canonization
- Key People:
- John XV
canonization, official act of a Christian communion—mainly the Roman Catholic Church but also the Eastern Orthodox Church—declaring one of its deceased members worthy of public cult and entering his or her name in the canon, or authorized list, of that communion’s recognized saints.
History
In the early church there was no formal canonization, but the cult of local martyrs was widespread and was regulated by the bishop of the diocese. The translation of the martyr’s remains 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 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 (i.e., a first step toward canonization, whereby limited public veneration is permitted) and canonization. In the following century Pope Urban VIII forbade the public cult of any person not as 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.
Process in the Roman Catholic Church
The legislation of Pope Urban VIII, together with later legislation by Pope Benedict XIV, formed the basis of the procedures for beatification and canonization found in the Code of Canon Law (promulgated 1917 and, in revised form, 1983) of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II revised the procedures with Divinus Perfectionis Magister in 1983. Two types of beatification and canonization are distinguished by the Code of Canon Law: formal, or ordinary, and extraordinary, or equivalent.
Examination of the life
In general, the process of documenting the sanctity of a holy man or woman cannot begin until five years after death, though this waiting period can be waived by the pope. 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. A potential candidate for sainthood becomes “Venerable” when his or her case has been officially accepted by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints (formerly the Sacred Congregation of Rites) and when a special papal decree announces the candidacy, asserting that the person had virtues of heroic degree or had suffered martyrdom. This is the first of three stages in the canonization process.
Beatification
Formal beatification has 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 it took place, and the other three were directly under the jurisdiction of the former Sacred Congregation of Rites and the pope. 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.
The investigation of the candidate involves the gathering together of all material pertaining to the candidate’s reputation for sanctity or heroic virtue, the writings of the candidate, and information about miracles performed by the candidate either during his or her lifetime or after death. The miracle required for beatification can be waived in the case of martyrdom. 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. The role of the promoter of the faith was significantly reduced with the reforms of Pope John Paul II in 1983 and subsequently held little sway over the proceedings. After the process is completed, if the pope orders the beatification, it is in the form of a solemn proclamation with a solemn mass. Veneration then may be carried on in specified localities, and the candidate is referred to as “Blessed.”
Canonization
The canonization process is essentially the same, but at least one verified miracle obtained through invocation after beatification must occur before the cause for canonization may be introduced. 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). 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; a 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 nations or religious institutions 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 will render 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.
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