Salvatore Lilli was a

Franciscan priest The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...

and a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

killed by the Muslim Turks under Abdul Hamid on 22 November 1895.

Early life

He was born on 19 June 1853 in

Cappadocia, Abruzzo Cappadocia ( In Marsican Dialect: ')is a ''comune'' and town with approximately 550 inhabitants in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is part of Marsica. It's also part of the "''Borghi autentici d'Italia" (Engli ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to Vincenzo and Annunziata Lilli. He joined Franciscan in

1870 Events January * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...

and make his final vows on 6 August

1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Bapaume – Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...

Religious life

He was ordained on 6 April 1878 in

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

. He served as a missionary in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. He also built schools, clinics and homes for abandoned. He taught modern hygiene and sanitation in villages. He worked with the sick during a cholera epidemic in 1891.

Persecution and death

He was serving as a

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

and superior of the Franciscan House at Mujukderesi,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, at the time of death. He was arrested by Turks along with his seven companions and forced to embrace

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, to which Lille and his companions refused and hence they were killed and their bodies desecrated and burned.

Beatification

Theologians approved Lilli's spiritual writings on 19 May 1939, and he and his companions were later declared

Servants 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 ...

. On 3 October 1982,

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 ...

beatified Salvatore Lilli and his companions. The feast day is celebrated on 19 November.

Bibliography

*Aghassi (pseud. Garabed Toursarkisian), L'assassinat du Père Salvatore par le soldats turcs. Témoignage d'Aghassi, l'un des quatre chefs de l'insurrection du Zéïtoun, trad. Archag Tchobanian, pref. Pierre Quillard, Parigi, Mercure de France, 1897. *Aghassi, Zeïtoun, depuis les origines jusqu'à l'insurrection de 1895..., Traduction d'Archag Tchobanian. Préface par Victor Bérard, 1897 *Gian Crisostomo Guzzo, Vita e martirio dei servi di Dio p. Salvatore Lilli e compagni: martirizzati in Armenia nel 1895,

Venezia Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, Tipografia S. Marco, 1942. *Salvatore Lilli (nipote del martire), Vita del padre Salvatore Lilli da Cappadocia della provincia romana di S. Michele Arcangelo martirizzato nell'Armenia Minore il 22 novembre 1895, Gerusalemme, Tipografia dei PP. Francescani, 1949. *AA.VV.Salvatore Lilli e sette cristiani armeni martiri per la fede di Cristo, supplemento di "La terra santa: pubblicazione mensile della Custodia francescana", 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lilli, Salvatore 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Italian beatified people Beatifications by Pope John Paul II 1853 births 1895 deaths