Beatification
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organist
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Beatification
Is it really true that Pope Francis wants to beatify a whole village who refused to convert to Islam? What will this do for interfaith relations? Let's hope Oscar Romero gets beatified soon!
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gwyn
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Re: Beatification
A quick scan of Matthew chapter 10 shows that it'll do exactly what it should to interfaith relations. If Pope Francis is who I think he is, he won't have the church lying on its back to be tickled like a pet kitten by other faiths; rather, it'll be the church against which the gates of hell will be unable to stand. Well, we can dream, eh?
Re: Beatification
This particular beatification was scheduled & approved during the pontificate of Benedict XVI. As a Catholic, I find it odd that there seems to be an expectation abroad that Pope Francis will undo everything that his predecessor did, even though I personally wish he would. Change in the church happens very gradually: see how long it took to accept that the Earth goes round the Sun instead of vice versa! I would suggest that those of us who lived through V2 and its aftermath don't believe anything till it actually happens. Don't give up hope though!
Martyrdom usually happens as a result of refusing to convert one's opinions on faith or morals. On the one hand, we are admiring Indian Catholicism because it is 'in your face', on the other we are suggesting that people who died for their faith shouldn't be beatified.
Are we supposed to stop canonising martyrs? Most of the Roman martyrs were killed because they refused to worship the Emperor. The English & Welsh Catholic martyrs refused to convert to Anglicanism and those killed in Queen Mary's reign refused to convert to Catholicism.
St Thomas of Canterbury obstinately insisted that civil law should have no jurisdiction over clerics; a position that recent scandals have made it impossible to maintain today, except in the Vatican City itself. He certainly stood for clericalism and had no patience with other bishops, clerics, kings, etc. who questioned whether he was using his authority appropriately. He also used the sanction of excommunication more than once. Would he be canonised today?
Martyrdom usually happens as a result of refusing to convert one's opinions on faith or morals. On the one hand, we are admiring Indian Catholicism because it is 'in your face', on the other we are suggesting that people who died for their faith shouldn't be beatified.
Are we supposed to stop canonising martyrs? Most of the Roman martyrs were killed because they refused to worship the Emperor. The English & Welsh Catholic martyrs refused to convert to Anglicanism and those killed in Queen Mary's reign refused to convert to Catholicism.
St Thomas of Canterbury obstinately insisted that civil law should have no jurisdiction over clerics; a position that recent scandals have made it impossible to maintain today, except in the Vatican City itself. He certainly stood for clericalism and had no patience with other bishops, clerics, kings, etc. who questioned whether he was using his authority appropriately. He also used the sanction of excommunication more than once. Would he be canonised today?
JW