Vatican City, Nov 25, 2021 / 04:32 am (CNA).
Pope Francis has recognized a miracle attributed to Titus Brandsma, an outspoken opponent of Nazism martyred at Dachau concentration camp in 1942.
The pope authorized Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, to issue a decree on Nov. 25 approving the miracle.
The decision paves the way for the Dutch Carmelite friar’s beatification.
Titus Brandsma was born Anno Sjoerd Brandsma in Oegeklooster, in the province of Friesland, in 1881.
His efforts to counter Nazi ideology led to his arrest following the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940.
He was transferred to Dachau, once described as “the largest priest cemetery in the world,” on June 19, 1942. He died on July 26, 1942, following a lethal injection.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in November 1985 as a martyr for the faith.
A Catholic priest in Florida told CNA in 2018 that he attributed his miraculous healing from cancer to Brandsma’s intercession.
A congress of theologians recognized the scientifically inexplicable healing of Fr. Michael Driscoll, O. Carm, as a miracle on May 25 this year. A group of cardinals approved the canonization cause on Nov. 9, submitting their decision to Pope Francis.
More to follow
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