18.10.2026 16:20
The sainthood file of Irish priest Willie Doyle, who repeatedly ran into the line of fire to rescue wounded soldiers during World War I, is being sent to the Vatican. The approximately 3,500 pages of documents will be sealed at a ceremony to be held on Sunday.
According to BBC News, Irish priest Willie Doyle, who died while helping wounded and dying soldiers in the First World War, is taking an important step toward sainthood. After a special Mass to be held at Mullingar Cathedral on Sunday, the Catholic Church in Ireland will send thousands of pages of documents supporting Doyle's sainthood cause to the Vatican.
The Dublin priest served as a chaplain in the British Army at the Somme, Messines and Passchendaele, some of the war's bloodiest battles. Known for his courage under fire, Doyle repeatedly ran into no man's land between the trenches to carry wounded soldiers to safety or comfort the dying.
More than a year after the war began, Doyle volunteered as a military chaplain with the British Army's 16th (Irish) Division and remained in the trenches of the Western Front for about two years. On 16 August 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele, he was killed by shellfire while going to the aid of two wounded Protestant soldiers. For this reason, the Catholic Church in Ireland regards him as a 'martyr of mercy' who died while serving soldiers of different denominations.
The sainthood campaign is being run by the Fr Willie Doyle Association, made up mostly of lay faithful and supported by clergy. The association's founder, business school lecturer Patrick Kenny, said Doyle lived with great heroism and holiness. Kenny recalled that the priest received the Military Cross for his bravery at the Battle of the Somme, and that divisional commander Major General Sir William Bernard Hickie described him as 'the bravest man I ever met'.
Born in 1873, Doyle also became an important eyewitness source for historians through the many letters he sent home. According to Kenny, these letters provide detailed knowledge of what Irish soldiers experienced on the front line. The priest is remembered not only for earning the respect of his own soldiers but also for the compassion he showed to wounded German prisoners of war.
The process toward sainthood in the Catholic Church consists of five stages, and some stages can take years. In an investigation launched by the Diocese of Meath in 2022, Doyle's writings and life were examined; the collected documents reached about 3,500 pages. Bishop Tom Deenihan tied the document packages with red ribbon and sealed them with wax in accordance with tradition, and said he was confident the case would succeed.
Source: BBC