Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrates a thanksgiving Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the canonisation of Venezuela’s first two saints, José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros and Maria Carmen Rendiles Martínez.
By Johan Pacheco
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin celebrated the thanksgiving Mass for the canonisation of Saint José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros and Saint Maria Carmen Rendiles Martínez, personally sharing in the joy of the Venezuelan Church, where he served as Apostolic Nuncio for five years. “Our hearts are full of the joy we felt yesterday in St. Peter’s Square: Venezuela now has its first saints. Not one, but two – saints for all”, he said.
The celebration at the Altar of the Chair, accompanied by the Simón Bolívar Choir of the Venezuelan Orchestral System, was attended by Venezuelan bishops, priests, authorities, and pilgrims who came to Rome for the occasion.
Healing presence and female genius
Reflecting on Isaiah 58:6-11, the cardinal highlighted how both saints respond to the call to share bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and care for those who suffer. Saint José Gregorio Hernández “walked the streets bringing the light of medicine and the balm of consolation. Many said his mere presence healed,” Parolin noted. Saint María Carmen, he added, embodies the strength of Venezuelan women, working, building, and passing on the faith to new generations.
Recalling 1 John 3:14-18, he stressed that “only by loving our brothers do we pass from death to life. Whoever does not love remains in death.” This, he said, is the message that the two saints heroically lived and now call the faithful to follow.
A call to Venezuela
“Only by listening to the Lord,” Parolin said, “can Venezuela move from death to life, breaking unjust pressures, freeing the oppressed, and building peace on justice, truth, freedom, and love.” He urged the country to create spaces for encounter, prioritise what unites, and seek common solutions to its challenges, with the common good as the aim of all public action.
Prayer to the Saints
Concluding the homily, the cardinal described the canonization as a kairos, a timely moment to embark on this path. “Do not let it pass in vain. May the new saints intercede so you may continue with hope and determination.” He invoked: “Saint José Gregorio and Saint Mother Carmen, pray for us!”
