In this month of May 2025, a light of hope has risen upon the Church Militant. Pope Leo XIV, in his first audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has signed three major decrees recognizing the heroic virtues or the offering of life of three Servants of God. Three souls offered, three different paths, yet all marked by the love of God unto death.
Bishop Alejandro Labaca: Martyr in the Amazon Jungle
The first of these new Venerables is Bishop Alejandro Labaca Ugarte, a Spanish Capuchin born on April 19, 1920, in Beizama, in the Basque Country. Initially a missionary in China, he was driven out by communist persecutions. He was then sent to Ecuador, where he became Titular Bishop of Pomaria and Apostolic Vicar of Aguarico.
But he was no armchair bishop. He ventured deep into the Amazon rainforest to proclaim the Gospel to still-isolated tribes, particularly the Tagaeri, an indigenous people threatened by oil exploitation in their territory. On July 21, 1987, Bishop Labaca, on a peaceful mission, was cruelly killed by spear thrusts by members of this tribe, whom he was trying to approach non-violently.
This gift of his life, in full awareness of the mortal danger, corresponds to a specific path toward beatification defined by the motu proprio Maiorem Hac Dilectionem issued by Pope Francis in 2017: the voluntary offering of life, in a fully Christian love, accepting inevitable martyrdom. This is precisely what Bishop Labaca lived.
Inés Arango: The Missionary Who Gave Herself Completely
Alongside Bishop Labaca that day was Sister Inés Arango Velásquez, a Colombian missionary of the Congregation of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family. She was born on April 6, 1937, in Medellín. For ten years, she had worked humbly and faithfully among the indigenous peoples, particularly the Huaorani, in the Aguarico region. It was in the same ambush, in a spirit of charity and offering, that she met the same fate as the prelate.
She too has been declared Venerable for this radical gift of her life. Two witnesses of the faith, fallen together in the jungle, faithful to Christ unto the shedding of their blood. Their memory remains a seed of hope.
Bishop Matthew Makil: The Holiness of an Indian Founder
Finally, Pope Leo XIV has recognized the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Matthew Makil, an Indian bishop and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Born in Manjoor (India) on March 27, 1851, he was the first Apostolic Vicar of Kottayam and Titular Bishop of Tralles. He rendered his soul to God on January 26, 1914, in Kottayam, in the odor of sanctity.
With the official recognition of his heroic virtues, he is now Venerable. For him to be beatified, a miracle obtained through his intercession must be recognized. His life, rooted in prayer, spiritual direction, and the care of souls, is an edifying testimony to the vitality of the Church in India.