News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

Algeria-beatifications-main_article_image.jpg
Vatican News
World News

19 Catholics killed in Algeria's civil war beatified

by Eno Adeogun

The event - which took place in the city of Oran, was a first ceremony of its kind in a Muslim country.

The men and women killed from Tunisia, Spain, France, and Belgium were declared martyrs by the Vatican in January because it said they had been killed out of hatred for their faith.

 

This paved the way for their beatification which is the step before sainthood in the Catholic Church.

Those honoured included seven French Trappist monks who were kidnapped from their monastery in the capital 1996.

Their skulls were discovered two months later but their bodies were never found.

A radical anti-government group - the GIA, claimed responsibility for the killings.

The other Catholics were murdered in separate incidents.

Pope Francis said in a message that he hoped the beatification would "heal the wounds of the past and create a new dynamic of meeting and living together".

Roughly 1,200 people attended the event where a moment of silence was held for the 250,000 people killed as the army fought an Islamist insurgency between 1991 and 2002.

The ceremony also honoured 99 imams killed in the fighting.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate