Christian World | Cardinal Robles Ortega beatified Franciscan Fr. Augusto Ramírez Monasterio in Antigua, Guatemala, on Saturday, hailing his defense of the seal of confession

ACW | November 7, 2026 — Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega beatified Franciscan Fr. Augusto Rafael Ramírez Monasterio in Antigua, Guatemala, on Saturday on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, Vatican News reported.

Robles Ortega is the archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico. Ramírez Monasterio was killed "in hatred of the faith" during Guatemala's civil war, and the rite fell on the 43rd anniversary of his death, according to Vatican News.

In June 1983, the friar heard the confession of a farmworker who had joined guerrilla fighters and wanted to seek a government amnesty, and he accompanied the man to the police, Vatican News said.

Both men were taken to a military base in Chimaltenango and mistreated under questioning. Interrogators singled out the priest to make him reveal what he had heard in confession, the report said.

In his homily, Robles Ortega said defending the seal of confession meant "defending the dignity of every person." He called Guatemala "a beautiful and sorrowful land of martyrs."

Background: Ramírez Monasterio had ministered in Spain before returning to Guatemala, where he devoted himself to pastoral work and to defending the poorest, Vatican News said. On the same day, 80 martyrs were beatified in Spain: Church beatifies 80 Spanish Civil War martyrs in Santander.

Why it matters: Guarding the seal of confession was a defense of "the dignity of every person," Robles Ortega said. According to Vatican News, the friar refused to disclose what he had heard in confession despite abuse in military custody.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: Vatican News — Franciscan martyr Augusto Ramírez Monasterio beatified in Guatemala

Photo: Vatican News