A man considered by millions of Venezuelans to be the “doctor of the poor” is to be beatified, a step towards sainthood in the Catholic Church.
Jose Gregorio Hernandez will be beatified on Friday during a ceremony in Venezuela’s capital. The ceremony will be the culmination of 72 years of effort by Venezuela’s Catholics.
Mr Hernandez was a doctor, university professor and researcher before his death in 1919.
Initial plans called for a ceremony at a stadium, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced organisers to change venues, limit attendance to fewer than 300 people — mostly priests and nuns — and leave most Venezuelans to watch the event on television.