Lay faithful, married, caring for others.

Pope Francis’ solicitude for the family, the attention he has given to it since the beginning of his ministry and with which he continues to surround it, is also conveyed through the processes of beatification and canonization that offer role models of marital holiness, of mothers and fathers, of lay workers who have lived as Christians with commitment, joy and perseverance.

On Monday, February 27th, 2017, the promulgation of the decree of the heroic virtues of two laymen, both doctors and married, was announced. Pedro José Herrero Rubio, a pediatrician from Alicante, was born on April 29th, 1904 and died on November 5th, 1978 at the age of 74. His existence was also affected by the Spanish Civil War, during which he was imprisoned. No children were born to his marriage, and he devoted himself with a marked predilection to the poor and the sick, ensuring that they regained both spiritual and physical health. He did not hesitate to baptize children whose lives were in danger, even those of non-believing families.

The other layman whose heroic virtues has been recognized is Vittorio Trancanelli. He was born in Spello, near Assisi, in 1944 and died on June 24th, 1998, in Perugia, where he exercised his profession as a surgeon. He fell seriously ill in 1976, just a month before the birth of the couples only natural child, but after regaining his health, he and his wife welcomed into their home seven children—some of whom were disabled—either entrusted to their foster care or for adoption. This experience led to the creation of the association “Alle querce di Mamre” (At the Oaks of Mamre), which is still active today. He left behind him a wide reputation for holiness that he dispensed in every area of his life, from the activity in the hospital to the reception of women and children in need.