“They did not seek martyrdom, because martyrdom is not sought after but endured,” Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, preached at the October 30 beatification of Blessed Francisco Cástor Sojo López and his three companions. “But when the moment came to bear witness to Christ with their blood, they did not hesitate, but embraced their cross with love.”

The four priests, all members of the Fraternity of Diocesan Worker Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, “were killed in hatred of the faith,” Pope Francis said on October 31. “Zealous and generous pastors during the religious persecution of the 1930s, they remained faithful to their ministry even at the risk of their lives. May their witness be a model, especially for priests.”