Pedro Ortiz de Zárate (1622 – 27 October 1683) was an Argentine Roman Catholic priest and Giovanni Antonio Solinas (15 February 1643 – 27 October 1683) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Society of Jesus. Zárate served in a local municipal role before he was married and had two children. He was widowed and decided to enter the priesthood once his two sons were old enough to handle the change; he was a noted preacher and envisioned himself as one that would convert and preach amongst the local Argentine native tribes. Solinas left for the Argentine missions alongside three companions and moved from place to place before he settled in the Salta province. Both priests were slain after two tribes of natives decided to deceive them to preach and work in their village before ambushing and killing both priests; eighteen others were slain alongside them and their bodies left to be discovered as the assailants fled in fear of Spanish forces that were not too far from their position.
Zárate was first married as a teenager and became a priest after he was widowed after around a decade of marriage. The example of the priests and bishops around him solidified his intention to become a priest but he first needed to ensure that his maternal grandmother could care for his two sons while he pursued his ecclesial education. He became a prominent figure in local apostolates and was best known for his interactions with the local indigenous communities. Solinas served in the local missions in Paraguay before he settled in Argentina with an identical desire to spread the message of the Gospel to the local indigenous tribes.
The beatification process for the two slain priests opened but hit an initial roadblock once the Orán diocese was forced to drop the eighteen others killed due to a lack of historical documentation regarding them. This enabled for the cause for the two Servants of God to continue unimpeded despite several additional roadblocks down the line. Pope Francis (himself an Argentine) confirmed the cause and the beatification is set to be celebrated in San Ramón de la Nueva Orán on 2 July 2022.
Life
Martyrdom
On the morning of 27 October 1683 at the San Miguel Fort in the Zenta Valley, the priests Pedro Ortiz de Zárate and Giovanni Antonio Solinas celebrated Mass and were with eighteen lay people, including some of the converted indigenous peoples, when they were suddenly surrounded and ambushed by almost one hundred and fifty of the natives. The natives, feigning a peaceful approach at the newly constructed chapel of Saint Mary, suddenly attacked and killed them. The group was slain with spears and axes, and their remains were dismembered and their heads severed. The mutilated corpses were discovered the following day by those eyewitnesses who narrated the incident.
The deaths of the twenty massacred came at a time when many tribes were waging war against each other and any missionary was often found in the middle of such conflicts since many of their apostolates often created greater problems for some tribes and only heightened existing tensions.
For a little while, until the day of their martyrdom, the priests had been awaiting the return of their priestly companion Diego Ruiz, who was returning from Salta with a convoy of provisions for the group. In the meantime, they had taken the opportunity to make short missionary trips in the surrounding area while they were settled there. However, they had an unexpected visit of around five hundred Tobas and Mocovíes, fully armed and with their bodies totally painted as they used to do for a party or a war. Those people approached desiring better communication and harmony, however, the priests began to believe that the benevolence was faked and that they were more than likely going to die. As the indigenous assailants surrounded the chapel on that 26 October, the following morning would see them kill the entire group after the two priests celebrated Mass and continued their usual work of distributing food and other items as they preached. As the afternoon approached, they were preparing to teach catechism as they were slain with spears, axes, darts, and other weapons before they were beheaded.