Maronite bishop Simon Fadoul called the new saints models for the laity.
vatican city
Pope Francis canonized 14 new martyrs, including the 11 martyrs of Damascus, while Bishop Simon Faddoul praised three Maronite laymen among them for their testimony of fidelity to Christ.
“I thought we were witnessing a marriage of holiness,” Bishop Simon said in an interview with Vatican News about the beatification liturgy, which took place in the courtyard of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Speaking to Nour El Khoury in the Vatican News studios, the bishop remembered Maronite Christians in West and Central Africa, including Brothers Francis, Mutti and Raphael Massabaki, who were martyred in 1860 along with eight Franciscan priests. The Christians, known as the 11 Martyrs of Damascus, were victims of hatred for their faith at St. Paul’s Monastery during the Ottoman Muslim persecution, resulting in their bloody testimony.
Bishop Faddoul said the three Maronite laymen are models for all laypeople and declared that “courage and perseverance in faith are the price of the Church.”
He also recalled the situation faced by many people in the Middle East. “Especially during these difficult times, this incident reminds us to remain even more connected to our people and their land,” he said. “Looking back at history reminds us that many of our ancestors sacrificed their lives for their faith.”
The bishop said these many Maronite martyrs offer testimony to the steadfastness of their homeland in the Middle East, adding that this is a land “watered by the sweat and blood of our ancestors.”
unity with rome
Bishop Fadoul recalled that the Maronite Church was founded after the death of Saint Maron in 430-400, but that this Church had already received official recognition by participating in the Synod of Chalcedon in 451.
“Since then, Maronites have been loyal to Rome and the Holy See,” he said. “I believe that the canonization of the martyrs brings the Maronite Church closer to the global Church.” Bishop Fadoul affirmed that the Maronite Church, as an Eastern Catholic Church, plays a unique role in the Body of Christ.
“The canonization of Francisco, Mutti and Rafael Masabaki provides an opportunity to demonstrate our unity. “With each canonization, the bond between the Maronite Church and the universal Church becomes ever stronger, in which we see an ever deeper sense of identity and unity.”
