Thousands Ask for Beatification of Francisco Franco
Gutiérrez is the daughter of a former Spanish minister and founder of the Francisco Franco Foundation. She sent a letter to the Spanish bishops asking them to start Franco’s process of beatification. The letter was co-signed by 5.241 persons.
According to LaFedeQuotidiana (July 19) her arguments for Franco’s beatification are his fight against poverty, his magnanimity with his enemies, his commitment for social peace and moral regeneration, the restoration of Christ’s Kingdom in Spain, and the fact that he saved the Spanish Church from extermination.
The Communists, later defeated by Franco, killed during the Civil War more than 6000 priests and 13 bishops.
Franco put an end to the bloodiest civil war in the history of the West, kept is country out of Second World War, and rebuilding the destroyed churches and monasteries. He was very popular.
On May 14, 1946 he declared that “for us, the perfect State is the Catholic State.” The attitude of the Roman and Spanish hierarchy toward Franco until Second Vatican Council could be summed up in three words: recognition, gratitude, support".
