|
What It Takes To Become A Saint |
|
|
|
Thursday, 01 March 2007 |
 Richard O. Jones
According to the Catholic Church, the pope does not make
someone a saint -- the designation of sainthood only recognizes what God has
already done. For centuries, saints were chosen through public opinion. In the
10th century, Pope John XV developed an official canonization process.
Canonization has been revised in the last 1,000 years, most recently by Pope
John Paul II in 1983. Pope John Paul II, who has canonized more than 280 people
since 1978, made several procedural changes to the canonization process,
including the elimination of the "devil's advocate" from the review
process. The devil's advocate was the person designated to attack the evidence
offered in favor of canonization.
The process of becoming a Catholic saint is very lengthy,
often taking decades or centuries to complete. The canonization process has
been in the news off and on over the past few years, because of the movement to
make Mother Teresa a saint.
Soon after her death in 1997, Mother Teresa's followers
began pressing the Vatican
to waive the rule that prevents the process of canonization from beginning
until five years following the candidate's death. This rule has traditionally
been used to allow for a more objective look at a person's life and
achievements. In 1999, the pope did waive the five-year rule, allowing the
canonization process to begin. Here are the steps that must be followed:
• A local bishop investigates the
candidate's life and writings for evidence of heroic virtue. The information
uncovered by the bishop is sent to the Vatican.
• A panel of theologians and the
cardinals of the Congregation for Cause of Saints evaluate the candidate's
life.
• If the panel approves, the pope proclaims
that the candidate is venerable, which means that the person is a role model of
Catholic virtues.
• The next step toward sainthood is
beatification. Beatification allows a person to be honored by a particular
group or region. In order to beatify a candidate, it must be shown that the
person is responsible for a posthumous miracle. Martyrs, those who died for
their religious cause, can be beatified without evidence of a miracle. On
October 20th, 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified. She will now be known as
Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata.
• In order for the candidate to be
considered a saint, there must be proof of a second posthumous miracle. If
there is, the person is canonized.
These alleged miracles must be submitted to the Vatican for
verification. In Mother Teresa's case, her supporters are arguing that she has
performed at least two posthumous miracles. In one case, a French woman in the United States
broke several ribs in a car accident -- reportedly, her wounds were healed
because she was wearing a Mother Teresa medallion. Another possible miracle
occurred when Mother Teresa appeared in the dreams of a Palestinian girl,
telling the girl that her cancer was cured.
|
|
BVN Calendar Events
 |
January 2009 |
 |
|
|
