Benedict of Palermo | |
|---|---|
 Stained glass of Saint Benedict the Moor, inside of the Capela do Divino Espírito Santo, Porto Alegre, Brazil. | |
| Religious and confessor | |
| Born | 1526 San Fratello, Messina, Sicily, Crown of Aragon |
| Died | 4 April 1589 (aged 62–63) Palermo, Sicily, Crown of Aragon |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church (Sicily and the Franciscan Order) Lutheranism |
| Beatified | 1734 by Pope Benedict XIV |
| Canonized | 24 May 1807 by Pope Pius VII |
| Major shrine | Convent of Santa Maria di Gesù al Capo, Palermo, Italy |
| Feast | 4 April (3 April in the Franciscan Order) |
| Patronage | African missions; African Americans; black missions; black people; Palermo; San Fratello; Acquedolci; Sicily |
Benedict the Moor OFM (Italian: Benedetto il Moro; 1526 – 4 April 1589) was a Sicilian Franciscan friar. Born of enslaved Africans in San Fratello, he was freed at birth and became known for his charity.
As a young man he joined a Franciscan-affiliated hermit group, of which he became the leader. In 1564 he was sent to the Franciscan friary in Palermo, where he continued good works. He died in 1589 and was canonized as a Catholic saint by Pope Pius VII in 1807.