Beatification of Venezuelan doctor a rare show of unity in the country

Record ID: 1558000

  • Title: Beatification of Venezuelan doctor a rare show of unity in the country
  • Date: 19th June 2020
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JUNE 19, 2020) (REUTERS) STATUE OF DOCTOR JOSE GREGORIO HERNANDEZ IN HOME FAITHFUL WALKING TOWARDS HOME ALTAR FOR HERNANDEZ VARIOUS OF FAITHFUL AT ALTAR VARIOUS OF IMAGES OF HERNANDEZ FAITHFUL ORGANISING ALTAR (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FAITHFUL, JOSE GREGORIO CAIRO, SAYING: "This is a devotion (for Jose Gregorio Hernandez). As told by my mother, I was decla
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2020 23:08
  • Keywords: Caracas Catholic Jose Gregoria Hernandez Pope Francis Vatican Venezuela beatification doctor faithful
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001CJ1ERLZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: 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 (June 19).
    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. Doctors said Solorzano would be disabled if they managed to save her life, but she recovered and was able to walk just weeks after leaving the hospital, according to church records. They state that Solorzano's mother had prayed to Hernandez for her salvation.
    Murals of the mustachioed doctor line the walls of La Pastora, the working-class neighbourhood of Caracas where Hernandez died.
    In the Catholic Church, beatification is a step toward sainthood. A second, distinct miracle must take place after the beatification in order to proceed to sainthood.
    (Production: Johnny Carvajal, Paul Vieira)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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