Conocer el Opus Dei - Angelo Card. Felici - Edward Nowak, Prefecto y Secretario de la Congregación de las Causas de los Santos, 13-22.5.92 (edición diaria y suplementos semanales)

Artículos de la prensa internacional en los años que rodean a la beatificación de Josemaría Escrivá por Juan Pablo II

Enlaces

Angelo Card. Felici - Edward Nowak, Prefecto y Secretario de la Congregación de las Causas de los Santos, 13-22.5.92 (edición diaria y suplementos semanales)

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Statement about procedures for beatification

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place in Rome on 8 November 1986. The decree on the validity of the processes was issued on 3 April 1987, and Fr Ambrosias Eszer, O.P. was appointed Relator. Immediately a group of specialists in theology, canon law and Church history, with the assistance of specialists in informatics, began working on the Positio super vírtutibus, í.e., the systematic exposition of what resulted from the process.

In the customary presentation the Relator of the Congregation stated:

"We have reached a well-founded conviction about the completeness of this Positio: any supplementary studies could not make a significant addition to the judgement which the Consultors can make, based on the material presented here for the purpose of a sure evaluation of the Servant of God's heroic practice of virtue".

In June of 1988 the Positio was handed over to the Congregation, which entrusted it to the theological Consultors for their study in March of 1989. This interval was not exceptional, particularly if one keeps in mind that the cause was already preparing two processes on alleged miracles. After another six months, í.e., on 19 September 1989, the special congresses of the Consultors took place, with the General Promoter of the Faith presiding. The theological Consuitors, in conformity with the Regulations [Regolamento], were appointed by the Secretary of the Congregation in agreement with the Promotor of the Faith, after also consulting the Cardinal Prefect, due to the importance of the cause. Out of respect for its own ròle, in consideration of the cause's high visibility, and in justice to the Petitioners [Ac tores], the Congregation made 'great efforts to guarantee an objective and impartial judgement, one untainted by considerations extraneous to the cause itself. Two Consultors abstained. Their arguments were examined by the Relator, who gave ample and exhaustive elucidations. According to a decision of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, made in congressu in 1986, one of

the suspensive vota was not published because the person abstaining had not taken part in the Consultors' discussion.

Here are some of.the judgements of the other theological Consultors:

- "I think it is providential that the cause of this Servant of God was completed with exceptional speed, less than 15 years after his death, so that the figure of this intrepid apostle who was most faithful to the Church may be raised up in the face of the grave phenomena we are sadly witnessing. All the difficulties which first appeared to me and which could cause some perplexity I have seen disappear like snow in the sun";

- "One continues to be amazed at the colossal and many-sided figure of the Servant of God and to give spontaneous thanks to Providence for reserving to this century, which is drawing to a close, the presence of a priest and founder who fully embodied one of the fundamental teachings of Vatican II, that is, the universal call to holiness, and became its apostle and incomparable exemplar";

- "The appropriateness is demanded by the ecciesial benefits which wí11 come from proposing a figure, who, like the Servant of God, spread in the Church a message of sanctification in daily life precisely for ordinary people: in a secularized society like ours, the appeal to the value of work in union with Christ as a way of holiness seems to us not only opportune, but pastorally necessary„

Another Consultor, after discussing "tl' . advantage and interest of the Ch.nch in his possible elevation", concludes: "[This is the cause] of a contemporary of ours which stands out among those causes which, in addition to having the processes on the miracles already prepared, give greater emphasis to the presence of heroic sanctity in all countries and among various social groups".

Another one said: "I believe that the Servant of God is a great gift from God to the Church of our time.... 1 see him as a great master of the spiritual life not

only for the faithful, as a standard-bearer of the universal call of the faithful to holiness, but also for the clergy and religious in this rather critical period of the Church's life".

The ordinary congregation of Cardinals and Bishops in session on 20 March 1990 gave a unanimous judgement on the heroic nature of his virtues.

In regard to the relatively short time that it took to arrive at the discussion regarding the heroic nature of his virtues, it should be emphasized that the norms currently in force do not establish any interval between the death of a Servant of God and the discussion in question, whereas the preceding norms required a period of at least 50 years. Nevertheless, even under the previous discipline some dispensations were granted: thus, St Frances Xavier Cabrini was beatified 21 years after her death, and the beatification of St Therese of the Child Jesus took place 25 years after she had passed away.

IV. The declaration on the miracle

The alleged miracle presented for the beatification occurred in 1976 and the relevant process was instructed by the diocesan curia of Madrid in 1982.

The meeting of the Medical Board regarding the alleged miracle was held on 30 June 1990. It has been said that one of the doctors on the Board was connected with Opus Dei. There is nothing unusual about that in fact, when the heroic nature of a Servant of God's virtues is being examined, it also happens that a member of the order or congregation which he or she belonged to is among the Consultors. in the case of a miracle, the Secretary and Undersecretary of the Congregation attend the doctors' meeting, as do the General Promoter of the Faith and an official appointed "ad hoc". Moreover, both the doctors and those who attend the meeting, such as the theological Consultors, are bound by oath, which is a guarantee of objectivity. The subsequent congresses of the theological Consultors on 14 July 1990 also gave a unanimous judgement on the authenticity of the miracle, as the congregation of Cardinals and Bishops did later.

Pope John Paul Il proclaims the beatification

We would like to close these remarks by repeating the conclusion of the votum which the Promoter of the Faith, following a prolonged and ín-depth irfvestigation, gave in the special congresses of the theologians meeting to examine the heroic virtues: "On the basis of the testimony given in this process, 1 am of the opinion that the strongest proof for the authenticity of the high level of mystical life which the Servant of God achieved comes precisely from his daily effort to identify with the divine wí11 and from that humility which, ... after 50 years of intensely lived priesthood, enabled him to consider himself still a stammering child".

In conclusion, we believe it is our duty to point out that, before proceeding to the beatification, the Holy Father wanted to entrust to a special Commission the task of verifying whether one could proceed to this beatification confidently.

After careful reflection, the Commission gave the Hòly Father its opinion in favour of the planned celebration.

Angelo Cardinal Felici Prefect

Archbishop Edward Nowak Secretary