Edmundo Campion (+1581)

Biography

He was so favored by Queen Elizabeth I that he took an oath against the Catholic Church and was consecrated an Anglican deacon. The sufferings of the Catholics in Ireland, the sacrifice of the martyr Storey and the study of the Fathers of the Church opened his eyes. In Belgium he dedicated himself to the study of theology. A penitent pilgrim, he traveled on foot to Rome, where he joined the Society of Jesus. He was sent to Prague where he preached with great eloquence and the emperor remained seated at the foot of his pulpit, but Edmund longed to return to England, where the Church was bleeding from thousands of wounds. He finally received orders to prepare for a secret mission. Two by two, he and his Jesuit brothers crossed the English Channel, and dressed as merchants, they visited and administered the sacraments to the few Catholics who remained. Edmundo began distributing leaflets and dared to confront Anglican professors in a public debate. He was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. The Earl of Leicester tried to convince him personally, and when he failed, Queen Elizabeth herself attempted to pressure him, but Edmund Campion, respectfully but with great confidence, declined his offers of forgiveness if he apostatized. On December 1, 1581, accompanied by two brother priests, he ended his life by hanging, shouting “I die faithful to the Catholic Church.”