Pope Leo XIV approves decrees for 11 martyrs killed by Nazi Germany, communists Pope Leo XIV on Friday authorized decrees recognizing 11 new martyrs as well as four new venerables to be honored by the Church. With this declaration, the pope has cleared the way for them to be declared \u201cblessed,\u201d but a date has not been set for their beatification. During his Oct. 24 audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Holy Father approved the designation of 20th-century European martyrs killed \u201cin hatred of the faith\u201d under Nazi and communist regimes. Polish Servants of God Jan \u015awierc, Ignacy Antonowicz, Ignacy Dobiasz, Karol Golda, Franciszek Harazim, Ludwik Mroczek, W\u0142odzmierz Szembek, Kazimierz Wojciechowski, and Franciszek Mi\u015bka were killed in concentration camps in Auschwitz, Poland, and Dachau, Germany, between 1941 and 1942. Victims of the Nazi regime following the 1939 German occupation of Poland, the nine religious priests \u2014 who belonged to the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco \u2014 were tortured and executed for being Catholic clergy. Other martyrs approved by Pope Leo are Servants of God Jan Bula and V\u00e1clav Drbola, diocesan priests from former Czechoslovakia who were executed between 1951 and 1952 following the communist takeover of the country in 1948. On Friday, the Holy Father also approved decrees for four servants of God to be declared \u201cvenerable\u201d by the Church in recognition of their \u201cheroic virtues.\u201d Among the new venerables, three are professed religious from Europe. Spanish Servant of God Jos\u00e9 Merino Andr\u00e9s, OP, born 1905 in Madrid, was known for his missionary and pastoral zeal and faithfulness to the Dominican charism, and trained approximately 700 priests in Palencia, Spain, as a novice master for the Order of Preachers before his death on Dec. 6, 1968. Before joining the Discalced Carmelites, Servant of God Gioacchino della Regina della Pace, OCD, was a custodian of the Sanctuary of the Queen of Peace in Liguria, Italy. He was a third-order Carmelite for 10 years before making his solemn profession in the order in 1967. He died at the age of 95 on Aug. 25, 1985. Servant of God Maria Evangelista Quintero Malfaz, OCist, joined the Cistercian order as a religious sister in Spain in the early 17th century with a reputation for being a mystic. Through monastic life and intense prayer, she offered her life for the conversion of sinners and was revered by her religious sisters who sought her counsel. She died in Spain in 1648. Founder of the Missionary Institute of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Servant of God Angelo Angioni is the only diocesan priest among the four venerables approved by Pope Leo on Friday. Born in Italy on Jan. 14, 1915, Angioni was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Ozieri in 1938. He spent several years supporting parishioners, seminarians, and other priests of the diocese before being sent as a \u201cfidei donum priest\u201d to serve the Diocese of S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 do Rio Preto, Brazil, in 1951. Known for his love for the poor and the Gospel, Angioni\u2019s reputation for his humble and serene holiness spread in Brazil and Italy before his death on Sept. 15, 2008. This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Kristina Millare Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article More than 60,000 pilgrims expected for Jubilee of Families, Children, and the Elderly Pope Leo XIV: Build the Church on the solid foundations of Christ, not on worldly criteria Pope Marks Word of God Sunday Amid 2025 Jubilee Events: \u2018God\u2019s Word Walks With Us\u2019 Vatican: Pope Francis at Rome hospital to undergo checkups PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV blesses Giro d\u2019Italia cyclists in Vatican City Pope Francis’ Celebrations for Christmas Season 2023 at the Vatican<\/p>\n