VATICAN CITY (CNS): The Catholic Church should be more selective and very rigorous in choosing candidates for sainthood, Pope Benedict XVI said in a message to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes.
The Pope, who as a cardinal expressed concern over the number of causes being promoted, wrote to the congregation as its members met from April 24-26 for a plenary assembly.
Congregation members discussed a new instruction for the initial diocesan stages of the sainthood process and were looking at possible changes to the formal criteria for determining martyrdom and for miracles.
Pope Benedict told the congregation that from the moment of his election a year ago, he had put into effect changes that met the “widespread hope” that the difference between beatification and canonisation would be underlined and that local Churches would be more involved in the entire process.
On the question of miracles, Pope Benedict appeared to rule out a change that some theologians had hoped would leave space for consideration of “moral miracles”, such as dramatic conversions that occur when a notorious sinner turns his or her life around after coming into contact with the writings of a candidate for sainthood.
