Pope beatifies Edmund Rice

BY CECILIA BROMLEYMARTIN ALMOST 5,000 Irish pilgrims gathered in Rome last weekend to attend Pope John Paul II's last public appearance for the time being the beatification of the founder of the
Calling Blessed Edmund Rice "a shining example of the fruitfulness of the Christian life", the Pope said that the Irish brother had "helped the clergy of his parish meet the pressing needs of his fellow citizens oppressed by poverty and the weight of anti-Catholic legislation".
Edmund started the Congregation in Waterford, Ireland, in 1803, after he had inherited money from his uncle, which he dedicated to helping poor Catholic boys receive an education. "Once more, Ireland has given the Church and the world a sinking testimony of complete fidelity to Christ," said the Pope, who used the opportunity to plead for a new peace in Northern Ireland. "Nothing is lost through peace," he insisted. "Everything can be lost through violence. God bless Ireland."
The Pontiff, who delayed his appendectomy for several weeks in order to carry out the ceremony, also beatified two 19th century nuns who headed religious institutions, and 13 Polish martyrs. The Eastern-rite Catholics were killed by Russian soldiers in January 1874 while defending the church in the town of Pratulin, which had been designated for Russian Orthodox use as part of a systematic effort to eradicate Easternrite churches. They locked themselves inside the building, but died when it was stormed by troops.