|
Vatican City,
12th April 2005 (CNA)
- Two days ago the cardinals gathered in Rome
stated the opening of the cause of beatification
of Pope John Paul II would depend exclusively on
his successor. In this context, the
Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of
the Saints, Archbishop Edward Nowak, said the
eventual process would not take very long to
complete.
Archbishop Nowak told the Italian daily
Corriere della Sera that confirmation of a
miracle attributed to John Paul II could come in
as little as six months. The miracle must
have occurred after the pontiff’s
death.
He said the next Pope could wave the five
year waiting period normally required before a
beatification cause could be opened. John
Paul II himself waved such a requirement for
Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
“The life a Pope unfolded before everyone’s
eyes and the collection of documentation is
easy. Everyone saw how he died, we have all
been witnesses of his heroic virtue,” Archbishop
Nowak said.
He also insisted that in order to be
canonized, two miracles must be confirmed, but “if
these miracles are so numerous and are taking
place everyday, as we are hearing, it will not be
difficult to verify them.”
One should not expect an “immediate
proclamation,” but it could come after a period
dedicated to the collection of “adequate
documentation” based on “the reputation of
holiness and on signs” that, according to the
archbishop, could be settled in a matter of six
months.
Archbishop Nowak recalled that popular
acclaim is always the first step in
canonization. By hearing about the
“reputation” of the person in question, “the
Church convenes witnesses, collects documentation
and the testimony of people.”
“There are various norms today,” he said,
“but the substance is always the same: it is not
the Church that canonizes, but rather the people
who recognize and bear witness to the holiness of
a person.”
|
