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Eugene

(61,593 posts)
Sat Jun 20, 2020, 12:52 AM Jun 2020

Venezuela celebrates beatification of 'doctor of the poor'

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS JUNE 19, 2020 / 6:55 PM / UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

Venezuela celebrates beatification of 'doctor of the poor'

Shaylim Valderrama
3 MIN READ

CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuelan doctor known for treating the poor during the Spanish flu pandemic a century ago has been beatified, moving a step closer to sainthood, Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Porras said on Friday.

The announcement sparked celebrations outside the La Candelaria church in central Caracas, which holds the remains of Jose Gregorio Hernandez. They came despite Porras’ call for the faithful to celebrate the news at home in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, to help avoid spreading the novel coronavirus.

Hernandez, born in the Andean state of Trujillo in 1864, was known as the “doctor of the poor” for his care of the needy in Caracas during the Spanish flu pandemic just over a century ago. He died in 1919 after being struck by a car.

In 2017, the Catholic church attributed a miracle to Hernandez for saving the life of a young girl, Yaxury Solorzano, who was shot in the head during a robbery attempt.

-snip-


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-church/venezuela-celebrates-beatification-of-doctor-of-the-poor-idUSKBN23Q3EC
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