Rolando Rivi

Rolando Maria Rivi (7 January 1931 – 13 April 1945) was an Italian Roman Catholic seminarian. Rivi was noted for his studious and pious nature with an intense love for Jesus Christ, which was evident through frequent confession and the reception of the Eucharist. He was amiable to all and wore his cassock with great pride in order to affirm that he belonged to Christ and his church. Accusing him of having spied for the Italian Social Republic, Communist partisans murdered him in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith) towards the end of World War II in Modena because he was learning to become a priest.

Rivi's holiness was well-noted in his lifetime and people began to hail him as a saint after his vicious murder after which people called for him to be beatified. The cause for his sainthood did not open until 30 September 2005 when he was accorded the title "Servant of God" and subsequently Pope Francis oversaw his beatification later on 5 October 2013.

Life Childhood and education Rolando Maria Rivi was born on 7 January 1931 in the rural San Valentino as the second of three sons to Roberto Rivi (30 October 1903 – 22 October 1992) and his wife Albertina Canovi; he was baptised on January 8 by the parish priest, Luigi Lemmi.

In 1951, the Assize Court of Lucca found the 16-year-old Giuseppe Corghi (who had fired the first shot) and 26-year-old Delciso Rioli (the partisan commander) guilty of Rolando's murder, sentencing them both to 23 years imprisonment. The sentence was confirmed by the Appeals Court of Florence and subsequently by the supreme court in 1952, the final sentence imposed being of 22 years.

Legacy Rivi became noted in his town and the surrounding areas for his holiness and for his deep and unwavering faith to Jesus Christ. He was best remembered for his love of the cassock which he believed made him one who belonged to Christ and his church. His figure became more well known in 2001 after it was reported that the English child James Blacknall (b. 1998) was cured of leukemia on 4 April 2001 after a hair and blood relic of Rivi was placed under his pillow with a novena said.

The L'Osservatore Romano published two articles on Rivi twice on 12 April 2000 and on 16 January 2004.

Beatification The beatification process opened under Pope Benedict XVI on 30 September 2005 and titled Rivi as a Servant of God. The diocesan phase concluded a short while later on 24 June 2006. All documentation was transmitted to the competent authorities in Rome, which reviewed them and confirmed the earlier proceedings. The postulation compiled and sent the Positio dossier to the Congregation in 2010. Theological approval of the dossier was granted on 18 May 2012 and that of the C.C.S. on 8 January 2013.

Pope Francis declared on 27 March 2013 that Rolando Rivi was killed "in odium fidei" (in hatred of the faith) and thus gave permission for the beatification to take place. Rolando was beatified in Modena on 5 October 2013 at a solemn Mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato on the pope's behalf, in the presence of almost 20,000 people. The beatification confers the title "Blessed", so that the Catholic Church now regards the martyr as "Blessed Rolando Rivi".

The cause for the final step of canonization, by which the person is declared a saint, continues. The current postulator for the cause is Francesca Consolini.