MANILA, Philippines โ The Catholic Church in the Philippines has recognized seven Filipinos as โnew martyrsโ โ men and women who gave their lives for the Gospel, most of them victims of religious and social violence in the countryโs south.
The Catholic Bishopsโ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it has submitted the list to the Vaticanโs Commission on New Martyrs โ Witnesses of the Faith, which is preparing a global catalogue of modern-day martyrs for the Jubilee Year 2025.
โThese individuals shed their blood between the year 2000 and the present because of violent opposition to the good brought by the Gospel,โ said CBCP Secretary General Msgr. Bernardo Pantin in a statement.
Faith amid violence
Among those recognized is Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, a Claretian missionary abducted by Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan in 2000. His captors tortured and killed Gallardo after 44 days in captivity for refusing to renounce his faith.
Four others โ Junrey Barbante, Janine Arenas, Evangeline Aromin, and Riza Daniel โ were killed in the December 3, 2023 bombing at Mindanao State University in Marawi City. The blast, carried out by Islamic State-linked militants, targeted Catholic worshippers during a Sunday Mass inside the university gymnasium.
In Luzon, the suspects gunned down Fr. Marcelito โTitoโ Paez of Nueva Ecija on December 4, 2017, shortly after helping secure the release of a political detainee from jail. Paez stood for his lifelong advocacy on human rights, social justice, and the welfare of farmers in his diocese.
From Cagayan de Oro, Alberto Pinagawa, a lay leader and Eucharistic minister, the assailants murdered him on Christmas Eve 2009 for his outspoken opposition to illegal logging and mining operations in Mindanao. Pinagawa, a staunch defender of Lumad ancestral lands, had received multiple death threats before his killing.
Modern witnesses of the church
Pope Francis in 2023 created the Commission on New Martyrs โ Witnesses of the Faith under the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to document Christians who have died for their beliefs in the 21st century.
The pontiff said the initiative aims to honor those who โshed their blood for Christโ and to remind the Church that martyrdom remains a lived reality in todayโs world.
In 2024, the pope also encouraged dioceses to commemorate their saints, blesseds, and candidates for beatification every November 9 โ including what he calls the โsaints next door,โ ordinary Christians known for their heroic witness and holiness.
Church leaders said the recognition of new martyrs from the Philippines highlights the enduring cost of discipleship โ and the courage of believers who lived, served, and died for their faith.
(Photo: CBCP News)
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