Pope Francis adds new pathway to sainthood

[pnewton]

The Vatican announced Tuesday that the pope has issued a new law outlining a new route: people who lived a good Catholic life and who freely accepted a certain and premature death for the good of others.

foxnews.com/world/2017/07/11/pope-francis-adds-new-pathway-to-sainthood.html

It sounds reasonable (and biblical) to me. John 15:13 tells us this very thing.

 

[midori]

Interesting. I know they’ve canonized people who have heroically chosen to suffer/given up treatments so that others could have a chance at life— like St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who was canonized in 2004 by John Paul II. I know that there was a more recent instance, with Chiara Petrillo giving up her cancer treatments so that it wouldn’t harm her baby, although I don’t know if she has an active cause going or not. I suppose Maximilian Kolbe would be the most famous case, although it could be argued that his was a more clearly-defined case of traditional martyrdom.

But it definitely sounds like, in addition to the Biblical support mentioned, that it also has historical precedent.

 

[dshix]

Oh, news media - such goofy headlines.

Popes can’t “add” ways to become a saint any more than they can “add” to the laws of nature.

 

[Nelka]

 

[dshix]

This is very interesting. My point still stands.

The Pope did not add a new way to become a saint. He added a new way of categorizing saints.

And to be clear, what I mean by “become a saint” is NOT “become canonized”. I mean literally “become a saint”. And the Pope can’t change the number of ways one can “become a saint” any more than he can change the laws of nature.