José Gregorio Hernández will be beatified the morning of April 30 in Venezuela's capital.
The Vatican Secretary of State, Card. Pietro Parolin, will celebrate the Mass. After seven years, he will return to the country where he served as apostolic nuncio. Which is why he's very familiar with the people's love for the so-called “doctor of the poor.”
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
“The whole country recognizes itself in him and accepts and loves him. He can be an element that unites all Venezuelans in a moment of hardship and division.”
After completing his mission in Venezuela, he admitted that he brought a piece of the country back to Rome.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
“I brought with me many statues of Venezuelan saints. Most are of José Gregorio Hernández and Our Lady of Coromoto. I have an image of José Gregorio outside my room, so I see it every time I walk in and out. It makes me think about Venezuela.”
José Gregorio Hernández is the first Venezuelan layman to be beatified. He is credited with significant scientific advances in Venezuela, between the 19th and 20th centuries.
It's the most anticipated beatification in Venezuela, and it arrives in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
