[1][2] 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.
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.
[2] González-Barros made her First Communion in Rome in the Santa Maria della Pace church (where the Opus Dei founder Josemaría Escrivá is buried) on 8 May 1979 and on the following morning attended a papal general audience in Saint Peter's Square.
But two months later she noticed her left arm felt weak and she was suffering from back pains which prompted a return to doctors for assessment.
But Alexia's brother Alfredo said in a letter that Fesser's film "is both unjust and terrible" and that it reopened old wounds for him and his siblings.
The beatification process took its first step towards launch on 21 November 1991 after Benito Badrinas Amat was appointed as the cause's postulator (official in charge of the cause).
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 8 February 1993 issued the official edict nihil obstat (no objections to the cause) which launched the cause and titled González-Barros as a Servant of God.
Flavio Capucci was appointed as the second postulator on 27 June 1994 to oversee the Roman Phase of the process (the investigation held in Rome).
[2] Pope Francis titled González-Barros as Venerable on 5 July 2018 after acknowledging that the child had demonstrated heroic virtue during her lifetime to an adequate degree.