The election of a Latin American Pope has renewed speculation about the likelihood of beatification for Bishop Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador who was murdered at the altar 33 years ago. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has been examining Romero’s cause since 1996. Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez, Auxiliary Bishop of San Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Saint’
St Marianne Cope – another Pacific Island saint
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
On Sunday Blessed Marianne Cope was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI at a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica. St Marianne died in 1918 of kidney and heart disease at age 80. She dedicated 30 years of her life, from 1888 to 1918, helping Hawaiian-born patients suffering with Hansen’s disease (leprosy) who were exiled to the Kalaupapa peninsula Read more
Murdered South African witchcraft opponent may be made a saint
Thursday, March 15th, 2012The Catholic Church will soon consider whether a South African man killed 12 years ago should be proclaimed blessed – the first step towards sainthood – according to a Sunday Times report.
The man would be the first saint to be recognised from South Africa, the weekly asserted.
Benedict Daswa, a businessman and devout Roman Catholic from rural Limpopo, was murdered in February 1990, aged 46, after rejecting claims of the existence of witchcraft in his village, Mbahe, near Thoyohandou.
Read the article...Second miracle attributed to JPII
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012A second miracle attributed to the late pope John Paul II has been reported and he could be made a saint soon.
The miraculous healing was reported in Italy’s Panorama weekly yesterday, citing documents sent to the Vatican.
It occurred just weeks after John Paul II’s grandiose beatification on May 1 last year, which put him on the path to sainthood just six years after his death and was attended by over a million people.
The second miracle, about which no details were reported, was chosen from among four reported miracles and documented by the promoter of Karol Wojtyla’s canonisation, Bishop Slowomir Oder, Panorama said.
Read the article...
Jesuits divided over impact of Steve Jobs
Friday, December 16th, 2011
Steve Jobs, “Saint” or “exploiter”? A wise life guru like Saint Ignatius of Loyola or an avaricious man, who could not have cared less about the poor – like the rich man in Luke’s Gospel? Despite being a Buddhist, Steve Jobs became a central figure in Catholic debate. He has even caused the Society of Read more
Chemist, not Christ caused Padre Pio stigmata
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
A new book claims St Padre Pio used carbolic acid to cause his stigmata. The book “Padre Pio: Miracle and Politics in a Secular Age,” by Italian historian, Professor Sergio Luzzatto, has discovered documents including a letter from a pharmacist who arranged carbolic acid for Pio. A report in the Telegraph says Luzzatto suggests that the Read more
Pope canonises Jesuit reject
Friday, November 4th, 2011Pope Benedict XVI beatified the Catholic Church’s three newest saints during a mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday.
One of them, Saint Guido Maria Conforti of Parma was born in 1865 and died in 1931. He was afflicted by epilepsy and sleepwalking and, as a result, was rejected by the Jesuit and Salesian orders.
He eventually became a bishop for the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fontanellato, Italy. Then, after rising through the hierarchy of the Italian Church with the approval of Popes Pius X and Benedict XV, he founded the Missionary Union of the Clergy.
Read the article...Popes aren’t automatic saints
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Considering the fact that they are elected to lead people in prayer, mission and good works, surprisingly few popes have been beatified or canonized, especially in the last 500 years. From St. Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, there have been 265 popes; 78 of them are saints, and Pope John Paul II’s beatification brought to Read more