Joy in Syria: Pope Francis gives ‘green light’ for canonization of ‘Martyrs of Damascus’ 

Jerusalem, May 23, 2024 / 17:11 pm

In Damascus, Syria, today, news that the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus” will be canonized was received with “emotion and hope,” according to Father Firas Lufti, guardian of the Franciscan convent of Bab-Touma in Damascus where the martyrdom occurred and where many relics of the martyrs are preserved. 

During an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, “the Supreme Pontiff approved the votes in favor cast during the ordinary session of the cardinal and bishop fathers for the canonization” of the martyrs, said the bulletin released by the Holy See Press Office on May 23. 

The “Martyrs of Damascus” were murdered “out of hatred for the faith” in Damascus, Syria, some time during the night of July 9-10, 1860. The event took place during the persecution of Christians by Shia Druze, which spread from Lebanon to Syria and resulted in thousands of victims.

A Druze commando entered the Franciscan convent, located in the Christian quarter of Bab-Touma (St. Paul) in the Old City of Damascus, and massacred the friars: Manuel Ruiz, Carmelo Bolta, Nicanor Ascanio, Nicolás M. Alberca y Torres, Pedro Soler, Engelbert Kolland, Francisco Pinazo Peñalver, Juan S. Fernández, along with three laymen who were biological brothers — Francis, Abdel Mohti, and Raphaël Massabki.

Upon refusing to renounce their Christian faith and convert to Islam, the 11 were brutally killed, some beheaded with sabers and axes, others stabbed or clubbed to death.

The news of the impending canonizations comes almost 100 years after the beatification of the 11 martyrs, which took place in 1926.

“All of us have longed to hear this news,” said Lufti, who is also a friar of the Custody of the Holy Land. “With the canonization, the process initiated over 160 years ago with their martyrdom, with the self-giving in service to God, the Church, and suffering brothers, is completed. Holiness is the life project of every baptized person and the culmination of a life spent for others.”

“This news,” Lufti added, “comes at a time when the entire Middle East, including Syria, is experiencing moments of drama and conflict. Holiness is the hope for a new world. Despite the horrors of sin that mankind is capable of writing, history is written by God, who is the Lord of history, alongside his saints.”

The hope is that the canonization of the Martyrs of Damascus is also “a message of dialogue, peace, and unity” in the Middle Eastern context, the friar said. 

Every year on July 10, the liturgical calendar of the Custody of the Holy Land commemorates these martyrs. In the Syrian capital, the Latin and Maronite communities often celebrate this day together.

“This year’s celebration will have a very special flavor because it will be a taste of holiness,” Lufti explained. “The canonization of the Martyrs of Damascus will give a new impetus to the life of the Christian community, which awaited this announcement with great anticipation.”

Lufti referred to the Damascus martyrs as “witnesses, models, and examples” to follow “in order to persevere in the faith.” The canonization of these men who “put into practice the golden rule of Christian life: to love God and neighbor to the point of giving their lives … gives us hope [and] shows us where to set our feet on the path toward holiness, which is the goal of every Christian.”

The cause for canonization of the martyrs has been revived in recent years due to their growing reputation for holiness and the number of miracles attributed to their intercession.

In 2022, the Holy Synod of Maronite Bishops presented a petition to Pope Francis for the canonization of the Blessed Massabki Martyrs — the three brothers from the same family who were killed along with the friars the same night in Damascus. This request was joined by the Order of Friars Minor, who sought the canonization of the entire group of martyrs.

On March 23, 2023, the pope authorized a special procedure for the drafting and study of the “Positio super Canonizatione,” a set of documents used in the process by which a person is declared a saint, often simply referred to as the “Positio.” On May 23, the pontiff approved the favorable votes of the ordinary session of cardinals and bishops for the martyrs’ canonization.

Although there is no date scheduled yet for the canonization, Lufti said the Church in Syria hopes it can be celebrated during the upcoming Jubilee Year recently announced by Pope Francis.