The Case of Martyr

The Pope may have a Facebook account, but it still hasn’t been proven that he pays heed to mass forwards.

The Pope may have a Facebook account, but it still hasn’t been proven that he pays heed to mass forwards. That hasn’t stopped Filomena Saraswati Giese, George Pinto and friends from trying. Their online campaign to promote the canonisation of Father Joseph Vaz, a Catholic priest of Goan origin, has 1,118 signatures to date. The campaign has been timed with Vaz’s 300th death anniversary. The priest is also known as the ‘Apostle of Sri Lanka’ as he helped strengthen the Church during the 24 years he spent there. The petitioners believe he should be titled ‘Martyr’ for having lived and died under persecution. ‘Canonisations are in part a result of an outpouring of support from ordinary people. The Pope can grant an exception to the miracle [criterion] for the case of a Martyr if enough people show that we care,’ reads the petition.