medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I realized that I happen to have in my office currently the Bibliotheca Sanctorum, 12 vols. (Rome, 1963-69). (Articles in more general encyclopedias like the New Catholic Encyclopedia rarely have space to go into details of the process of canonization unless the process had some particularly unusual features).
In vol. 10, the article on Pius X devotes about a full column to the process. Pius X died Aug. 21, 1914. His cause was introduced in 1943, based on investigations in each of the places he had lived that began as early as 1923. The decree announcing satisfactory evidence of a life of heroic virtue was promulgated Sept. 3, 1950 and two decrees announcing two miracles that met the standards were issued on Feb.11 and March 4, 1951. The beatification occurred on June 3, 1951. Canonization followed in May 29, 1954. The nature of the miracles is not mentioned in this article, but there would have had to have been a total of four. The translation of relics had taken place in May 1944, at which time a formal recognition of the relics was carried out; a second recognition accompanied the next translation of relics in preparation for the beatification. The final relocation of the body took place on Feb. 17, 1952.
The extensive bibliography does not list the formal positiones related to the beatification and canonization causes. Typically, these documents are printed up in enough copies for the various prelates and staff members who are handling the cause in the Congregation of Rites (today the Congregation for the Causes of Saints). They are not "published" in the way most books are but they are available in various libraries, especially libraries with special interest in the particular saint and of course, in libraries in Rome. One might try G. Dal Gal, _Beato Pio X papa_ (Padua, 1951) and by the same author _Il papa santo Pio X_ (Padua, 1954), since they were published around the time of the beatification and canonization. Likewise, F. Hayward, _Pie X: L'homme, le pontife,le saint_ (Paris, 1951); P. Fernessole, _Pie X, essai historique_, 2 vols. (Paris, 1952-53). The bibliogaphy lists a number of other memoir-type accounts, including one by Cardinal Merry de Val, _Memories of Pope Pius X_ (London, 1939; ital. trans. Padua, 1949), but this last item probably doesn't have much on posthumous miracles.
Dennis Martin
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