Second miracle attributed to Pier Giorgio Frassati officially recognized – Swiss Catholic Portal

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, signed a decree on November 25, 2024 attributing a miracle to the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who will be canonized on August 3, 2025. The martyrdom of a Vietnamese and a Congolese were also recognized, as was the second miracle attributed to Maria Troncatti, an Italian Salesian nun.

In the morning, Pope Francis received Cardinal Semeraro in audience and authorized the publication of a decree which officially attributes a miracle to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925). The day before, during the Angelus, he had explained that he had anticipated this step (as well as that of the validation of his canonization by the college of cardinals, which should take place soon) to announce that the Italian would be canonized as part of the Jubilee of young people on August 3, 2025. Died at the age of 24, Pier Giorgio Frassati was beatified by John Paul II in 1990, after the recognition of a first miracle.

Opponent of fascism

Pier Giorgio Frassati was a native of Turin. Passionate about mountaineering, he dedicated his short life to serving the poor. Opposed to the triumphant fascism of his time, he founded the “Company of Louche Types”, an association of friends with a spiritual as well as social dimension. Died at the age of 24 from devastating poliomyelitis, he has since become an inspiring figure for Catholic youth.

Last June, the Pope had already affirmed that the one who was an active member of Catholic Action would “soon be a saint”. “Pier Giorgio came from a wealthy family, from the bourgeoisie [son père, Alfredo Frassati, était le directeur du quotidien La Stampa et sénateur, ndlr]but he did not grow up in cotton, he did not get lost in a ‘beautiful life’,” the Argentine pontiff underlined during an audience with a Roman association. The second miracle attributed to him has not yet been revealed by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Evangelisatrice des Jivaros

In addition to Pier Giorgio Frassati, the decree published by the dicastery opens the door to sainthood to an Italian nun, Maria Troncatti (1883-1969), who is also attributed a second miracle. This Salesian from the region of Brescia (north) was a nurse on the Austrian front during the First World War. She was sent in 1922 on a mission to Ecuador among the Shuar population (sometimes called Jivaros), who live in the Amazon rainforest.

Opening a dispensary, she placed herself at the service of the local population, affected by numerous illnesses, and defended women and children who were sometimes victims of violent ancestral traditions. She also contributed to the first evangelization of this population, among whom she was particularly appreciated. She died in a plane crash in 1969.

The miracle attributed to her intercession concerns an Ecuadorian woman in 2002. Plunged into a coma after a serious illness, she was sent home at the request of her parents so that she could die there. A Salesian priest then asked his loved ones to pray to the nun: a few days later, the woman came out of her coma and saw the symptoms that had afflicted her disappear little by little.

Victim of a sect

The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints also recognized the martyrdom of Vietnamese priest François-Xavier Truong Buu Diep (1897-1946). Born in An Giang, in the south of the country, he joined the seminary of Phnom Penh in Cambodia, run by the Foreign Missions of Paris, and was ordained a priest there.

First in charge of the pastoral care of Vietnamese migrants in Cambodia, he was then appointed parish priest of Tac Say, in the south of Vietnam, where he was parish priest until his death in 1946. Despite the armistice signed a year earlier with Japan which occupied Indochina then French, he fell victim to Japanese armed bands which continued to ravage his country.

Refusing the protection of the French so as not to “abandon his flock”, the priest was finally captured by one of these gangs whose members were linked to Caodaism, a local syncretic sect very hostile to Christians. He is then locked in a house with his followers, and supports them as they anticipate a massacre. The population was ultimately spared, but the priest, who went out to talk with his executioners, was found dead. His body bore the marks of numerous abuses.

An example for young Congolese

The martyrdom of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi (1981-2007), a layman from the North Kivu region, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was also recognized. This young, fervent Catholic from a wealthy family had joined the community of Sant’Egidio, becoming one of the leaders of several local associations which supported the population of this region marked by serious tensions.

Engaged in politics and opposing ethnic conflicts and corruption, he was kidnapped in 2007, and his body showing signs of torture was found two days later. Although the perpetrators of the murder are still unknown, it was later revealed that he had refused an offer of bribery, motivated by his Christian faith. Pope Francis gave this as an example to young Congolese during his visit to Kinshasa in February 2023.

Finally, the published decree recognizes the heroic virtues of Bishop Josip Lang (1857-1924), who served as auxiliary bishop of Zagreb, Croatia, from 1915 until his death. Very involved in the pastoral and social fields, he died in the odor of holiness, loved by the population of the Croatian capital, which was then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. (cath.ch/imedia/cd/rz)