CV NEWS FEED// The case for canonizing Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo, an Italian mother who died after postponing cancer treatment that could have endangered her unborn baby, has moved forward from the diocesan investigation to the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
On Friday, June 21, the investigation into Petrillo’s “life, virtues, and reputation for holiness” was solemnly closed in St. John Lateran Basilica, and her dossier was forwarded to the Dicastery. The investigation lasted six years. Now, the Dicastery will decide whether Chiara can be recognized as a venerable.
Petrillo was an Italian wife and mother who died in 2012 at the age of 28. She and her husband, Enrico, had three children. Their first child, Maria Grazia Letizia, was diagnosed with anencephaly during the pregnancy and lived for less than an hour after she was born. Though doctors pressured them to have an abortion, the Petrillos accepted Maria Grazia Letizia’s brief life with joy, baptizing her right after birth.
Their second child, Davide Giovanni, was also diagnosed with severe disabilities while he was in his mother’s womb. He was missing several organs and his legs. Again, despite pressure from doctors, the Petrillos welcomed his life with the same joy with which they had welcomed Maria Grazia Letizia. Davide Giovanni lived for less than an hour after his birth.
Their third son, Francesco, is now 13 years old. He was a perfectly healthy baby, but when Chiara was pregnant with him, she was diagnosed with cancer. She refused any surgery that would endanger her unborn son, and she waited until after he was born to undergo treatment. She started chemotherapy four days after giving birth to Francesco, but a year later she died of the same cancer.
For the closing ceremony of the investigation, there were so many witnesses that the ceremony had to be held in the Basilica instead of the top floor of the rectory. Enrico and Francesco were both present. During the ceremony, Enrico testified to his wife’s heroic suffering, saying that she revealed to him “a joyful and gentle God.”
