Priests, laypeople, Poor Clare nun among 124 20th-century martyrs beatified in Spain

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 12, 2025 / 16:03 pm

The Diocese of Jaén in Spain will celebrate on Dec. 13 the beatification of 109 priests, 14 laypeople, and one Poor Clare nun martyred during the Spanish Civil War.

With the addition of these 124 new blesseds, the number of 20th-century martyrs in Spain recognized by the Catholic Church rises to 2,254, 11 of whom have been canonized.

The beatification ceremony will be presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and will take place in Assumption Cathedral in Jaén, where some of the new blesseds spent their last days before being murdered out of hatred for the faith.

Bishop Sebastián Chico of Jaén in the pastoral letter published on the occasion of the beatification stated that “their blood, far