It's the feast of St. Joseph the Worker and the second anniversary of Bl. John Paul II's beatification. It was such a blessing to be there for the big event (which you can read about here, here and here).This is a great opportunity to send out the friendly reminder that Bl. John Paul II's canonization is not yet approved. One Catholic media figure used Facebook and Twitter to announce a definite Oct. 20, 2013 date, but there is no documentation about this.
Let's just review what has occurred, with the help of Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli (emphasis mine):
It all happened in great secrecy, with maximum confidentiality. In January, the postulator of the cause, Mgr. Slawomir Oder, submitted a presumed miraculous healing to the Vatican Congregation for the Saints for a preliminary opinion. As it is known, after the approval of a miracle for the proclamation of a blessed, the canonical procedures include the recognition of a second miracle that must have occurred after the beatification ceremony.
Two doctors of the Vatican council had previously examined this new case, and both gave a favourable opinion. The dossier with the medical records and the testimonies was then officially presented to the Congregation, which immediately included the examination in its agenda. In the past few days it was discussed by a committee of seven doctors, the council (presided over by Dr. Patrick Polisca, Pope John Paul II's cardiologist), Pope Benedict XVI's personal physicians and now Pope Francis's. The medical council also gave a favourable opinion, the first official go-ahead by the Vatican, by defining as inexplicable the healing attributed to the intercession of the blessed Karol Wojtyla.
This is the overcoming of the first fundamental hurdle, given that the alleged miracle must now be approved by theologians and then by the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation, before being subjected to the Pope for the definitive "yes". In any case, the approval of the council is considered the most important step; in fact, neither the theologians nor the cardinals are involved in the clinical evaluations concerning the case.
So, the cause is still underway, but not yet approved, and certainly not on the calendar. Could it be on October 20, 2013? Certainly. But let's not forget that right now it's a could, not a will. In other words, hold off on the plane tickets for now. We might have to wait awhile. In fact, wouldn't it be beautiful if the canonization plans were officially announced at World Youth Day this July?
The Pontificate of Pope John Paul II was the worst in the entire History of the Church. HIs ecumenism with non-Catholics and non-Christians creates the unfortunate impression that all religions are more or less good and praiseworthy - that they are just different pathways to the same goal, which is some vague nebulous Deity that atheists and liberals refer to as "God;" NOT the God of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Redemption, but the "Cosmic Christ" of Teilhard De Chardin. His "Apologies for the Sins of the Church" in the year 2000 creates the impression that the Catholic Church is not Holy, but Sinful - not the Immaculate Bride of Christ, but the Whore of Babylon...I am an ordinary Roman Catholic, so do not try to put a label upon me, if you even publish this post - !
ReplyDeleteCarl, I think if you read the words of Bl. John Paul II, as well as documents like "Dominus Iesus" (written by then-Cardinal Ratzinger during John Paul's pontificate), then perhaps you would have a different picture of the late Holy Father's great love and defense of the Catholic Church as the true faith, a gift of God. Many of his actions have been misinterpreted over the years, but proper context, reading his words and spending time reflecting on what he meant reveal that John Paul truly loved the Church and wanted to bring Christ and His Bride, the Church, to the world.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading his works - both in English and; when available, in Latin -for the last thirty-five years [35] - ! I find in them neither the sound philosophy which should pave the way for the light of faith, nor the solid Catholic doctrine taught by the Church for nearly two millenia. Furthermore, many of his Encyclicals contain errors against Catholic faith and morals which previous Popes - [even Popes John XXII and Paul VI - !] have unceasingly placed us under guard (against). It would be exceedingly strange and contrary to all standard ecclesiastical practice to canonize a Pope whose teachings have not yet even been fully assimilated by the Church; or subjected to strict theological crticism to determine whether or not they helped or were harmful to the Church...Father Paulo Molinari, SJ, Postulator General of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, stated in a recent book by Delaney, The Making of Saints; that Popes were the most difficult to canonize because of their voluminous teachings which required a very detailed scrutiny...
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