Santos Franco Sánchez
Encyclopedia
Santos Franco Sánchez was a Spanish boy who is being considered for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church
.
The child was born into a devout Catholic family and attended Catholic schools. He was an ordinary child who got into his share of mischief, but his family remembered that he was also good-natured and quick to apologize if he did something wrong. He was also bright and inquisitive. He wanted to be a Carmelite priest
when he grew up.
Santos developed meningitis
in November 1953 and suffered a great deal, but offered up the suffering for the conversion of sinners. During his final illness he had visions of the Child Jesus
surrounded by angel
s and flowers and of the devil
, which he envisioned had been chased away by a crucifix
. His doctor, an atheist, visited the boy daily and thought the boy was a saint. The doctor was later converted to Catholicism. Santos died praying his favorite prayer "Thy will be done."
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
The child was born into a devout Catholic family and attended Catholic schools. He was an ordinary child who got into his share of mischief, but his family remembered that he was also good-natured and quick to apologize if he did something wrong. He was also bright and inquisitive. He wanted to be a Carmelite priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
when he grew up.
Santos developed meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
in November 1953 and suffered a great deal, but offered up the suffering for the conversion of sinners. During his final illness he had visions of the Child Jesus
Child Jesus
The Child Jesus represents Jesus from his Nativity to age 12. At 13 he was considered to be adult, in accordance with the Jewish custom of his time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries.The Child Jesus is frequently depicted in art, from around the third or fourth century...
surrounded by angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s and flowers and of the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, which he envisioned had been chased away by a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
. His doctor, an atheist, visited the boy daily and thought the boy was a saint. The doctor was later converted to Catholicism. Santos died praying his favorite prayer "Thy will be done."