AMERICA / ECUADOR – "There is no improvising martyrs": actuality of the testimony of Fr. Moscoso, the first martyr of Ecuador

AMERICA / ECUADOR – "There is no improvising martyrs": actuality of the testimony of Fr. Moscoso, the first martyr of Ecuador

Riobamba (Agenzia Fides) – "The virtuous life and the heroic death of Blessed Emilio Moscoso encourage each of us to bring the light of the Gospel to our contemporaries with enthusiasm, as he did. His testimony is current and offers us a meaningful message: one cannot be martyred, martyrdom is the fruit of a faith rooted in God and lived day by day; faith requires consistency, courage and an intense capacity to love God and neighbor, with the gift of oneself. "These are the words pronounced by Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during the solemn celebration that presided over the 16th November at the Olympic Stadium in Riobamba, for the beatification of Fr. Emilio Moscoso Cardenas, Jesuit, first martyr of Ecuador.
Emilio Moscoso was born in Cuenca on 21 August 1846 and died a martyr, assassinated at 51 years on 4 May 1897, during the Liberal Revolution with strong anticlerical connotations that shocked Ecuador at that time. After studying law he joined the Society of Jesus. Ordained a priest in 1877, he completed his studies in France and Spain. After three years in a school in Peru, he returned to Ecuador, first to the Collegio San Luis (Quito), then to the Collegio San Felipe Neri (Riobamba), of which he was appointed rector in 1892. In a context of strong hostility towards the Church by part of the government, on May 2, Father Moscoso was arrested, but the pressure from people who appreciated the work of the Jesuits led to his release the next day. On May 4, the soldiers forcibly entered the Jesuit school and, after performing sacrilegious acts in the chapel, found Father Moscoso praying in his room, reciting the Rosary. They murdered him in cold blood. The colonel responsible for the operation personally dragged his body into the street to continue to disfigure him, but he had to stop due to the reaction of the soldiers and the protests of the population.
"With the beatification of Father Emilio Moscoso, we are presented with the model of a priest who was a courageous witness to the love of Christ – said Cardinal Becciu -. The priests, religious and the entire Church in Ecuador is encouraged to imitate the new blessed who gave his life for the Gospel … His executioners, eliminating him, wanted to strike the Catholic faith. But it was a useless attempt. The martyrdom of this heroic Jesuit, always alive in the devout and prayerful remembrance of the population, has shown that violence is not able to remove faith from people, nor to eliminate the presence of the Church in society. How many attempts there have been in the history of the Church! And yet it, tried, mocked, persecuted over the centuries is more alive than ever ".
All the Bishops of Ecuador participated in the solemn celebration of the beatification, closing their Plenary Assembly. In the text summarizing the works, sent to Fides, they underline: "Ecuador goes through delicate moments of political, social and economic instability. The strong poverty suffered by many of our brothers and the necessary interculturality urge us to learn to live the needs of a coexistence based on peace, justice and equity. As Pastors we will continue to accompany our people in the search for peace ". Finally reiterate:
"We conclude with the Beatification of Fr. Emilio Moscoso, S.J., martyr of the Eucharist. Around his martyrdom we ratify the delivery of our life to the cause of faith ". (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 11/19/2019)

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