Several thousand people gathered on Sunday near Lyon for the beatification of Pauline Jaricot, a pioneer of social Catholicism from Lyon.
Read alsoFather Hamel: a beatification in progress and a fruitful legacy
The rite of beatification, held in the Eurexpo exhibition hall transformed for the occasion into a giant church, gave rise to a procession during which the relic of the heart of Pauline Jaricot was carried to the altar.
Born in 1799 into a family of silk industrialists, this pioneer of social Catholicism is known for having founded the Work for the Propagation of the Faith - now the Pontifical Mission Societies.
The prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who presides over the ceremony, read a letter in English from Pope Francis accepting that Pauline Jaricot “
be henceforth called blessed
”.
At the end of this reading, the portrait of Pauline Jaricot was unveiled and applauded by the faithful.
Her beatification comes after the recognition in 2020 of the intercession of Pauline Jaricot in the healing of Mayline Tran in 2012, a three-year-old girl who had choked while eating and whose condition was then considered hopeless by doctors.
"Extraordinary Healing"
After nine days of prayer to Pauline Jaricot, the girl's health improved until her "
extraordinary recovery
", according to her medical file.
“
Miracles do exist and Mayline is living proof of
it,” her father Emmanuel Tran said with emotion before mass, in front of the audience of faithful where the miraculous young girl stands in the front row, smiling.
In the audience, a 23-year-old student named Viviane came to attend this beatification in "
thank you
" for the "
pardon requested on the tomb of Pauline Jaricot in Saint-Nizier
" and which has been "
granted to her for two years
".
"
A beatification is always a great event
" for Xavier, a 55-year-old man from Lyon.
"
It's not just about rewarding someone from the past but about shining a light on them for the present and the future
," he continued.
"
This is a first step, we have canonization in our sights
," a descendant of Pauline Jaricot's brother, Hugues de Roquette-Buisson, told AFP.
But to become a saint, “
Pauline Jaricot must perform a second miracle
,” he recalled.
Read alsoIn Rome, Saint Charles de Foucauld edifies thousands of hearts
Among the cardinals and bishops present on the vast platform set up for the occasion, was the former archbishop of Lyon Philippe Barbarin, who left Lyon in 2020 after his release on appeal for his silences on the sexual assaults of a former priest. of the diocese.
