Pope Francis gives the green light for the beatification of Benedict Daswa,a martyr of Christ

On the 22^nd January 2015,Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree on the martyrdom of Benedict Daswa who was killed on 2 February 1990 at the village of Mbahe in the Limpopo Province.This opens the way for the beatification, a public recognition by the Catholic Church that Benedict Daswa is indeed a blessed martyr of Christ and intercedes in heaven before God for the needs of God’s people.The Diocese of Tzaneen will be responsible for organising the celebration of Benedict Daswa’s beatification which will take place later this year.
Benedict Daswa will be the first blessed martyr of the Catholic Church in South Africa.The beatification of Benedict Daswa will have a deep personal significance for all the Catholic faithful in this southern African region and will also be an inspiration for the Christian population in general. He was a man who refused to compromise his faith in Jesus, the Lord and Saviour of humanity, and he was prepared to pay the ultimate price out of love for the Lord.
”Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”( John 15,13).
For the Catholic faithful this also means that we can ask Benedict Daswa who is in heaven to pray to God for our needs and to expect many blessings in answer to his intercession.Already a number of  people have shared their testimonies concerning the blessings they received from God after seeking the heavenly intercession of Benedict Daswa. This is the way the saints give glory to God because of their heavenly communion with Christ the Lord. We expect Benedict Daswa to continue to intercede for us because of his special connection with the people of Africa and one day he may even be canonized by the Catholic Church.
It is clear that the beatification of Benedict Daswa will mark the beginning of a growing public devotion in honour of his martyrdom. More and more people will want to learn about him and even go on pilgrimage to the places of particular significance in his life and death. People will want to meet together for prayer and reflection inspired by Benedict Daswa’s example of life.The Diocese of Tzaneen has obtained land in Tshitanini village near the villages where Benedict Daswa lived most of his life.It is there that a shrine will be built in his honour , where pilgrims will be able to come together in prayer and receive healing from God in body, mind and spirit and be inspired to follow the Gospel way of Jesus Christ who leads us to eternal life and salvation.