Pope might loosen up saints' miracle clause!

[oat_soda]

With respect to canonizations of the past, I would suggest that rather than criticize Pope John Paul II, one might investigate why many deserving saints were not recognized by prior Popes.

good point

 

[Irish_Melkite]

Ray Marshall:

Pope John Paul II has come under intense criticism for the number of saints that he has canonized during his 25+ year reign.

But nobody seems to examine that list.

You can go to this website and examine the “abuse” for yourself:
vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/index_saints_en.html

Let’s here are some of the crucial canonizations in which you might be interested:

6 May 1984 103 Korean Martyrs

18 October 1987 14 Martyrs in the Philippines

16 May 1988 3 Martyrs in Paraguay

19 June 1988 117 Vietnamese Martyrs

2 July 1994 3 Slovak Martyrs

21 November 1999 10 Martyrs during the Spanish Civil War

1 October 2000 120 Chinese Martyrs

There have been 464 canonizations during the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II. At least 372 (80%) of those have been Martyrs. More of the others probably were Martyrs, but I didn’t take the time to investigate each individual case. I see St. Maximilian Kolbe there, and there is no doubt that he is a Martyr, who also was an extremely holy priest. Also St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St. Edith Stein) is listed.

I’m no expert, but it is my understanding that martyrdom is prima facie evidence of sainthood, as far as the church is concerned. I suspect that they do look for a modicum of holiness when they actually do canonize people in case some reprobate gets caught in some kind of dragnet.

Religions get lots of blame for causing lots of wars and lots of deaths. I think that if you examine these martyrs on this web page, and read some histories of the 20th century you will discover that pagan and communist governments seem to have caused most of the grief of the 20th century. (Many of the Martyrs canonized recently were from earlier times).

With respect to canonizations of the past, I would suggest that rather than criticize Pope John Paul II, one might investigate why many deserving saints were not recognized by prior Popes.

Ray,

You make excellent points, as usual. Additionally, I would point out to the critics that certain factors in the 20th century caused many Catholics (as well as others) to suffer significantly for their faith - Nazi Germany, Franco’s Spain, Soviet Russia, and Communist China all come readily to mind.

If you are wondering who many of those recognized or being considered for sainthood are and what they did to deserve that status, in addition to the site suggested by Ray, I’d recommend you consult The Hagiography Circle, particularly the lists there of deaths under the Communist regimes in Russia and China.

Many years,

Neil