By Susan Northway, Diocesan Director of Religious Education and Reverend Langes J. Silva, JCD, STL, Judicial Vicar and Vice-Chancellor The recent beatification of Pope John Paul II and the opening of the cause for sainthood, on a diocesan level, of Cora Louisa Yorgason Evans, a native of Utah, gives us the opportunity to present a summary of the process of canonization according to the current Code of Canon Law and the particular pontifical laws regulating this type of procedures. This article has been divided in five parts. This part III continues the description of the basic steps and stages of the process of canonization. The Process of Canonization The process of declaring a deceased Christian to be saint was originally quite informal, but became increasingly regulated over the centuries and is now defined by canon law. The steps for becoming a saint are as follows: 1. The process leading towards canonization begins at the diocesan level. A bishop with jurisdiction – usually the bishop of the place where the candidate died or is buried, although another ordinary can be given this authority – gives permission to open an investigation into the virtues of the individual. Usually between five and 50 years after a would-be saint’s death, a formal request is made to consider person a saint. However, the pope has the authority to waive this five-year waiting period, as was done for Mother Teresa by Pope John Paul II, for Lúcia Santos by Pope Benedict XVI, and for John Paul II himself by his immediate successor. The group making the request, called the Actor Causae, consists of people from the candidate’s church and community, either actually or pro forma, and the request is directed to the bishop of the diocese where the person died. The request includes testimony of the person’s exceptional virtue and dedication to God. Normally, a guild or organization to promote the cause of the candidate’s sainthood is created, an exhaustive search of the candidate’s writings, speeches and sermons is undertaken, a detailed biography is written, eyewitness accounts are gathered and a series of events (lectures, retreats, prayer services, publications, etc.) are planned to promote the cause. When sufficient information has been gathered, the investigation of the candidate, who is called "Servant of God," is presented by the local bishop to the Roman Curia – the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints – where it is assigned a postulator (postulatore), whose task is to gather further information about the life of the Servant of God. Religious orders that regularly deal with the congregation often have their own designated postulator generals. 2. The bishop decides whether the evidence is compelling enough to take it to Rome. If so, he asks the Congregation for the Causes of Saints for permission to open the cause. 3. If permission is granted, the bishop opens a tribunal and calls witnesses to attest to the quality of the person’s public life. The person must be shown to have been virtuous, devout, religious, and characterized by love, kindness, prudence and other virtues (concrete examples are required). Miracles are not necessary at this point, but they are recorded if mentioned. If the person passes this step, he or she is called a Servant of God. 4. "Declaration ‘Non Cultus’" – At some point, permission is granted for the body of the Servant of God to be exhumed and examined, a certification ("non cultus") is made that no superstitious or heretical worship or improper cult has grown up around the servant or his or her tomb, and relics are taken. 5. The bishop sends a report to Rome, where it is translated into Italian. This step is called the Apostolic Process. 6. A summary called the Positio is presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. 7. Nine theologians scrutinize the evidence and documentation. If a majority pass it, it goes to Congregation. 8. "Venerable/Heroic in Virtue" – When enough information has been gathered, the congregation will recommend to the pope that he make a proclamation of the Servant of God’s heroic virtue (that is, that the servant exhibited the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, and the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance, to a heroic degree). From this point the one said to be "heroic in virtue" is referred to by the title "Venerable". A Venerable has as of yet no feast day, no churches may be built in his or her honor, and the Church has made no statement on the person’s probable or certain presence in heaven, but prayer cards and other materials may be printed to encourage the faithful to pray for a miracle wrought by his or her intercession as a sign of God’s will that the person be canonized. • "Blessed" – Beatification is a statement by the church that it is "worthy of belief" that the person is in heaven, having come to salvation. This step depends on whether the Venerable is a martyr or a "confessor." • For a martyr, the Pope has only to make a declaration of martyrdom, a certification that the venerable gave his or her life voluntarily as a witness for the faith and/or in an act of heroic charity for others. • If the Venerable was not a martyr – all non-martyrs are "confessors" as they "confessed" or bore witness to their faith by how they lived their lives – it must be proven that a miracle has taken place by his or her intercession: that is, that God has shown a sign that the person is enjoying the Beatific Vision by God performing a miracle in response to the Blessed’s prayers. Today, these miracles are almost always miraculous cures, as these are the easiest to establish based on the Catholic Church’s requirements for a "miracle." (The patient was sick, there was no known cure for the ailment, prayers were directed to the Venerable, the patient was cured, the cure was spontaneous, instantaneous, complete and lasting, and doctors cannot find any natural explanation.) • This allows beatification, giving the venerable the new title "Blessed" (abbreviated "Bl.") or, in Latin, Beatus or Beata. A feast day will be designated, but its observance is normally restricted to the Blessed’s home diocese, to certain locations associated with him or her, and/or to the churches or houses of the blessed’s religious order, if they belonged to one. Parishes may not normally be named in honor of a Blessed. 9. If any miracles are reported (which qualify the person for beatification or canonization), the Prefect presents the cause to the pope to decide. Canonization is considered a function of papal infallibility, as it is important that believers venerate and pray to only those who are actually in heaven. 10. The pope declares beatification or canonization at a special Mass in the saint’s honor. To be canonized a saint, at least two miracles must have been performed after death. Canonization is a statement by the church that the person certainly enjoys the Beatific Vision. The saint is assigned a feast day which may be celebrated anywhere within the Catholic Church, although it may or may not appear on the general calendar or local calendars as an obligatory feast, parish churches may be built in his or her honor, and the faithful may freely and without restriction celebrate and honor the saint. The fourth part of this series will concentrate on the importance of miracles in the process of canonization.
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