Pope To Beatify Gypsy Killed In Spanish War

Pope John Paul II is to beatify a Gypsy killed for his faith during the Spanish Civil War, the first time a member of that ethnic group has been so honored, sources said.

Ceferino Jimenez Malla was shot in 1936 by forces defending the Republican government, said Enrique Jimenez, a spokesman for Spain’s Bishops’ Conference.

He is to be beatified as a martyr on May 4; beatification is the first step toward possible sainthood.

Republican forces killed many priests because of the Roman Catholic Church’s alliance with dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, whose nationalist rebellion triggered the 1936-39 Civil War.