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An image of Venezuela s Doctor of the poor Jose Gregorio Hernandez is pictured after his beatification at La Salle church in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2021. Miraflores Palace/Johnn Zerpa/Handout via REUTERS
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Venezuelans on Friday celebrated the beatification of Jose Gregorio Hernandez, a medic who became known as the doctor of the poor while treating the ill during the Spanish flu pandemic in the early 20th century.
Pope Francis in 2020 began the process of his beatification, which precedes sainthood in the Roman Catholic tradition.
That process was completed on Friday in a Caracas ceremony led by papal nuncio Aldo Giordano and other Venezuelan church leaders.
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Left: Born in the village of Isnotú, Hernández studied in Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and New York.
Right: A worker rebuilds an altar to Hernández in La Candelaria church in Caracas days before the beatification of the doctor.
Photograph via Alamy
Hernández is now the first Venezuelan layman to be beatified a milestone that comes 72 years after his sainthood petition was first launched. It’s a rare ray of light for the country, which has been in the midst of a political and economic crisis for years and has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
In Venezuela, a quest for sainthood offers proof of miracles msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
May 1, 2021 associated press
Yeni Vasquez raises a portrait of the late, Venezuelan Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez outside the church in La Candelaria after the church bell rang, signaling the start of his Beatification ceremony in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, April 30, 2021. Known as the doctor of the poor, Hernandez is being Beatified by the Catholic church, a step towards sainthood. (Credit: Ariana Cubillos/AP.)
A man revered by millions of Venezuelans as the “doctor of the poor” is one step away from sainthood after being beatified Friday in the South American country’s capital.
CARACAS, Venezuela A man revered by millions of Venezuelans as the “doctor of the poor” is one step away from sainthood after being beatified Friday in the South American country’s capital.