Florentino Asensio Barroso (16 October 1877 – 9 August 1936) was a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Barbastro. He served as a chaplain of both the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Servants of Jesus as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. He was made a bishop in 1935 and killed in 1936 during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. His appointment as administrator was opposed, and he was soon captured and tortured. In mid-1936 he was shot to death. He was beatified in 1997 after it was determined that he was killed in hatred of the faith.

Life

Florentino Asensio Barroso was born on 16 October 1877 in

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

to poor parents. He made his

First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...

on 1 May 1887. He made his first vows as an Augustinian in 1888 but was discouraged to continue in that order and directed instead to the diocesan seminary. After a year of studies there he received the minor orders in 1889. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

sub-deacon on 22 September 1900 and a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

on 22 December 1900. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1901 by the Auxiliary Bishop of Valladolid. He earned a doctorate in

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the Pontifical University of Valladolid and then went on to teach there briefly. He served as a pastor in Villaverde de Medina until 1902 when he became the personal assistant to

José Cos y Macho José María Justo Cos y Macho (6 August 1838 – 17 December 1919) was a Spanish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Valladolid from 1901 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911. Biography J ...

, Archbishop of Valladolid. From 1902 until 1917 he was the confessor to the seminary in Valladolid. He also served as the confessor to various congregations and monasteries from 1920 until 1935. In 1925 he taught catechism to adults. He was well regarded for his pastoral zeal in dealing with the sick and the poor. In 1935 the

Apostolic Nuncio to Spain The Apostolic Nunciature to the Kingdom of Spain is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Spain. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. For much of ...

Federico Tedeschini Federico Tedeschini (12 October 1873 – 2 November 1959) was an Italian cardinal of the Holy Roman Church who served as papal datary in the Roman Curia from 1938 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933 ''in pectore'' (p ...

recommended him to

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

as à candidate for a bishop's appointment as the apostolic administrator of Diocese of Barbastro. On 11 November 1935, Pope Pius appointed him titular bishop of Euroea in Epiro and apostolic administrator of Barbastro. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

on 26 January 1936 from Remigio Gandásegui y Gorrochátegui, Archbishop of Valladolid, and he took possession of the see by proxy on 8 March 1936. Barbastro Catedral 12 Capilla de San Carlos Borromeo

Barbastro Catedral 12 Capilla de San Carlos Borromeo

Barroso was arrested in the episcopal residence and was imprisoned on 22 July 1936 during the onslaught of the

. On the night of 8 August he was taken to solitary confinement in Barbastro and was interrogated to the point of cutting off his genitals. On 9 August, he was shot to death three times in the temple. Along with other killed detainees, his body was taken to a cemetery in a truck and was thrown into a

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of exec ...

at around 2:00am. After the war concluded, his remains were easily identified based on the initials that marked his undergarments. He was given an

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

on 16 April 1993.

Beatification

The local beatification process commenced in Barbastro on 20 May 1947, with the accumulation of witness testimonies in addition to all documents that supported the fact that he was killed in hatred of the faith. This local process concluded on 30 April 1952. Barroso's cause was formally opened on 3 January 1953, granting him the title of

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

. It was ratified on 4 October 1991 in order for the cause to proceed. The

Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...

was submitted to the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1993 and his martyrdom was approved on 31 January 1997. This allowed for

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

to celebrate his beatification on 4 May 1997.

References

External links

Hagiography Circle
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barroso, Florentino Asensio 1877 births 1936 deaths 19th-century venerated Christians 20th-century venerated Christians Spanish beatified people Beatifications by Pope John Paul II People from Valladolid Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War Martyred Roman Catholic priests Assassinated religious leaders Deaths by firearm in Spain Martyred Roman Catholic bishops Violence against men in Europe Castrated people