Namuncurá to be beatified

Pope beatifies native American of Argentina

Long-considered a saint by Argentines, Ceferino Namuncura will be beatified in November 2007 at his birthplace in Argentina. Son of a native chieftain, Namuncura is the first native American of Argentina to be beatified.Pope Benedict XVI signed on July 6 a decree declaring the upcoming beatification of an Argentine native American. Ceferino Namuncurá, son of a native chieftain and student of the Salesian order of priests was born in the province of Rio Negro on August 26, 1886 and died at Rome on November 11, 1905.

Now known as a “Servant of God”, Namuncurá’s beatification will be officially announced on November 11 in his native city in the Patagonia region of Argentina. He will be the first Native American born in Argentina to be declared one of the Church’s “blessed” or “beati”.