Does it strike you as odd that most of the Popes of the last fifty years or so appear to be heading for saint status without most of the usual conditions being fulfilled?
It has been niggling away in my mind for some time, yet, because they are Popes of HMC, I have been unwilling to say anything that could be construed as curmudgeonly.
Now, it appears, an atheist has beaten me to it and come up with an "Emperor has no clothes" letter to The Times.
My thanks to a good Swansea friend who pointed me in the right direction.
Here is the letter from a Mr Ian Slade of London N7:-
Now, it appears, an atheist has beaten me to it and come up with an "Emperor has no clothes" letter to The Times.
My thanks to a good Swansea friend who pointed me in the right direction.
Here is the letter from a Mr Ian Slade of London N7:-
"Sir,
In the past, centuries elapsed between Pope Saints - St. Pius V, died 1572, and St. Pius X, died 1914. Now we are to believe that every pope since 1958 (1939 if one counts Pius XII) was of exalted sanctity. John XXIII, imminent canonisation; Paul VI, imminent beatification; John Paul I, case opened; John Paul II, imminent canonisation.
As an atheist I cannot comment on the medievalism of miracles or their holiness. However, it does seem odd to laud those under whose guidance the practice of the faith, numbers of clergy and moral authority of the Catholic Church have all but collapsed."
Well, for once I agree with the words of an atheist.
Absolutely - it is nonsense. Remember that charismatic people like Maciel were being touted for future sainthood till the scandals broke. The purpose of the Devil's Advocate should be to protect the Church. There would be great damage if something questionable came to light after canonisation. Unless, Like St Therese of Lisieux, one has spent one's life from the age of 15 in a convent - there is no case for early canonisation.
ReplyDeleteThis would not stop private devotions - I know at least one person who credits his conversion to the Blessed John Paul II's intercession on the day of his death.
The Church tells us also that there are many many uncanonised saints who are in Heaven.
What the atheist doesn´t understand is this:
ReplyDelete“Pope John Paul II is being beatified not because of his impact on history or on the Catholic Church, but because of the way he lived the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love, said Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes.”
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101302.htm
“A Pope beatified without regard to his effect on the Catholic Church! Beatified for his holiness, not for his papacy — as if the former were in no way to be sought in the fruits of the latter. What can one say?”
http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2011-0515-ferrara-beatification.htm
@ jadis
Pope John Paul II. basically eliminated the office of the Devil´s Advocate in 1982.
http://unamsanctamcatholicam.blogspot.de/2013/07/the-advocatus-diaboli-devils-advocate.html
“Does it strike you...”
ReplyDeleteTo put it bluntly, it strikes me that the whole process of sanctification has become seriously devalued and is increasingly looking like just another political exercise.
I have no doubt that Popes John, Paul, Jean Paul and Benedict were good and holy men, but they had their faults and between them they have presided over one of the greatest crisis the Church has seen for centuries, and there are no signs that things are getting better.
Benedict at least analysed and showed the way forward, but then he ducked out. Not the best of examples to set!
As for the miracles, I personally would like to see something a bit more convincing, or at least mystifying. One such, I seem to remember, and I hope I've got this right, was basically recovery from a sore back. Well a couple of paracetamol, or better still ibuprofen, could produce the same effect!
You should write a letter to the Times in response.
ReplyDelete:( I don't understand how the Church can be wrong on this but it does strike me as fishy. I can't believe that Paul VI will be canonised, even though he did write Humanae Vitae. I just don't believe that God will allow it. You can't canonise a pope for one good thing that he did. Also, John Paul I?! I thought the conclusion was that God struck him down with good reason? That's what my family took from it anyway.
ReplyDeleteWow...is all I can say to the man's letter. Short, to the point, and dead on target.
ReplyDeleteIf I can be forgiven a bit of self-promotion I did explore this issue on my little blog: http://www.theeye-witness.blogspot.com/2013/07/this-is-seriously-grave-matter_5.html
And I plan on revisiting the topic again. This whole Saint-making process has been decidedly cheapened and we have every right to be skeptical about these matters.
The guy is right. Painful to say but the Church continuously in these days is self destructive.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I agree with all you people. The Church has the power to declare people saints, and she can do that using whatever rules and regulations she sees fit ('Whatever you bind...') We do not know what saintly sufferings these popes went through, but we do know that they did hold firm while all was crumbling around them, as it still is. One day all will be revealed, but for now, let us trust the Church and look forward to that glorious day.
ReplyDeleteMartina Katholik: St Peter Celestine was a terrible Pope. He is still a saint.
ReplyDeleteI was never very comfortable with JP II’s penchant for declaring all and sundry canonized saints. Maybe it was from advancing years and a distinct problem with ‘keeping up’ with all the new sancti of whom I had no previous knowledge.
ReplyDeleteYes, all people who reach Heaven are saints and we are all “called to be saints”. St. Paul even called his converts ‘saints’. Of course, he wasn’t slow to call them sinners also!
But this rush to declare all recent Popes saints is somewhat unseemly, I think. Why the rush? It seems to ‘cheapen’ sainthood and it is too soon.
Once after helping out a neighbor with a problem, he declared effusively: “You’re a saint!” I was taken aback, but treated it lightly. A part-time Samaritan perhaps, but a saint…? Hardly!