When the Spanish civil war started, I was an eleven year boy at a northern village under Republican control. The priest and twelf other people were killed for the sole crime of being committed catholics.
We were very much afraid. But when Franco´s forces liberated us, I saw people shouting for joy and women embracing on the sreets, as if we could breath clean air again.

Luis F Fueyo, Moncloa, spain

The Church is celebrating those that give their life for the truth and their faith in Christ, this meaning for the good and dignified life of the others, for the others freedom. Is the same that happened in Italy after the WWII when priests and Christians stood against the communism and where killed.
I think that Pope appreciate martyrs from every period and political regime, because the Church is apolitical, and everything it sustains is what is good for the people. Is only a matter of time to add Basque martyrs at this line. But for this should be somebody that sustain their cause at Vatican, that find documents about the way they died and that they died for their faith in Christ...
When it comes to the mistakes of the Church at least we have learned something from history (which can not be said about the now days communists…)

Adelaida, Bergamo, Italy

Ray Walker said: "Going by the law of averages the children of Spain must have been a lot safer with a few hundred dead priests." What a foolish remark. By the same logic, a dead priest could've been the one counselor that adviced Mr. Walker's grandmother not to have an abortion, a hypothetical situation that might had spared the rest of us from Mr. Walker's carping. Yet, even in that God have seen the need to see Mr. Walker inflicted upon the rest of the world. You see, God has a purpose for each of us and in many instances, he uses a priest to achieve Hs purpose, even when many of us fail to see that purpose clearly, as in Mr. Walker's case.

Teófilo de Jesús, Ponce, USA/Puerto Rico

the catholic church and the vatican collaborated with the Franco forces in the overthrow of a democratically elected Spanish government; involved themselves, along with Hitler, in the massacre of millions of spanish democrats, and helped pave the way for WW II; aided the nazis during and after the war; have aided and abetted every anti-democratic force around the world ever since then, as has the USA, because they were "anti-communist; this pope was/is a nazi; and now they "beatify" fascist, war criminals. Dress up evil as a priest, rabbi or mullah and it will still be putrid.

ray greenwood, charleston, wv, usa

"Among other measures, the law orders the removal of any symbols of the dictatorship, which arguably include the shrines in many Spanish churches to the dead on Franco’s side."

I hope that the Church defies this unjust order, especially as many of the people killed were clergy and religious, and some of them were beatified today. How can their memorials then be removed? Appalling leftist revisionism, which should be defied. The massacres of priests, nuns and monks by the left need to be commemorated by the Church, and the Church must ignore any order not to do so.

Martin, Hereford, England

Going by the law of averages the children of Spain must have been a lot safer with a few hundred dead priests.

Ray Walker, London, England

to margie:
Yes, Mussolini signed a convention or a treaty ( the Concordato) with the Catholic Roman Church in 1929 and he made a good thing, because the unification of Italy was made in 1861 without Rome. Rome was conquered by the Italian army and this was a great problem, because the pope was send away from his house and the Italian state confiscated many Catholic properties and Catholics were persecuted. The pope asked the Italian Catholics don't partecipate to the new state and this was a great problem because Italy is a Catholic country. Italian unity was made against the Church. Mussolini made a good thing to find a way to close the Catholic question. Anyway,Mussolini became chief of government of Italy because the king of Italy asked him and had a large consent for the fear of a Communist revolution. The Catholic Church was not fascist at all, the Church tried to protect Catholics as always.

Andrea, Rome, Italy

For the Times the fact that the killer was associated with a Spanish Republican militia automatically makes his victim a member of "Franco's clergy". On the same logic, all victims of Stalinism become Fascists, all Germans who died under British bombs Nazis, all slaughtered by Hitler Communists. It is time to finish with such tendentious labelling and report objectively. And yes, of course Franco was a bloodthirsty military despot - also.

Augustin McEvoy, Lausanne, Switzerland.

I just make me smile when I read comments about the represion years after the civil war. Let's see people, do you really think that if the republicans won the war there would not be any political prosecution and torture from the communist goverment running the country!!!! Please just look at Stalin's Russia that killed way many more than Hitler's Germany of Franco's Spain, because thats was the future of Spain if franco did not rebel and won the war. I'm sick of hearing how good and pius the republican side was and how evil were the spaniards that supported Franco. Franco did not kill any priest based on their faith because there are no communist priest it goes agaisnt the religion on itself.

