Santi Spessotto Zamuner ( Italian: Santí Spessotto Zamuner ; January 28, 1923, Mansue , Italy - June 14, 1980, San Juan Nonualco , Salvador ) - Italian Catholic priest , member of the Franciscan order. Having taken the tonsure , he took the monastic name “ Cosme ” and was sent to Salvador in 1950, where he assisted believers in the mission of evangelism and the construction of churches [1] .
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Spessotto, like the Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero , opposed social injustice, violence and human rights violations by the ruling Salvadoran, for which he received death threats. He was shot dead at mass before 1980 [2] .
The process of his canonization began in 1999 under Pope John Paul II , when he was ranked among the servants of God (the first stage of canonization) [3] .
Biography
Spessotto was born on January 28, 1923 in Treviso into a peasant family and was baptized on January 30. His paternal aunt, who was about to become a nun, but who left the novices due to bone disease, taught her nephews the catechism and told them stories about saints. Spessotto was confirmed in 1932, and since 1933 began to prepare for the role of a priest .
On September 16, 1939, he began his obedience to the Franciscan order under the church name Cosme (Cosmas) in Vicenza in a secluded monastery on a hilltop, where he lived according to the precepts of St. Francis of Assisi . He spent 1940 studying humanities at the Monastery of San Antonio de Gemuya in Udine , however, due to the outbreak of World War II, the students of the monastery were transferred to the monastery of San Francesco in Padua . The last months of his philosophical preparation took place under conditions of frequent bombardments, and during a theological research in San Vito al Taglimento he underwent surgery for an ulcer without anesthesia .
Spessotto was ordained a priest on June 27, 1948 and intended to go on a mission to China , but his mother forbade him because of the friction of the church with the communists who came to power in 1949. His desire to preach in Africa also failed.
As a result, three priests - including Spessotto - were sent by missionaries to El Salvador , leaving the port of Genoa on March 9, 1950 and arriving in Central America on April 4, 1950.
Salvador Service
Spessotto was first appointed a priest in need of the parish of San Pedro Nonualco, department of La Paz , and then he was transferred to the parish of San Juan Nonualco, where on October 8, 1953 he arrived off-road in dust on a Vespa scooter , after which he visited the house behind the house to get to know the locals.
Frey Cosme helped in rebuilding the church, which was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930s, and also actively participated in the construction of a new church, which began on June 2, 1960. He helped the sick in his ward and the poor throughout the district, and also raised funds for the construction of a school and clinic.
Spessotto exposed the crimes of the ruling junta, military and ultra-right death squads, especially after the assassination of Jesuit priest Rutilio Grande . Because of his opposition to the regime, he repeatedly received death threats. He also called for peace amid the impending civil war in El Salvador . When the partisans somehow occupied the church and took several priests hostage, Spessotto held successful negotiations for their release.
In May 1980, he was hospitalized due to liver complications, but was eventually diagnosed with leukemia .
On June 14, 1980, he was shot dead at close range at 7:00 p.m. in his parish San Juan Nonualco at the altar during the preparation of Sunday evening mass; Before his death, he managed to receive the last communion from his father Filiberto del Bosco and say that he forgives his executioners. On that day, he had already celebrated Mass for the murdered student.
Sensing his martyrdom, in a dying testament, he called on his parishioners to be “the brave soldiers of Christ”.
Beatification Process
The beatification process was launched in Sacatecolco with the declaration of “ Nihil obstat ” (“nothing prevents”) on July 17, 1999. The diocesan process took place from June 14, 2000 to June 14, 2001 (June 14 is the date of death of the deceased priest).
The process was approved in Rome on April 4, 2003 by the Congregation for the Canonization of Saints .
See also
- Elyacuria, Ignacio
Notes
- ↑ Behind Vatican Walls: Latin America redefines Martyrdom . Salt and Light (May 22, 2015). Date of treatment July 2, 2016.
- ↑ Another Salvadoran martyr . Walk the Way (June 14, 2015). Date of treatment July 2, 2016.
- ↑ Town Sees a Ray of Hope in the Loss of Priest . Los Angeles Times (December 23, 2002). Date of treatment July 2, 2016.