Venezuelan Church joins Farneta massacre commemoration

On September 6, 2026, a commemoration was held in Farneta to remember the Carthusian monks murdered by Nazi troops in 1944. For the first time, the Venezuelan Church participated in the memorial through a message from Cardinal Baltazar Porras, Archbishop Emeritus of Caracas.

The event highlighted the deep connection between Lucca and Venezuela, specifically regarding Monsignor Salvador Montes de Oca. Formerly the Bishop of Valencia in Venezuela, Montes de Oca became a Carthusian monk known as Bernardo Maria. He was executed on September 6, 1944, near the Certosa di Lucca during the Nazi retreat, after the monastery had sheltered partisans and persecuted individuals.

Montes de Oca’s cause for beatification is currently underway in Venezuela. His message, read by Lorenzo Maffei on behalf of the Archbishop of Lucca, Paolo Giulietti, emphasized his spiritual support for those facing death and his role as a witness of faith during the massacre.