Five Spanish Franciscan missionaries beatified in Georgia

Five Spanish Franciscan missionaries, known as the Martyrs of Georgia, were beatified on October 31, 2026, in Savannah, Georgia. The ceremony was led by Cardinal Francis Leo, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, acting on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.

The missionaries, identified as Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodríguez de Cuacos, Miguel de Añón, Antonio de Badajoz, and Francisco de Veráscola, were killed in September 1597 during an uprising among the Guale people. The conflict was reportedly triggered when Pedro de Corpa opposed the decision of a local leader, Juanillo, to take a second wife, which contradicted Christian teachings on the sanctity of marriage.

The beatification follows a process that included diocesan investigations in Savannah between 1984 and 2007. The Church recognizes their martyrdom as a testament to their faith and their defense of the sanctity of marriage and human dignity.