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Canon Law Webinar: How to Get the Pope to Canonize Someone

December 5, 2018, Fr. William H. Woestman, O.M.I.

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST

Unfortunately, a recording of this webinar is not available due to technical difficulties.

 

From the first centuries of the Church, the faithful had special devotion to the martyrs and invoked their intercession and honoured them as saints. With time, the people began to have devotion to other holy people who were not martyrs and considered them to be saints. To avoid unfounded enthusiasm from imprudently attributing sainthood, the process of canonization is governed by the apostolic constitution Divinus perfectionis magister of Saint John Paul II of January 25, 1983, and subsequent norms published by the Congregation for the Congregation of the Saints.

The process begins with the devotion and intercession of the Christian faithful, who petition the bishop of the place where the person died to start the process; this can begin five years after the person’s death. The individual or group making this request and assuming the responsibility of supporting the cause is called "the petitioner." The petitioner asks the bishop to approve a diocesan postulator to promote devotion to the candidate for canonization, collect information and writings, and locate witnesses needed to prove the person’s martyrdom or sanctity and virtue, to be presented to a board of inquiry appointed by the bishop.

Once this has been done, the acts of the inquiry are sent to the Congregation in Rome for its examination and recommendation. The same is true for alleged miracles through the intercession of the candidate.

Fr. Woestman

 

Biography

Professor emeritus of the Faculty of Canon Law of Saint Paul University, Ottawa. Fr. Woestman has participated in a number of canonization procedures in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. He edited Canonization: Theology, History, Process. Since 2000, he has been associate episcopal vicar for canonical services for the Archdiocese of Chicago and defender of the bond for the Chicago tribunal.

 



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