JAEN, Spain, FEB. 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Spanish journalist Manuel Lozano Garrido — known as «Lolo» — will be beatified this June in his hometown of Linares, Spain.
Bishop Ramón del Hoyo López of Jaen announced over the weekend that a note from the Secretariat of State set the beatification date for Saturday, June 12.
After thanking Benedict XVI for his decision, the bishop greeted Lolo’s family, as well as the Friends of Lolo Association, which had promoted of the cause of the journalists beatification.
«The beatification of a layperson, with the rich spiritual profile of Manuel Lozano Garrido, is a providential and marvelous occasion,» the bishop said. He also offered Lolo as an «example of sanctity.»
In December, Benedict XVI authorized the recognition of a miracle attributed to the intercession of Lolo, which involved the «scientifically inexplicable» cure of Rogelio de Haro Sagra, who was healed of multiple organ failure from Gram-negative sepsis in 1972, when he was two years old.
Lolo was born in Linares, Spain, on Aug. 9, 1920, and died in the same city on Nov. 3, 1971.
He joined Catholic Action as an adolescent and, during the Spanish Civil War, secretly brought Communion to prisoners until he himself was arrested.
As a journalist, Lolo wrote for the daily «Ya,» the reviews «Telva» and «Vida Nueva» and the Associated Press.
In 1942 he began to suffer from spondylitis, which deformed his body and left him an invalid. In 1962 the journalist lost his sight.
Despite the illness, he received professional recognitions, such as the prestigious Bravo journalism award.
In 1956 Lolo founded Sinai, a magazine for sick people. He also authored nine books, which he dictated to his sister Lucía and his friends.
