John Paul II may be declared a martyr (priest, ritual)

[Scott1]

The process to canonise Pope John Paul II opened on Tuesday with Cardinal Camillo Ruini suggesting the late Pope could be declared a martyr of the faith, which would further accelerate the already record pace that has marked his beatification cause.

The cardinal, who has been papal vicar in the Diocese of Rome for 14 years, presided at a solemn Vespers on Tuesday in the diocesan cathedral of Christ the Saviour and St John Lateran to launch formally the process of beatification for the Servant of God, Karol Wojtyla. He expressed his hope that the process would be over quickly and that the man who served as Bishop of Rome for nearly 27 years would be raised to the “glory of the altars”. Benedict XVI had announced on 13 May that he would allow his predecessor’s beatification cause to be opened just six weeks after his death, bypassing the five-year canonical norm.

Cardinal Ruini was joined by Mgr Slawomir Oder – postulator of John Paul II’s cause for beatification – and several other officials to sign an affidavit promising secrecy, objectivity, and honesty in scrutinising the life and works of the late Polish pontiff for evidence of “heroic virtues”. The process will also include interviews with key witnesses and will investigate any possible miracles attributed to his intercession. One miracle must be verified for him to be beatified and a second for him to be made a saint.

The papal vicar read a glowing 11-page biography of Karol Wojtyla, which compared him to a martyr: “John Paul II actually shed his own blood in St Peter’s Square on 13 May 1981, and again, during the long years of his illness, he offered not his blood, but his entire life.” The allusion was not insignificant. Recently a Polish priest who died of cancer after being released from a 36-month prison sentence was beatified as a martyr. It was deemed that his Communist prison guards caused him “spiritual and physical suffering” which eventually led to his death. Cardinal Ruini said the shedding of blood was “equally decisive” in uniting John Paul to Christ and the humanity he redeemed.

Rome’s cathedral was filled to capacity and thousands of others stood outside in the square watching the ceremony on large video screens. Several times they chanted the familiar mantra, Giovanni Paolo as well as Santo Subito! (“A saint immediately!”). A visibly large number of Poles – many in traditional costumes – were on hand, including Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was in Rome to receive the pallium the next day. Several high-ranking political and Vatican officials also participated in what was probably the most elaborate ceremony ever for the pro forma signing of decrees to open a beatification cause.

Cardinal Ruini has striven to make sure John Paul II is declared a saint, including setting up an official website (www.johnpaulIIbeatification.org) for the cause. The site had received at least 22,000 hits and 1,000 emails by the time The Tablet went to press, after it opened on 19 June. Rome diocesan officials said some 100 emails were arriving each day testifying to the late Pope’s virtues. However, people can submit testimony in opposition to the beatification, as well. The British author John Cornwell, for example, has sent the Congregation for the Cause of Saints his recent book The Pope in Winter the dark face of John Paul II’s papacy. In the text Cornwell attempts to bolster his claim that the late Pope left the Catholic Church worse than he found it.
Robert Mickens, Rome


www.thetablet.co.uk

[Foxy]

doesnt there need to be some evidence of a 'miracle' to become a saint?

[Scott1]

Originally Posted by Foxy

doesnt there need to be some evidence of a 'miracle' to become a saint?

Not in all cases.... if the person was a martyr, this may be waived, if I remember correctly.... that is why some were trying to declare JPII a martyr- to speed up the process.

[ChrisP]

Dieing to further the cause is the ultimate sacrifice in many religions foxy.

[ChrisP]

Question: How was he martyred? Didn't he receive the best health care possible to ensure he lived longer?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Scott1

The process to canonise Pope John Paul II opened on Tuesday with Cardinal Camillo Ruini suggesting the late Pope could be declared a martyr of the faith, which would further accelerate the already record pace that has marked his beatification cause.

The definition of a martyr is "a person who chooses to suffer or die rather than give up his faith or his principles; a person tortured or filled because of his beliefs."

I have a great deal of admiration for John Paul II, but I fail to see how he fits the definition of a martyr.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Foxy

doesnt there need to be some evidence of a 'miracle' to become a saint?

Scott can obviously clear this up for us, because I'm pretty sure the word "saint" is not used in the Catholic Bible, In the KJV, however, all of Christ's followers were known as "saints."

I'm curious as to when the Catholic Church first canonized someone. Also, this would also be seen as a great honor, but... (hmmm, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to word this) what would the benefit be to making him a Saint? Don't Catholics ask the Saints to intervene with God on their behalf? If John Paul II were to be made a Saint, do you believe he would be capable of doing something on the other side that he would not be capable of doing if he were not made a Saint? Does my question make sense?

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

The definition of a martyr is "a person who chooses to suffer or die rather than give up his faith or his principles; a person tortured or filled because of his beliefs."

I have a great deal of admiration for John Paul II, but I fail to see how he fits the definition of a martyr.

Ahh that's the definition. Thankyou

[Foxy]

Originally Posted by SnaleSpace

Dieing to further the cause is the ultimate sacrifice in many religions foxy.

sorry, i wasnt trying to deny that point. Was just a related question, although i don't know whether i would agree that John Paul II should be considered a martyr anyway.

[Scott1]

Thanks for the questions Katz!

For the record... I don't believe JPII was a martyr, and I do believe the Church ruled this as well.

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Scott can obviously clear this up for us, because I'm pretty sure the word "saint" is not used in the Catholic Bible, In the KJV, however, all of Christ's followers were known as "saints."

"Catholic" Bible? The word "saint" is most certainly used and all of Christ's followers are saints to us as well..... but to canonize a person, means something else:
“By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors...” (CCC #828)

The people who are canonized and become Saints may be PUBLICLY honored in the Church... that is the only "benefit".... I pray to JPII every day.... but the Church as a group does not do so in an "official" manner unless and until he becomes a Saint.

We also have "All Saints Day" for the people who are saints in heaven but have not been formally recognized by the Church.... common people who never brought attention to their lives, but lived a live of heroic virtue and a life lived in fidelity to God’s grace and the faith of the Catholic Church.

... and to finish answering your question... the public, official declaration that the Church that someone is in heaven will help spread their following.... remember SOGFPP? Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton is in the initial stages of sainthood, but there are few people who know who he was. Being fomally declared a Saint will expand the people who pray for his intersession, and that's what being close to the communion of saints is all about: Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself.

Hope that helps,
Scott