canonization
What is canonization?
What are the three steps in the canonization process?
What is the difference between beatification and canonization?
What are the requirements for canonization?
canonization, official act, mainly in the Roman Catholic Church but also in the Eastern Orthodox Church, of declaring a deceased person a “Saint.” More formally, the canonization process is the act of a Christian communion declaring one of its deceased members worthy of public cult, or veneration, and entering his or her name in the canon, or authorized list, of that communion’s recognized saints.
Process in the Roman Catholic Church
The legislation of Pope Urban VIII (reigned 1623–44), together with later legislation by Pope Benedict XIV (reigned 1740–58), formed the basis of the procedures for beatification and canonization found in the Roman Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law (promulgated in 1917 and revised in 1983). However, Pope John Paul II revised the procedures in 1983 with the apostolic constitution Divinus perfectionis magister (Latin: “The Divine Teacher and Model of Perfection”), which essentially streamlined the canonization process.
Examination of the life
In general, the process of documenting the sanctity of a holy person cannot begin until five years after the individual’s death, though this waiting period can be waived by the pope. John Paul II, for example, waived three years of the waiting period for the cause of Mother Teresa, and Pope Benedict XVI waived the entire waiting period for his predecessor, John Paul II.
The first stage involves examining the candidate’s life for evidence of the person’s holiness. This step must be opened by the bishop of the deceased person’s local diocese, although anyone can petition the diocese to open the cause. If the cause is accepted and opened by the diocese, the person is recognized as a “Servant of God.” The potential candidate becomes “Venerable” when his or her case has been officially accepted by the Roman Curia’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints (originally the Sacred Congregation of Rites) and when a papal decree announces the candidacy, asserting that the person had virtues of heroic degree.
The examination, or investigation, of the candidate involves gathering all material pertaining to the person’s reputation for sanctity or heroic virtue, the writings of the candidate, and information about miracles performed by the candidate. The miracles may have taken place either during his or her lifetime or after death, such as when someone prays to the candidate for his or her intercession during a time of great need. The bishop appoints a person, called postulator of the cause, to promote the cause and also appoints a promoter of the faith, commonly known as the devil’s advocate, to see that the entire truth is made known about the candidate. However, the role of the promoter of the faith was significantly reduced in 1983 with the reforms of Pope John Paul II and subsequently has held little sway over the proceedings.
Beatification
Verification of a miracle that has been attributed to the candidate, such as an inexplicable healing from a terminal illness, is the central point of the beatification stage. In this step the church follows an investigative process similar to that of the examination of the candidate’s life. Typically, a panel of independent medical experts is consulted to determine if there is a natural cause for the miracle. If a two-thirds majority of the panel finds no scientific basis for the miracle’s occurrence, it may be declared an authentic miracle.
After the process is completed, the pope orders the beatification in the form of a solemn proclamation with a solemn mass. Veneration of the beatified person then may be carried on in specified localities, and the person is referred to as “Blessed.”
An exception to this process of verifying a first miracle is martyrs, people who voluntarily suffer death rather than deny their religion. Because their sacrifice is considered sufficient proof of their holiness, martyrs are declared “Blessed” without the beatification process. However, martyrs require at least one miracle before they can be canonized as saints.
Canonization
The canonization process is essentially the same as beatification, but at least one more miracle attributed to the beatified person’s intercession must be verified before he or she can be declared a “Saint.”
If the saint has universal appeal, he or she may be added to the church’s general calendar as a memorial or an optional memorial; the saint’s feast day is often commemorated on the date of his or her death. If the saint’s appeal is more localized, the saint may be added to the calendars of the relevant countries or religious orders or can be celebrated by individual churches with a votive mass.
Canonization in other churches
Canonization in the Eastern Orthodox Church is a solemn proclamation rather than a process. Spontaneous devotion toward an individual by the faithful establishes the usual basis for sainthood. The bishop accepts the petition, examines it, and delivers it to a commission that renders a final decision.
In the Anglican church, a commission was appointed in 1950 that discussed in subsequent years (especially at the 1958 Lambeth Conference) the question of canonization for members of its own communion.
History of canonization in the Roman Catholic Church
In the early Christian church there was no formal canonization, but the cult of local martyrs was widespread and regulated by the bishop of the diocese. The transfer of the martyr’s remains, or relics, from the place of burial to a church was equivalent to canonization. Gradually, ecclesiastical authorities intervened more directly in the process of canonization. By the 10th century, appeals were made to the pope. The first saint canonized by a pope was Ulrich, bishop of Augsburg, who died in 973 and was canonized by Pope John XV at a synod held in the Lateran Palace in Rome in 993. Pope Alexander III (1159–81) began to reserve the cases of canonization to the Holy See, and this became general law under Pope Gregory IX (1227–41).
Pope Sixtus V (1585–90) assigned to the Sacred Congregation of Rites (now the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints), one of the offices of the Roman Curia, the duty of conducting the processes of beatification and canonization. In the following century Pope Urban VIII forbade the public cult, or veneration, of any person not yet beatified or canonized by the church. Exception was made only for those who were in possession of public cult from time immemorial or for at least 100 years.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law distinguished two types of beatification and canonization: formal, or ordinary, and extraordinary, or equivalent. The formal process entailed four general steps: an informative process, introduction of the cause, the apostolic process, and four definite judgments. The first of these steps was under the jurisdiction of the bishop in whose diocese the investigation took place, and the other three were directly under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Congregation of Rites and the pope.
Extraordinary, or equivalent, canonization is simply a papal confirmation that a person is a “Saint.” It is applied only to persons whose veneration was immemorial at the time of Pope Urban VIII (1634).
- Key People:
- John XV
In the late 1960s Pope Paul VI announced that the process of beatification and canonization would be shortened and decentralized, and he established a new congregation (administrative division) of the Curia to handle such processes. Diocesan, provincial, or regional courts would conduct the entire investigation in consultation with the Vatican. Thus, duplication would be avoided and less time needed to complete the process.