Alberic Crescitelli

Alberic Crescitelli (1863–1900), whose Chinese name was Guo Xide, was an Italian Catholic priest and missionary to China. Born in Italy on June 30, 1863, Crescitelli entered the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in 1880 and was ordained a priest on June 4, 1887. The following year, he embarked on his missionary journey to China, where he began his work in the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Shensi, an area now known as the Diocese of Hanzhong.

Martyrdom and Veneration

Crescitelli's life as a missionary was tragically cut short in 1900, when he is believed to have been killed during the Boxer Rebellion. His confreres, who had known him intimately for many years, initiated his beatification cause in 1908, a mere eight years after his death, testifying unanimously to the holiness of his life. At the Vatican, on February 18, 1951, Pope Pius XII declared Alberico Crescitelli "blessed." In his memorable speech, Pope Pius XII described Father Crescitelli's martyrdom, noting its extreme cruelty, prolonged torments, barbaric humiliations, and the betrayal he endured.

Canonization and Controversy

Pope John Paul II included Alberico Crescitelli in the list of 120 Martyr Saints of China, who were canonized in St. Peter's Square on October 1, 2000. This mass canonization faced significant opposition within China. Bishop Fu Tieshan, leader of the state-run Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, deemed it "intolerable." The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement alleging that some of those canonized had committed outrages such as rape and looting, and had committed unforgivable crimes against the Chinese people. The State Administration of Religious Affairs specifically singled out Alberico Crescitelli, accusing him of being notorious for exercising the "right of the first night" over brides in his diocese. The Catholic Church's Holy Spirit Study Centre in Hong Kong has refuted these accusations, labeling them as baseless.

During the canonization ceremony on October 1, 2000, Pope John Paul II delivered a homily in which he asked for forgiveness for any past wrongs committed by missionaries in China, stating, "If they happened, is there any man exempt from defects? - We ask for forgiveness."