- The Church considers the parish priest of Chacao as a candidate for all his virtues and love for the poor | Photo: Lay Catholic Report
Father Gerardino Barrachinni, Vicar for Sainthood in Venezuela, said that the beatification process of Juan Grilc, who served as parish priest of Chacao for 27 years, is underway.
“There is a reputation of holiness that accompanies him for his gift of people, his heroic charity and since he arrived in Venezuela he left a trail of goodness and memory in this entire parish community,” he said in interview to Union Radio Monday, August 26th.
Barrachinni recalled that the case can be started from the fifth year after the death of the candidate. And Grilc died on June 13, 1997.
The priest highlighted Juan Grilc’s love for the poor when he arrived in Venezuela from Slovenia.
“He exercised all the virtues in a heroic manner: love, hope, prudence, love for the poor, all of which makes him an ideal candidate to be presented to the Church,” he said.
Who was Juan Grilc?
Father John Grilc was born on February 20, 1926 in Novo Mesto (Slovenia). Grilc fled his native country because he could not freely profess his faith there because of the communist government, according to the published information by the Slovenes in Venezuela organization on its website.
The cleric went to Argentina and was ordained as a priest on March 19, 1951. He later arrived in Venezuela in 1958, recommended by the Catholic Church in Buenos Aires, where he worked as a cooperating vicar.
On January 11, 1979, Grilc became the parish priest of San José de Chacao and in 1995 Pope John Paul II named him monsignor and chaplain.
Due to Grilc’s work in Chacao, the parishioners of this municipality have been in charge of asking the church to begin Grilc’s canonization, which has the support of the Chacao Mayor’s Office itself.
What would Grilc’s beatification process be like?
Regarding the beatification process of Juan Grilc, Barrachinni explained that at this time no miracle is needed to start the process.
“Although current regulations establish that if a miracle occurs, it could be opened with the case, the process of heroic virtues must first be carried out,” he clarified.
According to Barrachini, on March 19, 2024, Juan Grilc was presented to the Vatican as a candidate for the altars.
“In this process, what simply happens is the certification by the dicastery that there is no problem in initiating the case,” he recalled.
Barrachini said that once this certificate is obtained, the bishop will begin the substantial part of a tribunal to examine all the witnesses who knew the candidate in person.
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2024-08-27 17:30:05