Pray for us, O holy Martyr of Christ

Fr Jacques Hamel, aged 85, was this morning murdered out of hatred of the Faith by two vile assassins (themselves sent to their eternal Judge shortly thereafter), in his church near Rouen, France, where he had been celebrating Mass. 

Without prejudging the verdict of the Church, we can but acclaim him as a martyr and ask his prayers, not least to deliver us from the twin scourges of Satanic barbarism and false religion. 

Those evildoers who seek to destroy Catholicism by terror and bloodshed only add lustre to the crown of Christ's martyrs in heaven, while condemning themselves to the darkest pit of hell forever: "Fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

Bl Oscar Romero, Bp & M?

According to Mgr Delgado, on several occasions the future Pope Francis assured him that, should he become Pope (per impossibile, as the then Cardinal Bergoglio assumed), he would very soon beatify Oscar Romero, who was murdered in odium fidei on the 24th of March 1980.

Thirty-three years after his death (and, we pray, his heavenly birthday), it seems incredible to me at least that that holy and orthodox bishop, who was unafraid of State terror and sought to defend the poor (in the image of several sainted hierarchs of old, be it said), is still uncanonized, let alone as yet not even beatified.

May we hopefully expect good Pope Francis to give the world a new exemplar of holiness by raising Bishop Romero to the honours of the altars in time for Holy Week, or at the least within the first year of his supreme pontificate?