medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

I knew that! (Blush) Senior moment.
Mea culpa.
MG
--- Tom Izbicki <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval
> religion and culture
>
> The online version is from the 1908 edition,
> published in Pius' lifetime.
> Tom Izbicki
>
> At 09:05 PM 12/5/2001 -0800, you wrote:
> >medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of
> medieval religion and culture
> >
> >I suspect that if you look in the on-line Catholic
> >Encyclopedia, the case of Pius X will be spelled
> out.
> >These days usually medically unexplained cures
> after
> >prayers to the saintly candidate qualify as
> miracles.
> >Nothing like the colorful days of yore....
> >MG
> >--- Dennis Martin <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of
> medieval
> > > religion and culture
> > >
> > > Miracles are not required for canonization of
> > > martyrs, but evidence that the death was truly
> > > martyrdom rather than the victim of political
> > > violence etc. has to be provided via historical
> > > research.  In the case of English Catholic
> martyrs,
> > > the government line was that they were political
> > > traitors; the legislation making certain acts of
> > > Catholic religious cult or belief treasonous
> crimes
> > > does make it fairly clear that the martyrs under
> > > Elizabeth and Henry VIII were dying for
> religious
> > > beliefs. They always insisted that they could
> accept
> > > Elizabeth or Henry as their rightful sovereign
> but
> > > could not accept the Elizabethan settlement
> which
> > > made the church in England a state church or, in
> the
> > > case of the martyrs prior to the Elizabethan
> > > settlement, could not accept the preamble to the
> Act
> > > of Succession and Act of Supremacy, which denied
> the
> > > authority of the bishop of Rome over the church
> in
> > > England.  The excommunication of Elizbeth by
> Pius V
> > > complicated things even more.
> > >
> > > Most of the English martyrs were beatified in
> the
> > > 1880s on the basis of existing cult, not on the
> > > basis of martyrdom, because, as I've mentioned
> > > before, of fears of inciting anti-Catholicism in
> > > western European governments.  This leads to the
> > > next point: most of the beatifications in the
> 19thc
> > > were in fact on the basis of recognition of
> > > long-standing cult.  When Urban VIII forbade in
> the
> > > 1640s public liturgical veneration for anyone
> whose
> > > case had not been investigated via the
> Congregation
> > > of the Rites (finally making stick what popes
> since
> > > Alexander III had attempted to make standard,
> > > namely, a uniform Roman investigation before
> > > elevation to liturgical veneration) and when
> > > Benedict XIV worked out in detail the procedures
> to
> > > be followed in such investigations, they
> exempted
> > > from the historical, canonical investigation
> process
> > > (interviewing witnesses etc. regarding a life of
> > > heroic virtue, examining alleged miracles based
> on
> > > seven criteria of empirical scientific evidence)
> > > saints who were already long dead in 1640 and
> for
> > > whom one could demonstrate (again by historical
> > > investigation) a long-standing cultus prior to
> the
> > > 1640s cutoff point but who had not at that point
> yet
> > > been accorded universal liturgical veneration.
> The
> > > simple reason for this was that one could not
> > > subject such cases to the same sort of witness
> > > interrogation and investigation that one could
> > > subject people who died at or after the 1640s.
> Nor
> > > could one subject claims for miracles worked by
> such
> > > long-dead saints long ago to the same
> investigation
> > > that one could subject recently occurring
> miracles.
> > > Hence at least beatification (carrying with it
> > > official public liturgical veneration in a
> single
> > > diocese or within a single religious order,
> > > sometimes in several dioceses, but not
> universally)
> > > could be approved if it could be shown that
> people
> > > had venerated this person for a long time in a
> > > particular locality without the rigorous
> procedrues
> > > which had not yet existed.
> > >
> > > But proceeding to canonization (universal
> liturgical
> > > veneration) still would not take place without
> at
> > > least 2 more recent (hence capable of rigorous
> > > investigation) miracles.  Hence a lot of these
> 19thc
> > > beatifications on basis of longstanding cult
> never
> > > moved beyond that stage because no new miracles
> > > either were alleged or, if alleged, passed
> scrutiny
> > > (Benedict XIV's rules for investigating miracles
> are
> > > extremely rigorous).
> > >
> > > In the case of the English martyrs, after
> > > beatification on the basis of cultus existing.,
> > > e.g., at Douai among the English Catholic exile
> > > community from the 16thc onward in the 1880s,
> > > historical investigation of their martyr status
> was
> > > carried out in the 1960s, resulting in their
> > > canonizations in 1970.  The report of the
> > > investigation of martyrdom is very interesting,
> > > including among other documentation, the expense
> > > report submitted by the executioner for one of
> the
> > > executions.  See Archdiocese of Westminster,
> Cause
> > > of the Canonization of Blessed Martyrs John
> > > Houghton, Robert Lawrence, Augustine Webster,
> > > Richard Reynolds, John Stone, Cuthbert Mayne,
> John
> > > Paine, Edmund Campion, Alexander Briant, Ralph
> > > Sherwin, and Luke Kirby, put to Death in England
> in
> > > Defence of the Catholic Faith (1535-1582),
> Official
> > > Presentation of Documents on Martyrdom and Cult,
> > > Sacred Congregation of Rites, Historical
> Section,
> > > vol. 148 (Vatican City: Vatican Polygott Press,
> > > 1968).
> > >
> > > The reforms of 1983 reduced the number of
> miracles
> > > for beatification and canonization of
> non-martyrs to
> > > one each rather than the two (total of four)
> > > required under Urban VIII/Benedict XIV.
> > >
> > > Thus, while it is possible for a non-martyr to
> be
> > > beatified without any miracles being proven, no
> > > non-martyr is to be canonized without at least
> one
> > > miracle.  Even in the case of beatifications on
> the
> > > basis of existing cult, of course normally many
> > > miracles would have been reported, otherwise, no
> > > local cult is likely to have emerged.  But in
> those
> > > cases, the alleged miracles would not have been
> > > investigated according to Benedict XIV's
> criteria.
> > >
> > > In all these cases we are talking about miracles
> > > performed after death, since, it is possible for
> a
> > > person to perform a miracle during his lifetime
> yet
> > > before death to apostasize, given free wil.
> > > Declaring someone a saint is a declaration that
> this
> > > person is truly present in heaven (many others
> are
> > > present in heaven but their presence is not
> clearly
> > > known to those on earth) enjoying the beatific
> > > vision, enjoying the presence of God who is
> utterly
>
=== message truncated ===


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