Francisco and Jacinta Marto Were First Non-Martyred Children Raised to the Altar

This amazing piece of information never arrested my attention. There are many children who have been canonized, the Holy Innocents, Saint Hugh of Lincoln, and others; but they were all martyrs. The fact that they were not martyrs is what made the cause of the two Fatima children so unique. They fulfilled all the criteria for beatification, including miracles and heroic virtue, even though they lived like heroic saints only for a few years, from 1917 (or 1916 from the apparition of the Angel of Portugal) to their deaths in 1919 and 1920. Francesco died first at the age of eleven and Jacinta one year later at the age of ten.

CNA reports: Cardinal Martins said the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco Marto, which took place 10 years ago this May, was “a historic event because they were the first children to be raised to the altars who were not martyrs.” Read more here.

One thought on “Francisco and Jacinta Marto Were First Non-Martyred Children Raised to the Altar

  1. What about Bl. Imelda, who died of love after receiving her first Holy Communion? (I think she was twelve.)

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