When the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints was listed among the papal audiences today, it was easy to speculate that some papal decrees about possible future saints would be forthcoming, and they were. Most prominent among those set for beatification on the basis of confirmation of at least one miracle attributed to post-mortem intercession was Cardinal Newman.
Cardinal Newman now set
for beatification
VATICAN CITY, July 3 (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI has placed Cardinal John Henry Newman on the path to possible sainthood by approving a miracle attributed to the 19th century Anglican convert's intercession.
Newman was one of the founders of the so-called Oxford Movement of the 1830s, which sought to revive certain Roman Catholic doctrines in the Church of England. He eventually converted to Catholicism in 1845 and was ordained a year later.
The miracle approved Friday by the Pope concerns the medically inexplicable cure of Boston-area resident John Sullivan, who suffered from debilitating back pain for years but was cured after praying to Newman.
Newman can now be beatified. If ultimately canonized, he would be the first English-born saint since the Reformation.
Pope moves Cardinal Newman
closer to sainthood
By Jeffrey Donovan
ROME, July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Cardinal John Henry Newman, one of Britain’s most famous converts to Catholicism, was moved a step closer to sainthood by Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican said.
The Pope authorized a decree attributing a miracle to Newman, opening the way for the Englishman who died in 1890 to be “beatified” or blessed, an intermediate step toward sainthood, the Vatican said in a statement today.
The beatification ceremony for Newman, a prolific author and theologian who left the Church of England in 1845, probably will take place at the Vatican or in London some time this year, the Italian news agency Ansa said, without saying where it got the information.
The late Pope John Paul II put Newman on the road to sainthood in 1991 by declaring him “venerable.” The process will be completed when the London-born cardinal is canonized, or formally included among the Roman Catholic Church’s officially recognized saints. It is unclear when that might be.
[After a second miracle attributed to him has been verified and approved!]
The miracle attributed to Newman involved the healing of an American deacon who, after praying to the deceased cardinal, was cured of severe spinal problems, Father Paul Chavasse, who heads the drive to make Newman a saint, told a news conference in Rome in October 2005.
A beatification or canonization ceremony in Britain for Newman, Britain’s most famous Anglican convert before former Prime Minister Tony Blair embraced Catholicism in 2007, could be an occasion for the Pope to visit the U.K., Ansa said.
John Paul, Benedict’s predecessor, was the first Pope to visit Britain since 1534. The Vatican said it was considering whether to accept an invitation from U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
DECREES OF THE CONGREGATION
FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS
VATICAN CITY, 3 JUL 2009 (VIS) - During a private audience with Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Benedict XVI today authorised the congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
MIRACLES
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Blessed Candida Maria de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola (nee Juana Josefa), Spanish founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus (1845-1912).
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Servant of God John Henry Newman, English cardinal and founder of the Oratories of St. Philip Neri in England (1801-1890).
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Servant of God Angelo Paoli (ne Francesco), Italian professed priest of the Order of Carmelites of the Strict Observance (1642-1720).
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Servant of God Maria Alfonsina Danil Ghattas (nee Soultaneh Maria), co- foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Jerusalem (1843-1927).
MARTYRDOM
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Servant of God Jose Samso i Elias, Spanish diocesan priest, pastor and archpriest of Santa Maria de Mataro, killed in hatred of the faith during religious persecution in Spain (1887-1936).
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Servant of God Teofilo Fernandez de Legaria Goni (ne Beniamino) and four companions, professed priests of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (PICPUS), killed in hatred of the faith during religious persecution in Spain in 1936.
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Servant of God Georg Hafner, German diocesan priest, killed in hatred of the faith in the concentration camp of Dachau, Germany (1900-1942).
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Servant of God Zoltan Ludovico Meszlenyi, Hungarian titular bishop of Sinope and auxiliary of Esztergom, killed in hatred of the faith at Kistarcsa, Hungary (1892-1951).
HEROIC VIRTUES
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Servant of God Engelmar Unzeitig (ne Uberto), German professed priest of the Congregation of Missionaries of Mariannhill (1911-1945).
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Servant of God Anna Maria Janer Anglarill, Spanish foundress of the Institute of Sisters of the Holy Family of Urgell (1800-1885).
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Servant of God Maria Serafina (Micheli) del Sacro Cuore di Gesu (ne Clotilde), Italian foundress of the Institute of Sisters of the Angels (1849- 1911).
- Servant of God Teresa Manganiello, Italian laywoman of the Third Order of St. Francis (1849-1876).
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 03/07/2009 20:04]