Pope Leo advances six causes for sainthood

Vatican, March 24, 2026: Pope Leo XIV has moved several individuals closer to sainthood, including an Italian father of a family, another who offered his life for the faith, and a Spanish religious who served the Church throughout the 20th century.

Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, at the Vatican on Monday morning and authorised the Dicastery to issue several decrees advancing six individuals towards sainthood.

The Pope recognised the offering of life of Servant of God Ludovico Altieri, Bishop of Albano and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, who was born on 17 July 1805 in Rome, Italy, and died on 11 August 1867 in Albano Laziale, an Italian hill town.

The Holy Father also acknowledged the following heroic virtues of four religious and an Italian layperson who was a father of a family:

Servant of God Edward Joseph Flanagan, diocesan priest and Founder of Boys Town, born on 13 July 1886 in Ballymoe, Ireland, and died on 15 May 1948 in Berlin, Germany;

Servant of God Henri Caffarel, diocesan priest and Founder of the Association “Teams of Our Lady” (Équipes Notre-Dame) and of the Secular Institute “Fraternity of Our Lady of the Resurrection”, born on 30 July 1903 in Lyon, France, and died on 18 September 1996 in Beauvais;

Servant of God Stanisława Samulowska (born Barbara), a professed religious of the Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, born on 30 January 1865 in Woryty, in present-day Poland, and died on 6 December 1950 in Guatemala City, Guatemala;

Servant of God María of Bethlehem of the Heart of Jesus Romero Algarín (born María Dolores), a professed religious of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart, born on 7 October 1916 in Seville, Spain, and died on 12 November 1977 in Sanlúcar la Mayor;

Servant of God Giuseppe Castagnetti, a lay member of the faithful and a father of a family, born on 15 March 1909 in Montebaranzone, Italy, and died there on 22 June 1965.

With the decrees recognising heroic virtues, the candidates are granted the title Venerable Servant of God, or simply Venerable.

Courtesy: Vatican News