"He is a ‘Martyr of Charity,’ a saint like St. Maximilian Kolbe, who in Auschwitz volunteered to take the place of a condemned man with a family, and was killed," prominent Jesuit priest James Martin tweeted. "Don Giuseppe Berardelli, patron of those who suffer from coronavirus and all who care for them, pray for us!"
Newsweek reached out to the Vatican for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Berardelli was one of more than 6,000 Italians who are now confirmed to have died from the virus. The country has experienced the most COVID-19 deaths of anywhere in the world, recently surpassing and now nearly doubling the total in China, despite having about 17,000 fewer cases as of Monday.
Fr. Giuseppe Berardelli, a 72-year-old priest who gave a respirator (that his parishioners had purchased for him), to a younger patient (whom he did not know), has died from #coronavirus.
"Greater love has no person…" (Jn 15:13) https://t.co/qXQ6knoE6n via @Araberara pic.twitter.com/uKxRNghire
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) March 24, 2020
Medical ventilators provide potentially life-saving breathing assistance for those with serious lung problems, such as the severe pneumonia sometimes caused by COVID-19.
At least six priests including Berardelli reportedly died of the virus over the course of one week in the northern Italian province of Bergamo, with at least 14 more hospitalized. The province is one of many that have been hit hard during the pandemic, stretching hospitals past their capacity and causing essential medical equipment like ventilators to be in short supply.
Medical ventilators provide potentially life-saving breathing assistance for those with serious lung problems, such as the severe pneumonia sometimes caused by COVID-19.
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