Pope Leo XIV has authorized on this January 22, 2026, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a new batch of decrees that include the recognition of a miracle, the declaration of a martyrdom “in hatred of the faith,” and the advancement of four causes due to heroic virtues, according to the Vatican Bulletin.
A miracle that opens the door to a beatification
Among the decrees, the recognition of the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Maria Ignazia Isacchi (Angela Caterina, known as Ancilla), founder of the Ursulines of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Asola, stands out. With the approval of the miracle, her cause takes the decisive step that normally allows proceeding to beatification, as an extraordinary fact attributed to her intercession is confirmed.
A martyrdom in Guatemala: “hated for the faith”
The Pontiff has also authorized the decree on the martyrdom of the Servant of God Augusto Raffaele Ramírez Monasterio, professed priest of the Franciscans, born in Guatemala City and murdered on November 7, 1983 “in hatred of the faith.” This recognition, in the causes of martyrs, has particular weight because it underscores that the death was suffered out of fidelity to Christ, and not for merely political or circumstantial reasons.
Four new causes advance due to heroic virtues
In addition to these two decrees, the Holy See has recognized the heroic virtues of four Servants of God. They are Maria Tecla Antonia Relucenti, co-founder of the Pious Workers Sisters of the Immaculate Conception; Crocifissa Militerni (Teresa), religious of the Sisters of Saint John the Baptist; Maria Immacolata della Santissima Trinità (Maria Giselda Villela), founder of the Carmel of the Holy Family of Pouso Alegre in Brazil; and the layman Nerino Cobianchi, father of a family, a figure especially significant for showing a path of holiness in ordinary life and in the responsibilities proper to a home.