Pope Francis has authorized the canonization of Venezuelan physician José Gregorio Hernández, making him Venezuela's first saint. The decision was announced by Vatican News on February 25, 2025, following an audience granted to Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra at the Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome, where the pontiff is hospitalized for bilateral pneumonia. "José Gregorio is a great gift from God at this moment, may God bless all Venezuelans and may we find a symbol of unity and faith", declared the Archbishop of Caracas, Raúl Biord Castillo, from Rome as reported by El País.

With the authorization of his canonization, José Gregorio Hernández goes down in history as an example of faith and dedication to the service of the most needy. However, his road to the altars has been long and full of challenges.

José Gregorio Hernández was born in 1864 in Isnotú, a small town in the state of Trujillo, Venezuela. From a young age he stood out for his intelligence and academic discipline, which allowed him to graduate in Medicine at the Central University of Venezuela with excellent grades. His vocation was not only limited to medicine, but also to religion; on two occasions he tried to enter the priesthood, but his fragile health prevented him from following that path, según reportó la BBC.

After completing his studies in Paris, he brought to Venezuela the most modern advances of European medicine and became a pioneer of bacteriology in his country. He was a university professor, researcher and a fervent advocate for access to health care for the poorest. His dedication to free care for the sick earned him the title of "Doctor of the Poors".

Miracles and canonization

Hernández's path to sainthood formally began in 1949, when the Catholic Church initiated his beatification process. It was not until 1986 that Pope John Paul II declared him "Venerable", because of his heroic virtues. However, his beatification was delayed for decades and was finally approved in 2020, after a miracle attributed to his intercession was certified.

The miracle in question was the unexplained healing of Yaxury Solórzano, a Venezuelan girl who was shot in the head in 2017 during a mugging. Doctors gave her no hope of life without permanent sequelae, but her mother prayed to José Gregorio and the girl made a miraculous recovery. In 2021, his beatification was celebrated in Caracas.
For his canonization, a second miracle needed to be certified, which was recently achieved and led to Pope Francis' decision to elevate him to a saint of the Catholic Church.

A popular saint

Since his death in 1919, José Gregorio Hernández has become a figure of popular devotion in Venezuela and other Latin American countries. His image is common in hospitals, chapels, homes and domestic altars, and many people claim to have received favors and miraculous healings through his intercession.

In Caracas, her tomb in the Church of La Candelaria has become a pilgrimage point for thousands of devotees who seek her help and protection. "Whenever something hurts, I ask him, and he relieves me," commented Jose Pacheco, a street vendor in the city to BBC Mundo.

But beyond miracles and popular devotion, his legacy is that of a man of science and faith, who dedicated his life to improving the health conditions of the most vulnerable.

With his canonization, José Gregorio Hernández not only becomes the first Venezuelan saint, but also a symbol of faith and hope for all of Latin America. His life and work will continue to inspire generations of believers and health professionals, reminding them that true holiness is also found in service to others.