On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the evangelization of Latin America, the Franciscan order wanted to reinforce its missionary presence on the continent. In 1988, Franciscan superiors decided to open the mission in Peru, in the small town of Pariacoto, 1,200 meters above sea level, in the mountainous and isolated area of Peru. This was to be organized by Polish friars. In November 1988, three left: Fr. Zbigniew Strzałkowski, Fr. Michał Tomaszek, and the superior Fr. Jarosław Wysoczański. The Polish friars found a bleak reality in Pariacoto: the population lived in extreme poverty, there was no electricity or water, and the church was in a state of abandonment. The parish covered an enormous territory like a European diocese, with 73 villages, some of them at 4,000 meters above sea level. For the young priests, all in their thirties, a tough missionary work was beginning, but also one of assistance to the population. Soon the Poles won the hearts of the local people.

Unfortunately, the communist armed organization “Shining Path” was very active in the area. The work of evangelization and assistance to the population bothered the communists, who sought to make a revolution. For this reason, they needed the discontented masses who were angry with the rulers. In the 80s and 90s, there was a true civil war: the terrorists of “Shining Path” caused the death or disappearance of some 70,000 people.

On the night of August 9, 1991, the “senderistas” arrived at the Pariacoto mission looking for the priests. At that moment, only two fathers were in Pariacoto, because the superior had left for Poland on vacation. Friar Zbigniew and Friar Michał presented themselves to the terrorists and, under the frightened eyes of the parishioners, were put into a pickup truck that took them out of town. A brave Peruvian nun, Sr. Berta, also got into the vehicle and became a witness to the accusations directed by the perpetrators against the friars and to this kind of grotesque “revolutionary trial.” What were they accused of? It may seem absurd, but they were accused of doing good and, therefore, of curbing the anger of the people and slowing down the revolution. They were accused of having been sent by John Paul II and by the CIA, of proclaiming God, but religion—said the “senderistas”—is the opium of the masses. Shortly after, near the town’s small cemetery, they were executed alongside the mayor of Pariacoto with a shot to the back of the neck. The terrorists left a message on the bloody body of Fr. Strzałkowski: “This is how the servants of imperialism die.”

In August 1991, John Paul II was in Krakow for World Youth Day and, precisely during those enthusiastic days, the dramatic news reached him of the murder that occurred on August 9 in Peru of the two Polish Franciscans, Zbigniew Strzałkowski and Michał Tomaszek, at the hands of members of Shining Path. Commenting on this event, the Pope said: “They are the new holy martyrs of Peru.” The Pontiff’s prophecy was fulfilled 24 years after their death: on February 3, 2015, when the Congregation for the Causes of Saints recognized the martyrdom of the Servants of God Zbigniew and Michał and Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree relative to their martyrdom. The beatification took place on December 5, 2015, in the Peruvian city of Chimbote, the diocese where the martyrs carried out their mission. The solemn ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Together with the two Poles, Fr. Alessandro Dordi was beatified, who was killed in an ambush by the “senderistas” on August 25, 1991, while returning from celebrating Mass in a village. They are the first martyrs in the history of Peru.

The murder of the Polish Franciscans had a great echo in their native Poland, and their beatification process was followed with great interest throughout the country. While in Peru at 10:00 a.m. the Beatification Mass was being celebrated, at those same moments in Poland Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz was celebrating Mass in the Franciscan church in Krakow. Immediately afterward, the chapel of the new blessed was opened with their relics and mementos donated by their respective families, including their blood-soaked clothes.

Holy Father Leo XIV, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Beatification of the Martyrs, sent a message “to the brothers and sisters of the pilgrim Church in Chimbote.” In his message of November 26, 2025, the Pope writes: “On the tenth anniversary of the beatification of the martyrs of Chimbote – the Blessed Michał Tomaszek, Zbigniew Strzałkowski, and Alessandro Dordi – I wish to join in the gratitude of the Church in Peru, in Poland, in Italy, and in so many other places where their memory remains an encouragement of fidelity. These three missionary priests shared the life of their communities, celebrating the Eucharist and administering the sacraments, organizing catechesis, and sustaining charity in contexts of poverty and violence. In 1991, after having decided to remain where they exercised their ministry and in the midst of the flock as true pastors, they were killed out of hatred for the faith.

