Tokyo – Japan (Tuesday, 11/11/2014, Gaudium Press) Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, said to a Japanese delegation that visited the Vatican recently that Ukom Takayama, the “Samurai of Christ “, will be beatified in 2015.
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According to His Excellence Yoshinao Otsuka, Bishop of Kyoto and president of the Japanese Catholic Bishops Conference, Takayama’s life “can serve as a useful example for people today, and especially for the Japanese people as he has put his faith above the desire for success and health, and this means a lot to those who live in a highly competitive society. His courage and his Faith were for him more important than any other thing in life. “
A 400-page dossier containing documents to be used for the beatification of Ukom Takayama, was presented by the Japanese Catholic Bishops Conference, in August 2013, to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The final answer will be given by the congregation before the month of December.
This news increases the possibility of a trip to Japan by Pope Francis. In 2015, besides the beatification of the “Samurai of Christ”, the Japanese Catholic Church will celebrate the 150th anniversary of “the discovery of Christians” in 1865, Japan’s Kakure Kirishitan, the “hidden Christians” who practiced their religion in secrecy to avoid persecution and slaughter during the Edo Period (1603-1867). (EPC)
