories drawn from official biographies and homilies:
The 108 Polish Martyrs (Beatified 1999): These priests and laity, killed in Nazi camps, "bore heroic witness to the faith" during the occupation. As John Paul II proclaimed, they imitated Christ the Good Shepherd, laying down their lives "for their sheep," inspiring Poland's Church amid "persecution, oppression and injustice." Their collective beatification honors the nameless, emphasizing communal sanctity.
Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Martyrs, including Mykola Konrad and Omeljan Kovč (Beatified 2001): Amid Nazi and subsequent Communist trials, these included 25 companions who offered their lives "so that the field of God would bear fruit." Kovč, dying in Majdanek, represented forgiveness, dying "in hatred of the Christian faith" yet calling for unity.
German Resisters, such as those linked to Rupert Mayer and Edith Stein (Beatified 1987 and 1987): Though earlier, their martyrdom against "demonic powers of a world far from God" prefigured broader recognitions, with John Paul II noting the Church's resistance to Nazism as part of a "rich martyrology."
Italian Clergy like Giovanni Fornasin and Rolando Rivi (Beatified 2021 and 2013): Fornasin announced the Gospel's power through "fidelity, industriousness, and meekness" until his 1944 martyrdom by SS forces. Rivi, a seminarian killed in 1945 amid anti-clerical hatred, sealed his vocation in a forest execution, his youth underscoring universal call to heroism.
These profiles, verified through canonical inquiries (e.g., historical consultors and theological congresses), reveal patterns: awareness of peril, persistence in ministry, and deaths tied explicitly to faith, as in the "odium fidei" against religious identity.
Today, these beatifications challenge the faithful to emulate such courage in facing secular ideologies that marginalize faith. As John Paul II urged, from their "blood we ought to draw strength for the sacrifice of our own life, which we must offer to God each day." They affirm the Church's prophetic role, as seen in Pius XII's solidarity with persecuted faithful who remained "faithfully joined to the Roman Pontiff." In an era of relativism, these martyrs remind us that holiness flourishes "in every situation," countering injustice with love. The Dicastery's processes ensure nuance, recognizing martyrdom's ethical depth without overreach, while noting that not all victims qualify unless tied to odium fidei.
The beatification of these martyrs against Nazi persecution encapsulates the Church's victory through the Cross, turning historical tragedy into eternal witness. Their lives, as proclaimed by successive popes, call us to perseverance, ensuring that "rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" resonates anew. In honoring them, the Church not only remembers but invites all to the path of righteousness, where sacrifice yields abundant fruit.