Thousands of Lebanese have gathered in downtown Beirut to witness the beatification of a Maronite Catholic monk who died more than 50 years ago. Father Jacob Haddad was beatified Sunday in a ceremony attended by more than 10,000 people. Top officials such as the president, prime minister and parliament speaker attended.
Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, head of the Vatican's sainthood office, lead the open-air mass.
The Capuchin monk died in 1954. In 1998, a woman from the southern Lebanese village of Maghdouche said the priest cured her from a malignant and deadly tumor. Nine years later, the pope signed an official document attributing the miracle to Haddad .
Haddad's beatification in the last step before possible sainthood. Maronites are the largest Christian sect in Lebanon.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce