Pope Francis has approved a decree making Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, revered as the “doctor of the poor,” Venezuela’s first saint. While a date for his canonization has not been set, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis also intends to call a meeting of cardinals to schedule future canonizations, though no date has been determined yet.
“This historic event, eagerly awaited by the Venezuelan people, honors the exemplary life and heroic virtues of a man who dedicated his life to alleviating suffering and spreading a message of love and hope,” stated the Archdiocese of Caracas. “The Catholic Church recognizes his holiness and universal devotion, which now leads him to be elevated to the altar.”
Hernández, who died in 1919, was beatified in April 2021 after a miracle was attributed to him involving a girl who fully recovered from a gunshot wound to the head in 2017. Born on October 26, 1864, in Isnotu, Venezuela, Hernández never married and earned his medical degree in Caracas in 1888. He believed science was crucial to lifting Venezuela out of poverty, founding two research institutions and teaching at the Central University of Venezuela.
Hernández traveled to Europe to study and later considered becoming a Catholic monk, but his health worsened in Italy’s climate, prompting him to return to Venezuela. He died in a tragic accident on June 29, 1919, after being struck by a car while on his way to deliver medicine to a poor woman. His death, caused by his head striking the sidewalk, was mourned by an estimated 20,000 people.
In 1986, the Vatican declared Hernández “venerable,” recognizing his exemplary Christian life, but for sainthood, miracles attributed to him had to be verified by medical experts, theologians, and cardinals.
When Pope John Paul II visited Venezuela in 1996, he received a petition from 5 million Venezuelans, nearly a quarter of the population at the time, requesting Hernández’s canonization.
