The eleven “Martyrs of Damascus” are saints. The names of eight Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land and of three Maronite laymen ,the Massabki brothers, have been added to the list of saints. Their feast-day is confirmed on 10 July, the day on which they were killed “out of hatred for the faith” in Damascus in 1860.
The canonization ceremony was held on 20 October in St Peter’s Square in Rome. Three other saints, all portrayed in the tapestries hung on the façade of the Basilica of St Peter’s, were also canonized with the group of the martyrs. The rite of canonization was added at the beginning of the Mass: immediately after the liturgical greeting, the choir sang the hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus” at the end of which Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, presented to the Pope 14 new saints, asking to proceed with their canonization. After the singing of the litany of the saints, the Pope proclaimed in Latin the formula of canonization, listing the names of the new saints. At this point, a simple procession of faithful brought candles and flowers to the reliquaries of the new saints, next to the altar. In the small procession, the Latin parish priest of Aleppo, Fra Bahjat Karakach could be recognized by his Franciscan habit. Some descendants of the Massabki brothers were also present.
The celebration was held mainly in Latin, but the readings and the prayers of the faithful were proclaimed in a number of languages. The Gospel, as is the case only in particular papal celebrations, was sung by the deacons first in Latin and then in Greek. In his homily, Pope Francis commented on the passage of the Gospel (Mark 10, 36-45), in which the apostles James and John ask Jesus if they can sit next to him in the glory, but the Teacher persuades them to change perspective and “to no longer think according to the criteria of the world, but according to the style of God, who is last so that the last can be raised and become the first.” In this light, the Pope added, “we can remember the disciples of the Gospel, who are canonized today. These new saints lived in the style of Jesus: service (…). They became the servants of their brothers, creative in doing good, firm in difficulties and generous until the end.”
Unable to stand for a long time, Pope Francis presided over the first part of the Mass, and left the Eucharistic rites at the altar to Cardinal Semeraro. At his side there were the Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Béchara Rai, and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. The concelebrants included the Apostolic Nuncio in Syria, Cardinal Mario Zenari, while the Latin Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo, Mons, Hanna Jallouf, also a friar of the Custody of the Holy Land, like eight of the eleven martyrs of Damascus, was unable to reach Rome. Interviewed by Terrasanta.net a few days before, Mons. Jallouf emphasized, “We, the Christians of Syria, cannot be present physically at the canonization, but we will be in Rome with our hearts.” On 27 October, both in Damascus – in the church that holds the relics of the martyrs. And in Jerusalem, there will be Masses of thanksgiving. Common celebrations with the Maronite community will be held on 26 October in Jerusalem, on 17 November in Harissa (Lebanon) and on 22 November in Damascus.
“It was moving for me to take part in the canonization of the Martyrs of Damascus,” the parish priest of Aleppo, Fra Bahjat, said. “I served the community of Damascus for six years and I am very close to these confreres, and then also for a very personal story, because I consider that they performed a miracle on me: when a mortar fell on our church, I was close to their tomb and I am sure they protected me… This occasion also helps us, Syrians, to remember how important out land is, and confirms to us once again in the faith and in the bond with our roots. This is also an opportunity for everyone to remember the Christian community in Syria.”
“Today’s celebration,” Fra Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, commented at the end of the Mass, “has been very significant for us, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land: eight of these martyrs were Franciscans and the three Massabki brothers, Maronites, were linked with our community. I hope that this canonization is an encouragement for all the Christians in Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East to keep alive their faith and their capacity to bear witness to it.” And given that the saints are also intercessors, “I hope that these new saints intercede for the whole of the Middle East, for the gift of peace.” There was a desire for peace in the words of Cardinal Pizzaballa as well: “The whole of the Middle East is living through one of the most difficult dramas in recent decades. The canonization of the martyrs of Damascus reminds us that unfortunately similar dramas are not anything new. The martyrs also show us, however, the way: being in these situations not with violence, but in being able to give their life. This is the prophetic answer of Christians to human violence.”
Giampiero Sandionigi