**Pope Leo XIV Canonizes Venezuela’s Beloved “Doctor of the Poor”**
*Vatican City* — Pope Leo XIV canonized Venezuela’s cherished “doctor of the poor” on Sunday before tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square. This momentous occasion offered the South American nation its first saint—a cause for celebration amid a prolonged economic crisis and escalating tensions with the United States.
José Gregorio Hernández, revered by millions for his unwavering dedication to the poor, was declared a saint alongside Mother Carmen Rendiles Martínez, founder of a Venezuelan religious order. Pope Leo described the Mass as a “great celebration of holiness.”
Thousands of jubilant Venezuelans filled the square, draping Venezuelan flags over police barricades. The vibrant red, blue, and yellow colors harmonized strikingly with the uniforms of the Swiss Guards on duty. Meanwhile, thousands more who could not travel to Rome assembled overnight at Caracas’s Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria church outside, where an 8-meter (26-foot) statue of Hernández stands. They watched the Mass live on a giant screen.
“It’s good news after so much sadness,” said Ana Sanabria, a 71-year-old homemaker, as she admired the fireworks from Caracas.
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The Vatican reported that approximately 70,000 people attended the Mass, which also saw Papua New Guinea’s first saint, Peter To Rot, a layman imprisoned and killed in 1945 for championing monogamous marriage during an era when polygamy was common.
In total, seven individuals were canonized during the ceremony—one of Pope Leo’s final acts as pontiff. Notably, Hernández’s canonization was expedited. Pope Leo approved it from his hospital room on February 24, choosing to bypass the usual Vatican miracle confirmation process due to the “widespread veneration of the ‘doctor-saint’ among the faithful,” according to the Vatican.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed gratitude toward Pope Leo for intervening after years of petitions from ordinary believers and the Venezuelan Catholic hierarchy.
“Today we have raised a prayer for the eternal spirit of he who is going to be a saint, also for Pope Leo, who gave this beautiful gift to Venezuela,” Maduro said in Caracas following the Mass.
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### A Beloved Doctor and a Lasting Icon
José Gregorio Hernández remains deeply beloved across Venezuela. His image adorns street art throughout Caracas, hangs in hospital portraits, and is featured on countless home altars.
As a doctor in late 19th and early 20th century Caracas, Hernández refused to charge poor patients and frequently gave them money to buy medicine. This compassion earned him the nickname “doctor of the poor.” Tragically, he died in a road accident in 1919 while crossing the street shortly after collecting medicine to deliver to an elderly woman in need.
His legacy grew into that of a religious icon after his death. When Pope John Paul II visited Venezuela in 1996, he received a petition signed by five million people—nearly one in four Venezuelans—requesting Hernández’s canonization.
“Certainly, the canonization of José Gregorio is desired by all the Venezuelan people, and has been waited for by all the people,” said José Ramon Malavecontreras, a Venezuelan living in Rome.
Malavecontreras shared a personal connection: “My mother named me after Hernández. They believed I would be stillborn, so she dedicated his name to me for saving my life. Therefore, this moment was unmissable for me. I couldn’t fail to be here.”
In Caracas, Arquímides Blanco, 60, who belongs to a cultural collective commissioned to paint the streets ahead of the canonization, admitted he wasn’t a particular fan of Hernández but acknowledged the event’s significance for Venezuela.
“I may not be a big fan of José Gregorio as such, but I understand that he is Venezuelan and that his canonization in the context of the whole geopolitical situation is important,” he said.
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### A Celebration Amid Tensions
The canonization marks a much-anticipated celebration for Venezuela, coming just weeks after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The event occurs amid rising tensions with the United States over Washington’s military operations against suspected drug cartels. Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and is considering a possible land operation in the country.
Venezuela’s economy has suffered a decade-long crisis exacerbated by U.S. sanctions, prompting millions of Venezuelans to emigrate—first to neighboring South American countries, and in recent years, to the United States.
Despite credible evidence that Maduro lost the last election, his government was sworn in last year. Economic hardships have forced subsidy cuts, rendering many basic necessities unaffordable for an estimated 80% of residents living in poverty.
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### Other Newly Canonized Saints
In his homily, Pope Leo urged Catholics to view all seven new saints as inspirational “models for today” carrying “the lamp of the faith.”
“May their intercession assist us in our trials and their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness,” he said.
Besides José Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Rendiles Martínez, those canonized include:
– Archbishop Ignazio Choukrallah Maloyan, an Armenian Catholic martyred during the Ottoman-era genocide for refusing to renounce his faith.
– Sister Vincenza Maria Poloni, 19th-century founder of a religious order.
– Sister Maria Troncatti, an Italian missionary in Ecuador.
– Bartolo Longo, canonized, like Hernández, due to widespread veneration among the faithful rather than a documented miraculous healing.
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*Reporting contributed from Caracas, Venezuela.*
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/19/pope-venezuela-canonizing-doctor/
