7-8 December 2018: beatification of 19 clergymen and women in Algeria

beatificationThe Catholic Church has beatified on the 7th of December 2018 in Algeria 19 clergymen and women killed by the terrorists.


The ceremony, the first of its kind in a Muslim country, was attended by the Algerian Religious Affairs Minister Mohamed Aissa, the Cardinal Angelo Becciu, representative of Pope Francis, the ambassadors of several countries and various religious dignitaries and by more than 1,300 people.


M. Mohamed Aissa hailed this gathering that brought together Muslims and Christians as “a universal message for peace and a confirmation that living together in harmony in Algeria is possible.”


Pope Francis said in a message read by Cardinal Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints that that this unprecedented event will draw a great sign of brotherhood in the algerian sky for the whole world.”


For the foreign medias, it’s “a symbol of friendship”, a “message of peace and living together from Algeria” and “a real opportunity to strengthen the understanding between Muslims and Christians”.