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Canonization |
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BASIC R.C. BELIEF
A statement by the pope,
generally, but not positively, thought
to be infallible, that a martyr or one who has died as an
exemplary Christian is now in Heaven and is worthy of honor and imitation
by the faithful. Public prayers may be made to any canonized saint.
This is always preceeded by Beatification, at which time the person is known as "Bessed."
"Venerable" is seldom used term denoting the honored state in which a deceased person is
held, and is usually thought of as a step toward beatification and canonization.
Dr. Ludwig Ott, FUNDAMENTALS OF CATHOLIC DOGMA, page 298, quotes St.
Thomas Aquinas' opinion that the canonization of saints is an
infallible statement. "If the Church could err in her opinion,"
Ott continues, "consequences would arise which would be incompatible with
the sanctity of the Church."
The first pope to decree the official canonization of a saint for the
universal church (St. Ulrich) was pope John XV in 993. In 1171, pope
Alexander III reserved the process of canonization of saints to the Holy See.
POST VATICAN II
Modern Roman Catholic scholars admit that in earlier centuries saints often
became such through popular acclamation or continued veneration. During
these more credulous centuries some were venerated as saints about whom
little or nothing was known, and others have been shown by modern research
to have little claim to veneration.
Many are familiar with saints who have been "demoted", such
as St. Christopher and St. Philomena, as well as imaginary
saints, as St. Expedite.
SECULAR JOURNALS
From NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH, 1/5/91. "POPE HAS AMBITIOUS LIST OF SAINTS-TO-
BE by William Scobie, London Observor Society.
"ROME. Pope John Paul II
has resolved on an ambitious saint-making
program to rally the faithful everywhere and harvest new converts to the
Roman Catholic church.
"Brushing aside the doubts of his advisers, ignoring the protests of
Jews, Moslems and non-Christians alike, he has drafted as list of men and
women whose future canonization is designed to inspire a fresh world-wide
missionary crusade.
"The opening move is a Christmas gift to Canada's fervent French
community: the canonization of Marie d'Youville, an 18th century Mother
Teresa who founded a nursing order, the Grey Sisters, in Quebec.
"Soon to follow is a mixed bag of wonder-workers (it needs two miracles
to make a saint), ranging from a Latin American martyr to a brace of
English cardinals to a Spanish queen.
"John Paul's sagacity in these decisions is widely recognized.
"`The Holy Father,' said a member of the Curia,
which reports on such
affairs, `sees a duty in finding exemplars for a proselytizing church
which, we hope, will raise its global membership to the one billion mark in
the next decade or so.'
"The most startling candidate for sainthood is Queen Isabella of Spain,
who launched Columbus on his discovery of the New World, thus opening a
vast mission field for Christianity.
"This has run into heavy fire from Moslems and Jews. They have reminded
the Vatican, which is `studying the proposal,' that under `Isabel la
Catolica' thousands were expelled from Spain and others tortured or burned
at the stake for their beliefs.
"But the Vatican regards her contribution to spreading Catholicism in
the Americas as `immense.'
"No less worrying is the choice of Edith Stein, a Jewish intellectual
who died in the Nazi death camps as a Catholic nun, Sister Teresa
Benedicta, a convert who asked God to accept her life in atonement `for the
unbelief of the Jews.'
"She has already been beatified, despite bitter protests from many Jews
who feel the pope is trying to cash in on the Holocaust.
(Edith Stein was canonized by pope John Paul II on October 11, 1998. The name she chose, used by the pope in the ceremonies, was Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.)
"An effort is also being made to shift the image of the church toward
the center ground. High on the pope's short-list is reformist Salvadoran
Archbishop Oscar Romero, murdered in his church in San Salvador in 1980 by
right-wing extremists.
"In America, the prime candidate is Dorothy Day, writer, feminist and
radical social reformer who, as a convert from Marxism, helped turn her
church's attention to peace and justice issues and worked as a nurse in the
slums."
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