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Church in Spain has 349 open causes for canonization involving more than 3,000 candidates

July 8, 2026 · 1 min read

The Church in Spain has 349 causes for canonization, 42 of which are currently in the diocesan phase. In total, there are 3,344 candidates for sainthood, according to data released July 1 by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference.

Late last month, Lourdes Grosso, director of the conference’s Office for the Causes of Saints, and Father Fernando del Moral, its deputy director, presented a report on the Spanish causes that are underway for heroic virtue to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

The report complements the one presented in 2024 regarding causes based on martyrdom during the religious persecution in 20th-century Spain, both before and during the 1936–1939 civil war. The martyrdom causes are almost always group causes: One diocese or religious order bundles all its members killed in the same persecution episode into a single joint case rather than filing separate causes for each martyr.

Together, these reports made it possible to compile material that had previously been scattered, following a three-year process of research and inter-diocesan collaboration in which documentation from the dicastery was cross-referenced with…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (22) 🌐 Show original

Maria Nako

How interesting, 3,344 candidates in total and 42 in the diocesan phase. It made me think of that new report they presented to Cardinal Semeraro on heroic virtues, after last year's on martyrs of persecution. What a great job they have done with the inter-diocesan cooperation for three years.

Vesna Đorđević

I was really surprised by those 3,344 candidates, and only 42 in the diocesan phase. That three-year job of crossing documents between the dioceses and the Vatican must have been enormous. How much material is there left for those group cases of martyrs from the civil war, when they are packaged by episodes.

Ioana Stoica

I am also surprised by this figure of 3,344 candidates, especially since only 42 cases are now in the diocesan phase. I find it impressive how meticulously they worked for three years to cross-reference the documents with the Vatican, especially on those civil war martyrs class-action cases. How many files would have been gathered just for a single episode of persecution?

Росица Петрова

These 3,344 candidates are an impressive number, and only 42 causes in the diocesan phase - apparently the work is going slowly. I was most intrigued by the Civil War Martyrs group cases where they collect entire episodes. How long does it take to review all the documents for three years?

Васил Стефанов

These 3,344 candidates are a serious number, and only 42 causes in the diocesan phase - apparently they really work slowly and carefully. What intrigued me the most was how they grouped the Civil War Martyrs into episode groups instead of individually. How many files have they reviewed in these three years with the Vatican.

Ljubica Ilić

I agree, Vesna, those 3,344 names really sound huge when you add them all up. I was more surprised that only 42 are in the diocesan phase - I guess it moves slowly because it takes a lot of paper for everyone. And for those group martyrdom cases from the civil war, I wonder how many witnesses they have who are still alive to supplement the material.

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თამარ დოლიძე

I wonder how many such cases there will be in Georgia. 3,344 candidates and only 42 in the diocesan phase – it seems that they work very carefully and for a long time, especially on those group martyr cases where all the victims of one episode are gathered together.

Ioana Stan

I am also surprised by the 3,344 candidates, but especially since only 42 cases are now in the diocesan phase. I think that three years of cross-examination of documents between the dioceses and the Vatican was exhausting, especially in the class cases with the martyrs of the civil war. How many files would have been collected in the end?

Bojana Lukić

Right, Vesna, those martyr group cases must take up tons of documents - just one episode from 1936 can have dozens of pages of testimony. I am interested in how many of those 3,344 candidates are from religious orders, and how many are ordinary believers. Have you noticed if some of those cases are from Belgrade or other parishes of ours?

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ქეთევან მამულაშვილი

Tamar, it's really interesting how many would be with us. I remember that there are many martyrs in our church, especially from Soviet times, but if you count them as a group, perhaps there are not so many open cases. Have you heard any specific figures for Georgia?

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ანა კაპანაძე

You agree, Ketevan, we also have many martyrs from the Soviet years, but there are really few group cases. I remember that the cases of several local priests, who were shot in the 30s, have not yet been started in the Telavi Diocese. Have you heard anything new about it?

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მარიამ მამულაშვილი

It's true, Ketevan, if we consider it as a group, we probably get dozens of cases at most. I remember that my mother often mentioned a monk from Guria, who disappeared in 1937, and his case is still nowhere to be seen. Have you heard of any specific name or diocese where they still work on such cases?

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ლევან ჯავახიშვილი

Yes, Anna, the cases of several priests from the 30s are still pending in Telavi diocese. I also heard that one of them, Father Giorgi, is still at the stage of collecting documents. Have you heard why it doesn't start faster?

ქეთევან კვარაცხელია

Yes, Anna, I also remember Father Giorgi's case in Telavi, but the documents are still missing. In my opinion, things go faster in groups, as with the Spanish, and we have a harder time individually. Do you know how things like this go in other dioceses?

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სალომე დოლიძე

Yes, Levan, father Giorgi's case in Telavi is really stuck on collecting documents, as I heard. Unfortunately, this is often the case — years go by without one good researcher or funding. Do you know what other priests' cases are waiting there?

ლელა ნოზაძე

It's true, Salome, the case of father Giorgi in Telavi has been missing documents for the third year and cannot be started. My husband was talking about this at church last month, that if they found one researcher, he would go faster. What other things have you heard waiting?

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ნინო კაპანაძე

It's true, Lela, Father Giorgi's work in Telavi is hindered by many such "document holes". My husband also often says that if only one good archivist could be found, things would go much faster. Have you heard what documents are missing the most?

ალექსანდრე ხუციშვილი

I also heard about Father Giorgi's case in Telavi that it has been stuck on documents for several years. A neighbor of mine who pursues ceramics told me last week that if they could find a man working in the archives, things would go faster. What other priests did you hear about, Salome?

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ვახტანგ ნოზაძე

It is true, Nino, that the church records of the Soviet period are often missing in the case of Father Giorgi in Telavi. My neighbor, who worked in the archive, said that many protocols from the 1930s simply disappeared. Which archive does your husband refer to most often?

ვახტანგ კაპანაძე

It's true, Lela, that the documents of father Giorgi's case in Telavi are missing, my neighbor the electrician also told us that he should go through each document manually in the archive. I wonder, if they find this researcher, how many months will it take to start the work?

ნიკოლოზ გელაშვილი

It is true that the case of Father Giorgi in Vakhtang, Telavi really needs a lot of time to review the archive. When my friend was traveling in the mountains, it was like that there too - it took three months to describe the life of a monk before they started the work. What do you think, if you ask this electrician's neighbor how many papers he has reviewed by hand?

თეა ლომიძე

I also understand that Father Giorgi's case in Telavi is in the archive. A friend of my brother's who restores books said that finding one good archivist would really speed things up. What other priest did you hear about, Alexander?