Father Alfredo Cremonesi (1902-1953) was a «winning lion», said the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in celebrating his beatification on October 19, 2019, in Crema, Italy. The Italian missionary offered himself «until the shedding of blood, so that the Good News may reach the distant land of Burma».
To emphasize the «exemplary bestowal» of the priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), Cardinal Angelo Becciu quoted a letter to his mother asking him to return to Italy: «You understand as a missionary like me, who wanted to give himself to God without return, to put forward the only reason to see you again … cannot be enough. «
For the prefect, every Christian is called to follow his example of mercy and gentleness, but also to be «a lion victor, valiant fighter for the cause of truth and justice, defender of the weak and the poor, triumphing over the evil of sin and death «.
Father Cremonesi, he added, is «a missionary deeply convinced and loving his vocation, poor, sick, persecuted, but always serene and confident, ready to face any risk situation». For him, the cardinal emphasized, martyrdom was «a gift granted only to some, while faith is an appeal addressed to all».
Setting the Burmese context in the aftermath of independence (1948), when the Church suffered «real persecution», the prefect pointed out that the death of the martyr, murdered, «has come to life and spiritual enrichment for the Church «.
He saw the beatification of Father Cremonesi as «an encouragement for the Church of Burma to continue in the commitment to overcome spiritual and moral wounds» and to be «a stimulant for young people to reflect on the beauty of the missionary vocation».
