Anselmo Polanco and Felipe Ripoll

Upon his arrival in Teruel in 1935, Bishop Anselmo Polanco chose as his motto: "Gustosamente me gastaré y desgastaré por vuestras almas" ("Most willingly will I spend and be spent for your souls"). His ministry with Felipe Ripoll was marked by great pastoral zeal and attention to the poor. When the Civil War broke out in July 1936, Teruel became a zone of intense fighting. Despite the danger, the bishop and his vicar refused to flee, applying the rule of Saint Augustine which asks pastors to remain with their threatened flock.

On January 8, 1938, after the capture of Teruel by the Republicans, Bishop Polanco and Father Ripoll were arrested. During thirteen months of captivity, they were subjected to intense pressure. In particular, they demanded that the bishop withdraw his signature from the 1937 Collective Letter of the Spanish Bishops. Despite threats and promises of release, he firmly refused. On February 7, 1939, during the Republican retreat, they were taken to Can Tretze (Pont de Molins) and shot in hatred of the faith by soldiers of Lister's brigade.

In March 1939, their bodies were exhumed and solemnly transferred to the Cathedral of Teruel. The cause for beatification opened in 1950 under the impetus of Bishop León Villuendas. The decree of martyrdom was promulgated in 1994. On October 1, 1995, Pope John Paul II celebrated their beatification in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. Their liturgical feast is set for February 7.

The spirituality of Bishop Polanco and Father Ripoll is based on pastoral charity and absolute fidelity to the Church. They embody the figure of the Good Shepherd who gives his life for his sheep. Their spiritual friendship and close collaboration offer a remarkable model of priestly fraternity and pastoral co-responsibility.