The Argentine Cardinal Eduardo Pironio (1920-1998), noted as the “inventor” of the World Youth Days (WYD) and considered “papable” in 1978, will be declared blessed. Pope Francis, who knew him well and promoted his cause, approved this Wednesday the miracle attributed to his intercession with the promulgation of the corresponding decree of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
It is about the miraculous healing of Juan Manuel Franco, a one and a half year old boy from Mar del Plata - the city where Pironio was bishop -, poisoned by inhaling the glitter used by his mother for restoration work. The child had involuntarily aspirated and ingested it, which had caused acute respiratory distress syndrome (SDS) and he was about to die. As Vatican News recalled, it was December 2, 2006 and that day the so-called “March of Hope” was celebrated, an initiative devised by Pironio.
For the occasion the parish priest had distributed a small card with the figure of the cardinal. The little boy's parents, from that moment on, began to ask for his intercession, reciting the prayer that appeared on the card. Two days later, the first improvements began to be noticed. Five days later, the baby was reactive, lucid, and breathing spontaneously. And on December 13 he was discharged from the hospital, in a case that later laid the foundations for the advancement of the cause of beatification of
Pironio, a remembered figure of the Argentine Church and the Roman Curia.
A life between Argentina and the Vatican
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