20 priests killed in 1936 to be beatified in Ibiza as Spain counts 5,455 martyrs
The Spanish Bishops' Conference has updated its tally of martyrs of the 20th-century religious persecution to 5,455 as three beatification ceremonies are set for Ibiza, Santander and Madrid in 2026
The Office for the Causes of Saints of the Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE), Spain's counterpart of the USCCB, has released updated figures on the martyrs of the 20th-century religious persecution in Spain. It released them ahead of the beatifications scheduled for 2026. The list now counts 5,455 people, including saints, blesseds and candidates whose causes are under way, all killed in odium fidei during the 1930s by left-wing militants. The actual number of victims of that persecution was in all likelihood far higher.
Of that total, 2,404 have been beatified and 11 have been canonized. Those beatified include eight bishops, one bishop who was a member of a religious order, 586 diocesan priests, 34 seminarians, 512 religious priests, 1,080 religious and 183 laypeople. The 11 canonized are one diocesan priest, one religious priest and nine religious. Another 3,040 martyrs are in the process of beatification, across 48 separate causes, among them three bishops, 1,904 diocesan priests, 39 seminarians, 159 religious priests, 232 religious and 703 laypeople.
Beatifications scheduled for 2026
The office has added the martyrs of the dioceses of Ibiza, Santander and Madrid to the updated list, with beatification ceremonies set for October 17, November 7 and November 28. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has issued a decree of martyrdom for each group. Also added are the 50 Gabrielist martyrs, 49 religious and their chaplain, although no beatification date has been set for them. Once that date is announced, the total number of martyrs beatified or canonized will reach 2,415: 11 saints and 2,404 blesseds.
Beatification in Ibiza: 20 priests martyred in 1936
The first of the ceremonies takes place on Saturday, October 17, in Ibiza, where 20 priests of that diocese killed in 1936 will be beatified. It is the first beatification held in the Balearic Islands. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, will preside, representing Pope Leo XIV. The dioceses of Ibiza and Menorca saw one of the bloodiest persecutions of diocesan clergy in the whole conflict.
Bishop Ribas to pray at the killing sites
On the eve of the beatification, the bishop of Ibiza, Vicent Ribas, will visit the places in Ibiza and Formentera where the priests were killed and pray a responsory at each. The first is set for 10 a.m. at the Parador de Dalt Vila, the former military castle where 17 of the priests were killed on September 13, 1936. Ribas will then go to Sa Carrossa to pray in memory of Antonio Roig Guasch, parish administrator of San Francisco Javier in Formentera, who was shot there.
Ribas will travel on to Formentera to pray a responsory around midday at La Savina. There, on August 7, 1936, the first of the priest martyrs was killed and thrown into the sea: Juan Torres Torres, 24, just 44 days after he was ordained and sent as administrator to the parish of Nuestra Señora del Pilar in La Mola. At 7 p.m. there will be a time of prayer in the square outside the church of San Carles, where the parish administrator, Antonio Tur Costa, was shot on August 8 along with his father, Antonio Tur.
The martyrdom of Antoni Tur Costa
The Columna de Mayo, a column from Barcelona, landed at Pou des Lleó, killed the pastor of Sant Carles and his father, and the next day killed his brother in Santa Eulària solely because he was the priest's brother. At 8:30 p.m., vespers will be prayed in the parish church of Santa Eulària and the Himne dels Beats Màrtirs d'Eivissa i Formentera, first performed the previous week, will be sung again.
Liturgical events after the beatification
Saturday's beatification opens a series of liturgical events in the days that follow. On Sunday, October 18, at 11 a.m., a Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated in the cathedral. On the weekend of October 24 and 25 there will be Masses of Thanksgiving in every parish of the diocese of Ibiza and Formentera. On Friday, November 6, all parishes will mark the first liturgical feast of the new blesseds; Ribas will preside at the first celebration at 6 p.m. in the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar.
Conference on holiness, art and society
The CEE's Office for the Causes of Saints has also announced a conference titled "Holiness, art and society" in Madrid on November 3 and 4. In a statement, the CEE said "this gathering proposes to reflect on the relevance of holiness today, its impact on the life of the Church and its capacity to transform society." The program includes the presentation of a new website, working groups on canonization causes and a colloquium with testimonies on how the saints have influenced people's personal lives.
