Bl. Enrique Angelelli

Enrique Angelelli was the son of Italian immigrants in Argentina. As a priest and bishop, first in Córdoba and later in La Rioja, he focused his work on the poor and the oppressed. In the mid-1970s Argentina entered what became known as the "dirty war". Right-wing death squads kidnapped, tortured and killed anyone they saw as a threat; about 30,000 people disappeared.

In July 1976 two priests of his diocese, Fr Carlos de Dios Murias and Fr Gabriel Longueville, were tortured to death. A week later a lay catechist, Wenceslao Pedernera, was shot in front of his wife and daughters. Angelelli knew he was on a death list and often said, "It's my turn next." On August 4, 1976, driving home after celebrating Mass for the two murdered priests, his truck was overturned and he was killed at the roadside. In 2014 an Argentine court confirmed that his death was a premeditated, state-sponsored killing. He was beatified in La Rioja in 2019 with the three men killed before him.

He did not pretend to be unafraid. He knew he was on the list and said so, and he kept going.

The Church has declared Enrique Angelelli Blessed.

Beatification allows public veneration, usually in a particular region or religious family. Canonization extends it to the whole Church.