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  The Pope's Saints Point ManYou don't have to be a Pope to guess what's coming in this article. But for those who have been away from the Church for a few years, I will explain so that you can catch up. Long before you took your sabbatical, a distinctive, small skullcap, called a Zucchetto, began to appear around the Vatican as part of day and ceremonial wear, especially for cardinals. Today, the Pope wears a white Zucchetto of silk; the cardinals wear scarlet and the bishops wear purple; there are others who wear simple black. The next time you are in Saint Peter's Square, take a head count of the Zucchettos you see and you'll be amazed at how many there are. But everyone I've talked to assures me that the Vatican employment rate is very high, and that everyone there has an important job, so I'll assume that all those wearing Zucchettos are working busily on legitimate projects. One of the most industrious persons at the Vatican is the good-natured and warm Portuguese cardinal who heads the Congregation for Saints' Causes. (It is said that his good nature is derived from the many hours which he spends with the saints.) He is Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins who, just recently, has been given extra duties by Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope, who previously presided over the "blessed" process, has now given that assignment to Cardinal Martins, his 74-year-old prefect. By now, Cardinal Martins knows the dimensions of his responsibilities, and they are gigantic. But the Cardinal seems undaunted by the terrific number of causes which have been submitted for consideration. At last count, the number hovered around 2,200 and 400 were in the "positio" stage. (A positio is a very lengthy report about the candidate that pulls together all the relevant facts about the candidate on which he is to be scrutinized.) During the first 10 months of his pontificate, Pope Benedict personally presided over the canonization of five people and proclaimed another 31 candidates blesseds but his record is a long way from that of Pope John Paul II who canonized 447 saints and beatified 996 men and women: more saints and blesseds than any other pope. New applications for the consideration of many more candidates continue to be received and the ever-growing backlog of candidates appears to faze the Cardinal not one iota. It goes without saying that the Pope could be lobbied to favor one candidate over another. However, it is pretty-well known around the Vatican, that it would be deadly for anyone to try to do so. To date, only two of the causes were introduced or speeded up by Pope Benedict. He is letting his staff follow the normal path of causes from introduction to final scrutiny. However, there are two notable exceptions: one was to set aside the five-year waiting period and allow the cause of Pope John Paul II to begin and he also boosted the cause of Mother Teresa. (There is a five-year waiting period before an inquiry into the background of a candidate can be started.) The five-year waiting period is nothing compared to what it used to be. There was a time when the waiting period was fifty years; then it was pared down to thirty years, then it finally settled down to five years. The rational for the waiting period is that it allows any excessive emotional reaction to slacken, but still gives the Church access to the testimony of people who knew the candidate. The Cardinal supports the investigative manner on which his inquiries depend heavily. Even though some critics claim that the process is too subjective, Cardinal Martins says that the process is much more tilted to the objective. The Cardinal says that the process is the same, whether it be for a pope or for a cloistered nun. Nothing is spared and no outcome is guaranteed. What matters is the recognition that holiness is a very personal thing and that the candidate lived a very personal life in a very holy way, whether they were a prince or a chimney sweep. Cardinal Saraiva Martin's office has about 30 full-time employees. They handle requests for Vatican's approval to begin the local phase of sainthood causes, ensure that causes follow the procedures outlined in church law and coordinate the historical and theological review of materials submitted in support of a claim. A candidate must have lived a saintly life to be considered viable and politics must not have had any bearing on the selection or approval process. The Cardinal was very adamant that political influence would not be allowed to intrude into their processes or conclusions. The cardinal said his congregation actually has about 30 people working with it than any other Vatican office. They employ consultants, including theologians and historians who review all the written material submitted for each cause. Also on the "payroll" are about 70 physicians prepared to examine the clinical data submitted in support of alleged physical miracles. Throw in another 62 consultants including theologians and historians who review all the written material submitted for each cause, and lastly, about 200 postulators who are appointed to guide and oversee the cause. In his standard "show and tell, "the Cardinal usually shows visitors nine, tall, doublewide cupboards stuffed with records and files belonging to causes that have officially stalled and are likely to stay shelved, untouched, for many, many years to come: not very good news. However, there is some comfort in Cardinal's day: it is his 24-hour- a- day passion for soccer in all of its forms and his blatant interest in Lazio, one of Rome's two premier-league soccer teams, that excites his Zucchetto whenever Lazio wins. I usually take what I read or write about saints with a grain of a salt, and sometimes I'm really bothered by what I write: with this article my mind goes back to the hundreds of candidates for canonization and blessedness who probably will never move up to be intercessors. Unfortunately, at this stage we can only remember them in our prayers. Clem can be reached at DeAmicis@pacbell.net Italian Catholic Federation, 8393 Capwell Drive, Suite 110, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE |