Being "consistent Christians went on card. Martins means we must not be inhibited in front of the duty to give our contribution to the common good and to shape society always according to justice, defending, in a dialogue shaped by love, our beliefs on the dignity of the person, on life from conception to its natural end, on the family based on the only and inseparable nuptial tie of man and woman, on the parents’ primary right and duty to raise their children, and on the other matters that come out of the daily experience of the society in which we live". Martyrs concluded card. Martins "are not the exclusive heritage of the diocese of a country", but, on the contrary, they belong "to the whole world, to the universal Church". They "have not achieved glory just for themselves. Their blood, that soaked the earth, was the source of fecund and abundant fruits". Yesterday morning’s beatification ceremony in the Vatican is the most numerous beatification ceremony in the history of the Church: 498 martyrs, including 2 bishops, 24 diocesan priests, 462 priests and nuns, and seven lay people. The majority are Spanish, while 2 were born in France, 2 in Mexico, and one in Cuba. Three of the new blessed souls as recalled by the cardinal were 16 years old, while the oldest one was 68.
