Canonization

History of canonization

Until the 10th century, there does not exist in the Catholic church a procedure centralized to declare a person Saint E. Generally, it is the Vox populi which declares holiness; sometimes the bishop of the place confirms it by a rise while making bury the remainders of the person considered as holy under a furnace bridge, or in a particular tomb.

The first official declaration on behalf of the Church of the holiness of a person is the pontifical Bulle sent by Jean XV in 993 to the bishops of France and Germanic, to announce to them that Ulrich, bishop of Augsburg was to be regarded as saint. The term even of canonization appears under the feather of the pope Benoît VIII in connection with saint Siméon de Padolirone. It is during the 12th century that the examination of the cases of canonization by papacy develops: under Alexandre III (pope of 1159 with 1181), twelve causes are examined, seven are rejected, and five times the worship of the saint are authorized. These authorizations then are almost exclusively given by the pope: some translation S of holy bodies by the bishops still takes place, but in 1215, the IV {{E}} council of Lateran prohibits the veneration of the Reliques (including old) without the agreement of the pope. The procedure is installation at the 13th century. Until the 16th century, episcopal approval is however enough to establish the local worship of a saint.

The oldest lawsuit in canonization which one has the parts is that of saint Galgano, hermit died in 1181 and into whom one inquires four years after his death. Faith and good works of alive sound, and the miracles, before or after its death, are necessary to declare the holiness of a person. Is added in necessary the reputation of holiness (which joined the vox populi ).

In 1634, Urbain VIII fixes in a clear and detailed way the criteria and the procedure of canonization in its constitution Cælestis Jerusalem : after investigation of the court diocesan, Crowned the Congregation of the Rites examines the writings, words and acts of the applicant, gets informed about his reputation of holiness, its virtues, its miracles. If this first lawsuit, known as apostolic lawsuit is favorable, the Congregation proposes the introduction of the cause to the pope, who accepts it by signing a Bref . A lawsuit of not-worship is then opened, then it is followed of a lawsuit on the heroicity of the virtues of the applicant, who is re-examined by Crowned the Congregation. Lastly, the examination of the miracles (at least two) allows the opening of the real lawsuit in canonization.

The procedure is heavy: the Roman Curie associates in 1930 a historical section, in order to benefit from progress of this science. In 1939, the apostolic lawsuit is removed for the historical causes (concerning people died for a very long time), simplification extended into 1969 to the recent causes. The same year, Crowned the Congregation of the Rites is dissolved, and Crowned the Congrégation for the causes of the saints is created for the lawsuits in canonization. The procedure still was modified and simplified by Jean-Paul II (constitution Divinus perfectionnis magister in 1983), by decreasing the importance of the miracles and by increasing the attention paid to the holiness of the carried out life, and by leaving the final decision to the pope.

Procedure of the Catholic church

This ritual follows rules and ceremonies defined by the Catholic church. One speaks about lawsuit in canonization. This lawsuit is informed by the Congrégation for the causes of the saints, one of the Roman congregations of the the Vatican, located Pie XII place with Rome. The procedure (2004) is currently governed by the apostolic Constitution Divinus perfectionis Magister of the June 25th 1983.

Today, to be recognized as holy a person must meet several conditions. She must be deceased, have carried out an exemplary Christian life and to have achieved at least two Miracle S.

Introduction of the cause

The lawsuit in canonization starts with the declaration recognizing " Worthy " the late person. This one is then recognized worthy to receive a local worship. She can then be béatifiée following a Béatification. She reaches then the row of the " Happy " and can be the subject of a worship more generalized. Lastly, the " Holy " made, him, the object of a universal worship.

Very baptized or groups baptized can ask for the opening of a lawsuit in canonization. For that, a postulator of the cause must be selected. It is about a priest or monk firstly charged to ensure the preliminary instruction of the file, and secondly to carry the cause to Rome, where he will have to reside throughout all procedure. Following the preliminary instruction, the postulator must address a request written to the bishop of the Diocèse where the candidate with holiness died. This request must include/understand a biography of the candidate, a copy of the whole of its work if necessary and a list of witnesses for the causes known as recent (i.e. for which direct witnesses are still in life).

If the request is accepted, it is then the bishop, or a delegate, who is charged to inform the file. At the end of his investigation, if the bishop the relevant judge, it transmits the cause to the Congregation for the causes of the saints, which carries out the final instruction.

Course of the lawsuit

In the same way that in a criminal trial, the charge and defense clash, in a lawsuit in canonization, the postulator of the cause tries to show that the happy one is worthy to be canonized, while the promoter of justice (called “the Devil's advocate”) tries to prove the opposite. At the end of this lawsuit, the cardinals and the bishops constituting the Congregation return their verdict following a vote.

The business acquaintance of the congregation as well as the verdict are then given to the Pape, which issues or not canonization at the time of a consistory. It can then be proclaimed with the catholic people.

On the whole, the procedure is long. It can take several tens of years. In addition, certain well-known saints awaited sometimes several centuries their dedication. It is the case of Jeanne d' Arc, died in 1431 and canonized in 1920. The length of each lawsuit is always the object of comments. One could say Jean-Paul II, whose reign saw a great number of canonizations, that it canonized much more quickly than his predecessors. Nevertheless, with the the Middle Ages, the Catholic church also knew very fast canonizations. Among the records appear Thomas Becket, canonized in three years, Pierre de Vérone and Antoine de Padoue canonized in one year.

Orthodoxe church

See too

Beatification

External bonds

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