The Pontifical Lateran University hosted the first congress developed in Rome about the life of the Venerable José Gregorio Hernández, a Venezuelan physician well-known throughout his country for his sanctity.
CARD. BALTAZAR PORRAS
Apostolic administrator of Caracas
“We hope, through prayer and care, to soon have this great figure of a great layman and physician raised to the altars. He worked and died serving the poor. What better situation than this, living in our country with such a deep crisis in which hate and division have been sown among the people, to have this role model to follow.”
He lived between 1864 and 1919. He is known as the doctor of the poor. José Gregorio Hernández is considered a “witness for peace, for a peaceful process.”
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Secretary of State, Vatican
“It is an element of unity among the Venezuelan people. The whole country recognizes itself in him and accepts and loves him. Let’s say then that it can be an element that accompanies and unites all Venezuelans in a moment of hardships and divisions.”
After the meeting, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, recalled his time in Venezuela, where he was an apostolic nuncio until 2013. He confessed that he brought a “piece” of the country to Rome.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Secretary of State, Vatican
“I brought with me many images of Venezuelan saints. Most are of José Gregorio Hernández and Our Lady of Coromoto. I have it outside my bedroom, so when I exit and enter I always see it. This is a reason to think about Venezuela.”
In a country undergoing a political, economic, and social crisis, the figure of Dr. José Gregorio Hernández is a testimony to the charity of the Venezuelans who hope to see him soon a saint.
