The Vatican Recognized Tibhirine Monks As Martyrs

The Vatican recognized, in a decree, that was issued on Saturday, the two Tibhirine monks, who were killed in Algeria in 1996, as martyrs, in preparation for their defection.

Former Bishop of Oran, Pierre Claverie, who was assassinated in August, 1, 1996, was also declared a martyr.

AFP quoted the Vatican’s decree as saying; “The Vatican gave the degree of the martyr in total to 19 monks and nuns who were killed by hatred of faith in Algeria from 1994 to 1996”.

Tibhirine Monks were abducted in March 1996 from the Lady of Atlas Monastery in Tibhirine, in the mountains of Medea, before the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) announced in a statement on May 23, 1996 that they are assassinated, then their heads were found on May,30, 1996.

The seven monks of Tibirine who were killed in Algeria are: Christian de Cherge, Paul Dochier, Christophe Lebreton, Michel Fleury, Celestin Ringeard, Christian Lemarchand, and Paul Favre-Miville, and their ages range between 45 and 82.

The Catholicization of the Catholic Church, according to Wikipedia, is the third stage of the four steps of the process of sanctifying a deceased person who is chosen by the Pope on behalf of the Catholic Church.