Alexia González-Barros González
Alexia González-Barros González (7 March 1971 – 5 December 1985) was a Spanish Roman Catholic child. González-Barros studied in school in Madrid and in her childhood received a papal blessing from Pope John Paul II during her trip to Rome. But in late 1984 she began feeling pains in her arm and back that led to a diagnosis two months later as being a malignant tumor in the vertebral column transforming into spinal cancer. Her siblings and friends remembered her for her piousness and her dedication to practicing holiness in all aspects of life.
Venerable Alexia González-Barros González | |
|---|---|
| Child | |
| Born | 7 March 1971 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 5 December 1985 (aged 14) Universidad de Navarra clinic, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 5 December |
In 2008 a controversial film was released depicting her life and death; the director maintains that it was a fictional tale that did not depict González-Barros even though it was dedicated to her and drew on some aspects of her life. Her siblings and Opus Dei railed against the film for its perceived slander and inaccuracies that were "unjust".
Her beatification process launched in 1991 and she became titled as a Servant of God. Pope Francis later declared her to be Venerable in mid-2017 after confirming that the child had lived a life of heroic virtue to a favorable degree.