Pope Leo XIV authorised decrees recognising the heroic virtues of six Servants of God on Saturday, 24 October 2026, marking a new step in their causes for sainthood. The announcement followed an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Missionaries, priests, a laywoman and a Capuchin friar
The newly recognised Venerables include Friedrich Kaiser Depel, the first territorial prelate of Caravelí in Peru and founder of the Missionary Sisters of Jesus, Word and Victim, and Oreste Marengo, a Salesian bishop who served in India.
The decrees also concern Margarita Bavosi, known as “Luminosa,” a consecrated laywoman associated with the Focolare Movement; Domenico Pogliani, a priest of the Archdiocese of Milan; Alessandro Vitetti, a priest of the Diocese of Rossano-Cariati; and Daniele of San Giovanni Rotondo, a Capuchin friar and spiritual son of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.
What the recognition means
The title Venerable recognises that the Church has formally acknowledged a candidate’s heroic virtues. It is a significant step in a cause for sainthood, but it does not itself constitute beatification or canonisation. The six biographies reflect Catholic ministry and witness across Europe, Latin America and Asia.
Sources
Vatican News, 24 October 2026; InfoVaticana, 24 October 2026.
