Paul VI, or Giovanni Battista Montini, the Pope
who reigned from 1963 to 1978 and led three of the four sessions of the
Second Vatican Council, guiding the Church through the difficult
post-conciliar period, could be proclaimed a saint in 2013.
After
examining the “Positio” with the documents of the canonical
process, in recent weeks, theologians of the Congregation for the Causes
of Saints voted in favour of the former pope’s beatification, without
raising any objections.
Next 11 December cardinals and bishops of the
Congregation will also vote. Having overcome the theologian hurdle, the
final “yes” from cardinals looks highly likely.
Benedict XVI could approve what he recognises as
Pope Montini’s “heroic virtues” in the next consistory for the
promulgation of the decrees on beatifications and canonizations,
expected to take place next Christmas. This will conclude the
beatification process. Then, before the beatification ceremony takes
place all that remains is for the official recognition of a miracle that
occurred through the intercession of the candidate to be elevated to
the sainthood.
In Paul VI’s case, Antonio Mazzaro, the Postulator
promoting his cause, has already chosen a healing case which initial
analyses proved “unexplainable”, out of the suggestions put forward. The
alleged miracle involves the healing of an unborn child which took
place sixteen years ago in California.
During the pregnancy, doctors found a serious
problem in the foetus and because of the repercussions it would have had
on the brain, they advised the young mother that the only solution was
to abort. The woman had wanted to follow the pregnancy through and
entrusted herself to the intercession of Paul VI, the pope who wrote the
“Humanae Vitae” encyclical in 1968. The child was born without problems
but the family would have to wait until the age of 16 to have full
confirmation perfect healing. Although the Vatican’s examination of the
miracle will formally begin after the announcement of the candidate’s
heroic virtues, this could all be over and done with quite quickly.
Benedict XVI has followed developments in his predecessor’s cause for beatification closely. Paul VI appointed Ratzinger Archbishop of Munich and cardinal. After
beatifying John Paul II - the pope with whom he collaborated for a
quarter of a century - in record breaking time last year, Ratzinger
expects to do the same for the late Brescian pope, Montini. After
leading the Council and concluding it with almost complete unanimity,
Montini was a suffering witness at the time of the student protests of
1968 in Italy and continued to highlight the Church’s Credo through
speeches and encyclicals, without ever taking any steps back in relation
to the path marked out by the Second Vatican Council.
John Paul I’s (renowned for his holiness
throughout the world) beatification cause is also being deliberated on
alongside Paul VI’s, while Pius XII’s was approved in 2009 with the
promulgation of the decree of heroic values but a miracle is yet to be
selected to be presented to the Congregation for the Causes of the
Saints, the Vatican dicastery led by Cardinal Angelo Amato who deals
with new sainthood causes.