Pope's decision to start beatification process was welcomed by Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

Pope Francis has cleared the path towards the beatification of Salvo D'Acquisto, a member of Italy's Carabinieri during world war two, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The decision by the pontiff, who is battling double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, was made during a meeting with the Vatican's secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Monday night.

Francis authorised the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a number of decrees concerning those on the path to sainthood, including D'Acquisto who sacrificed his life in 1943 to save 22 innocent civilians, at the age of just 22.

Salvo D’Acquisto è un eroe, simbolo di coraggio, sacrificio e dedizione al dovere. La decisione del Santo Padre di autorizzare il percorso per la sua beatificazione è un riconoscimento straordinario per un uomo che ha dato la vita per salvare quella di altri, incarnando i valori… pic.twitter.com/AtmS7SRrY0

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) February 25, 2025

In a post on X, Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the pope's decision as "an extraordinary recognition for a man who gave his life to save [the lives] of others, embodying the highest values of humanity and service", hailing D'Acquisto as "a hero, a symbol of courage, sacrifice and dedication to duty."

Who was Salvo D'Acquisto?

Born in Naples in 1920, D'Acquisto grew up in a devoutly Catholic home and became a Carabiniere in 1939.

After Italy entered the war in 1940, D'Acquisto signed up to serve in Libya where he was wounded in the leg by British troops.

On his return to Italy in 1942, he was promoted to deputy commander of the Carabinieri station at Torrimpietra, a village located about 30 km west of Rome.

Following the armistice on 8 September 1943, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies, D'Acquisto's superior put him in temporary command of the station.

23 September 1943, Carabiniere Salvo D'Acquisto is executed by German paratroopers at Palidoro, near Rome. He falsely confesses responsibility for an explosion that kills two Germans to save the lives of 22 innocent civilians rounded up for execution in reprisal [Thread] >> 1 pic.twitter.com/k9Aa6f6zQm

— Nicholas Whithorn (@NickWhithorn) September 23, 2022

Shortly afterwards, when two German paratroopers were killed in an explosion while handling boxes of ammunition at a military base in nearby Torre di Palidoro, Nazi officials attributed the blast to partisans.

Following an investigation, D'Acquisto established that the explosion was accidental, however the German commander insisted it was deliberate and ordered that 22 local civilians be rounded up.

The Nazis forced the prisoners to dig a mass grave in Palidoro where they were to be shot.

When the time came for their execution, D'Acquisto asked to speak to the German commander in private. He falsely claimed responsibility for the explosion and insisted that the 22 innocent men should be freed.

The commander accepted D'Acquisto's version of events and released the civilians who ran for their lives, without knowing the reason for their reprieve.

The Germans then ordered D'Acquisto to enter the pit in front of the firing squad where he shouted "Viva l’Italia!" before being killed by a burst of gunfire, a few days before his 23rd birthday.

D'Acquisto was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour and in 1983 he was given the title "Servant of God" by Pope John Paul II.

In 1986 his mortal remains were interred in the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples.