Pope Francis has signed a decree clearing the way for the canonization of Blessed Ludovico Pavoni (1784-1849). The Italian priest from Brescia founded the Sons of Mary Immaculate, now commonly known as the Pavonians. He is pictured in an image provided by his order. (CNS photo/courtesy of Religious Congregation of Sons of Mary Immaculate)
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has signed decrees that clear the way for the canonizations of a Christian Brother martyred during the French Revolution and an Italian priest who founded a religious order of men dedicated to the vocational and spiritual education of the poor and hearing impaired.
Meeting May 9 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the pope signed decrees recognizing miracles attributed to the intercession of Blessed Guillaume-Nicolas-Louis Leclerq, who was martyred during the infamous September Massacres in Paris in 1792, and Blessed Ludovico Pavoni, the Italian priest who founded the Sons of Mary Immaculate, now commonly known as the Pavonians.
With the recognition of the miracles, the canonization ceremonies for the two men can be scheduled.
Pope Francis also signed a decree recognizing that Father Rafael Almansa Riano of Bogota, Colombia, heroically lived the Christian virtues. The priest was born in 1840 and died in 1927. The decree is one of the early steps on the path to beatification and eventual canonization.