NEW CATEGORY UNDER WHICH A PERSON MIGHT BE BEATIFIED OR CANONISED IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
NEW CATEGORY UNDER WHICH A PERSON MIGHT
BE BEATIFIED OR CANONISED IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
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Apostolic letters ten to be short, technical documents, often used to tinker with the wording of Canon Law, or to amend the statutes of some body or other.
The addition in Motu proprio by Pope Francis makes it the fourth category necessary for someone to be beatified or canonized.
They are;
i)
Martyrdom;
ii)
A life of heroic virtue;
iii)
Having already a widespread, longstanding reputation of
holiness.
iv)
Laying down one’s life voluntarily for another
Pope Francis’ fourth category is explicitly justified with reference to
Christ’s assertion that – in the KJV’s classic phraseology – “Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John
15.13). Following this opening quotation, the Pope writes: “Worthy of special consideration and honour are those Christians who, following the footsteps and teachings of the Lord Jesus, have freely and voluntarily offered their life for others, and have persevered until death in this”.
Now there are, I think, two possible ways of interpreting this.
The first is to see this opens up the possibility of sainthood to those who die not just for Christ (i.e., traditional martyrs), but to those who die helping others. For example, aid workers dying of Ebola might count under this new rubric.
The second is to see it, more mundanely, simply as a codification of previous precedent – a kind of administrative tying-up of loose ends. For, in fact, the Church already proclaims the sanctity of some who, incarnating John 15.13, have willingly sacrificed their own life in order to save that of others.
The most striking example here is St Maximilian Kolbe, whose voluntary death at Auschwitz in place of another prisoner will surely be familiar. One also thinks here of, say, St Damien of Molokai, who died of the same disease – leprosy – of those he dedicated his life to serving.
Follow link to read Motu Proprio in
English
Atuimah Valerius
Catholic Youth Portal
©2017
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