In reality, even before their death, the missionary life of each one gave a glimpse of the essential message of Christianity. They were three clearly distinct priests: two young Polish Franciscan friars and an Italian diocesan priest. They brought with them different languages, cultures, formations, charisms, spiritualities, and ways of proceeding. Each had a unique way of approaching people and living the ministry. But in Peru this diversity did not generate distance; on the contrary, it became a contribution. In Pariacoto and in the Santa region they shared the same zeal, the same dedication, and the same love for the people – particularly for those most in need – carrying in their hearts, with pastoral affection, the concerns and sufferings of the inhabitants of those lands.

Having also served in that beloved country, I find in them something deeply familiar to anyone who has lived the mission and, at the same time, essential for the whole Church: the communion that is born when such diverse stories allow themselves to be gathered by Christ and in Christ, so that what each one is and brings – without ceasing to be their own – ends up converging into a single witness of the Gospel for the good and the edification of the people of God.

I would like to conclude with a word addressed to the young people of Peru, Poland, Italy, and the entire world. The testimony of the martyrs of Chimbote shows that life bears fruit to the extent that it opens itself to God’s call. Michał was only thirty years old and Zbigniew thirty-three; they had been exercising the ministry for only a few years and yet, in that youth, sometimes considered inexperienced or fragile, God reminded his Church once again that the fruitfulness of the mission does not depend on the length of the path, but on the fidelity with which it is traveled.”

The devotion to the blessed Peruvian martyrs remains alive not only in Peru, Poland, and Italy, but also throughout the world. Their lives tell us that our times are also times of martyrs and their story should be known by people because, as always in the two-thousand-year history of the Church, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians.

Message from the Holy Father

To the brothers and sisters of the pilgrim Church in Chimbote,

On the tenth anniversary of the beatification of the martyrs of Chimbote — the Blessed Michał Tomaszek, Zbigniew Strzałkowski, and Alessandro Dordi — I wish to join in the gratitude of the Church in Peru, in Poland, in Italy, and in so many other places where their memory remains an encouragement of fidelity.

These three missionary priests shared the life of their communities, celebrating the Eucharist and administering the sacraments, organizing catechesis, and sustaining charity in contexts of poverty and violence. In 1991, after having decided to remain where they carried out their ministry and in the midst of the flock as true pastors, they were killed out of hatred for the faith.

In reality, even before their death, the missionary life of each one gave a glimpse of the essential message of Christianity. They were three clearly distinct priests: two young Polish Franciscan friars and an Italian diocesan priest. They brought with them different languages, cultures, formations, charisms, spiritualities, and ways of proceeding. Each had a unique way of approaching people and living the ministry. But in Peru that diversity did not generate distance; on the contrary, it became a contribution. In Pariacoto and in the Santa region they shared the same zeal, the same surrender, and the same love for the people — particularly for those most in need — carrying in their hearts, with pastoral affection, the concerns and sufferings of the inhabitants of those lands.

Having also served in that beloved country, I find in them something deeply familiar to anyone who has lived the mission, and at the same time essential for the whole Church: the communion that is born when such different stories allow themselves to be gathered by Christ and in Christ, so that what each one is and brings — without ceasing to be their own — ends up converging into a single witness of the Gospel for the good and the edification of the people of God.

I would like to conclude with a word addressed to the young people of Peru, to those of Poland, of Italy, and of the entire world. The testimony of the martyrs of Chimbote shows that life bears fruit to the extent that it opens itself to God’s call. Michał was barely thirty years old and Zbigniew thirty-three; they had only a few years of ministry, and yet in that youth that is sometimes considered inexperienced or fragile, God reminded his Church once again that the fruitfulness of the mission does not depend on the length of the path, but on the fidelity with which it is traveled.