Benedetta Bianchi Porro

Benedetta Bianchi Porro (8 August 1936 – 23 January 1964) was an Italian Roman Catholic from Romagna. In her teenage years, she contracted polio, which greatly impacted her health. Nevertheless, Porro endeavored to pursue a career in medicine, distinguishing herself as an exceptional student. However, the aggressive progression of her illness ultimately forced her to relinquish her medical ambitions. In a bid to improve her health, she underwent multiple surgeries, but these interventions failed to alleviate her health problems, leading to a rapid deterioration of her health.

She was proclaimed Venerable on 23 December 1993 on the account of her good deeds and model life. Pope Francis confirmed a miracle attributed to her intercession in a decree on 7 November 2018; she was beatified on 14 September 2019.

Life Benedetta Bianchi Porro was born at Dovadola as the second of six children to Guido Bianchi Porro and Elsa Giammarchi. Her siblings were Gabriele (b. 1938), Manuela (b. 1941), Corrado (b. 1946) and Carmen (b. 1953); her half-sister was Leonida (b. 1930). She was baptized "in necessity" at the request of her mother with water from Lourdes; she received formal baptism on the following 13 August in the name of "Benedetta Bianca Maria". Three months after her birth she fell ill with polio and required a brace on her left leg and an orthopedic shoe in order to prevent her spine from deforming; Doctor Vittorio Putti from Bologna diagnosed her illness. From March to May 1937 she was hit with repeated bronchitis.

From the age of five she began to keep a journal in which to record experiences; one such entry was at the age of seven: "The universe is enchanting! It is great to be alive!"

In May 1944 she received her First Communion in the Church of the Annunciation where she received a rosary that she would always keep with her. She later received Confirmation a fortnight later from the Bishop of Modigliana Maximilian Massimiliani. For the 1950 Holy Year convoked by Pope Pius XII, she and her aunt Carmen travelled on pilgrimages to Assisi, Rome and Loreto. She enjoyed reading and she preferred Tolstoy since she liked Russian literature, and also liked Horace and William Shakespeare.

At the age of thirteen she began to lose her hearing and began to notice this on 15 February 1953 when questioned by a teacher in Latin class; she was unable to hear all the questions put to her. Confined to her home, she began to evangelize to others through correspondences to others in which she discussed faith and love of God. Friends from medical school visited her on a frequent basis.

Her first operation in 1958 caused partial paralysis on the left side of her face; a second operation in August 1959 left her completely paralyzed and reliant on a wheelchair. she also began to lose the five senses on a gradual level.

In May 1962 she undertook a pilgrimage to Lourdes seeking a miracle for her ailments. There, she met 22-year-old Maria who was sobbing beside her. Porro took her hand and urged her to beseech the Blessed Virgin Mary for her intercession, at which point Maria was healed. Pope Francis confirmed the miracle attributed to her intercession in a decree issued on 7 November 2018; she was beatified on 14 September 2019. The current postulator of the cause is Father Guglielmo Camera.