Fernando, New Jersey, USA

Fortunately the USSR communism has fallen into the History's garbage.
One have to consider that there was a deadly fight in Spain to prevent this country to become communist (with all the awful outcomes this would bring)
Franco chose to use the interested helps of Hitler & Mussolini but he never went to their help when they required Spain to enter WWII on their sides.
Franco used the same means to fight the reds as the reds themselves. Otherwise he would never have won.
Who can lament if Franco got rid of the communists in Spain and if he avoided WWII to his country?
Certainly we may thank him very much.
Sorry for the Republicans but they were on the wrong side, that of Stalin, Mao, PolPot, Castro, Ceaucescu etc...

Jean, Lyon, France

Although I totally disagree with the killing of religious people in Spain during the Civil War, please let's not forget the heavy involvement of the Catholic church in Franco's terror regime.

Priests had unlimited power and many of them were guilty of the death and torture of tens of thousands of people. It makes me laugh (just a manner of speaking) when the Pope beatifies these people, once again forgetting their heavy involvement in European fascist regimes, which enabled them the amassing of massive fortunes.

Eusebio, Madrid, Spain

This goes to show that Spain still hasn't come to terms with its past, with "bete noirs" such as regional nationalism and terrorism a hang-over from the Civil War and the 40 year dictatorship that followed. If only a South African style peace and reconciliation committee would be set up, then it would go some way in healing the past. I live in Austria and was shocked by the many Spanish Republicans that were put to death in the Mathausen Concentration Camp (the 2nd biggest group executed- after Russians). Coming to terms with the past means also coming to terms with the repression, torture and excesses of those 40 years.

Rudolf, Vienna, Austria

The Catholic Church beatifies and canonizes as saints only those who somehow could be considered as models to be imitated. Of course, martyrs come on the forefront in this regard. In the latter case the Church takes into account if the person has died for his faith or for some other reason.

Joe Zammit, Paola , Malta

Why no Catalan or Basque priests, killed by Fascist death squads, were included in this tribute from the Vatican? They were probably not killed for their faith, but for their support of nationalist movements. I believe they should have been included in this homage.

John, Majorca, Spain

There was no fight in Rome, only some protests like in any democracy.
I am sorry for Spanish Republicans but they lost the Spanish Civil War and this is history like the English Civil War in the 17th century. The English Civil War was very violent, they killed king Charles I, the Brits fought many years and they have still a monarchy.
Brits had at least 4 centuries of competition with Spain and they have not won: they lost British Empire. Mr. Catalan sees Spanish and Italian history from a Marxist point of view because he is Brit, but I am sure he doesn't like Communist revolution in Great Britain.

Andrea, Rome, Italy

These people have been beatified because they were killed simply for being Catholic. During the religious persecution that started in 1931 and intensified during the first days of the Civil War, it is estimated that over 7,000 Catholics - including bishops, priests, nuns and laypeople, both young and old - were murdered because of their faith. Many were tortured before their deaths. On pain of death, they refused to renounce their faith which often meant urinating, spitting or cursing on the figure of Christ. Throughout Spain churches, convents and monasteries were sacked, looted and burned; priests and religious were imprisoned and many executed. None of them were involved in violence or the war.
This poorly written article omits these facts and distorts the picture. Their cause for beatification was presented to the Vatican decades ago - during the 1950s and 1960s - long before Rodriguez Zapatero dreamt up his law of historical memory.

Clavis, London,

With both Hitler and Mussolini actively helping Franco and the Catholic church, is it any wonder that the Catholic church was seem as being on Hitler`s side in World War Two, with its silence to condemn them. The then Pope signed a concordant with Mussolini.

margie, victoria, australia

My grandparents had to leave Franco's Spain. They were sentenced to death. The years following the Civil War were of terror and political repression. When the facists couldn't arrest the men they revenged on children and mothers who were treated like scum as they called them. There is no excuse for killing priests and nuns but many republican leaders did not advocate that. In fact, Franco's repression was planned and I only hope Pope Benedict XVI will include all the victims of fascist repression including the hundreds of Basque priests that remained faithful to the Spanish Republic and slaughtered because of they didn't agree with Franco's Crusade. He killed hundred of thousands in the name of God.
My grandfather caught in France in June 1940 and sent to Mauthause on 12th December 1940 and released by A merican troops on May 5th 1945
It was possible because Franco approved of that and "didn't give a damn" about those "Reds". 10,000 out of 2000 survived

suner, Conflans Ste Honorine, FRANCE

Of course again Mr. Catan. This man needs an urgent visit to the oculist to treat his vision problems. He always look to the left side of spanish politics. I have been in Rome today and I saw no fight. At all. Maybe there was something but I can tell you it was really small and the vast majority of us did not realize it. But Mr. Catan will always be ready to prove that Spanish Catholics or conservatives are just a bunch of barbaric fascists. What a pain in the neck you are Mr. Catan

Mashor, spain, spain