(Catholic News Agency) An Italian nun who was stabbed to death by three teenage girls was beatified on Sunday, after Pope Francis declared her a martyr, killed “in hatred of the faith.”
Sr. Maria Laura Mainetti was beatified on June 6, the anniversary of her murder, in Chiavenna, the northern Italian town where she was killed in the year 2000.
Presiding at the beatification, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, praised the sister’s charity.
Noting that Jesus speaks of a “new wine” in St. Mark’s Gospel, he said: “The new wine is already enjoyed by the saints of whom it is written ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’”
“Among these guests today the Church recognizes the blessed martyr Maria Laura Mainetti. We all know the crucial hour of her life: while she was dying, she was forgiving. By forgiving, one is forgiven. At the end of her life, Sr. Maria Laura did so.”
Pope Francis recognized Mainetti as a martyr on June 19, 2020.
The beatification Mass took place at Chiavenna’s sports ground at 4 p.m. local time in the presence of around 2,500 people, reported ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner.
Semeraro presided over the beatification Mass on behalf of Pope Francis. Around 15 bishops concelebrated, including local Bishop Oscar Cantoni of Como.
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