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JUBILEE YEAR for the CENTENNIAL of BLESSED
ROMERO, 2016 — 2017
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| Montini and Romero, bound for the altars. |
A year ago, I went
out on a limb to predict that, although Archbishop Romero would not be
canonized this year, there would be a 2017 announcement. Obviously, that did
not happen, but my mistake related to the intentions for the announcement and
not to the progress of the cause, which has progressed as I anticipated.
Therefore, I update my prediction by estimating that we will have a canonization announcement
before the anniversary of Romero's martyrdom (March 24), and that the
ceremony will be held during the sixth year of Franciscus Papam (i.e.,
between March 13, 2018 and the same date in 2019).
[See also: Top 10 Romero news 2017.]
[See also: Top 10 Romero news 2017.]
If so, the
canonization would occur while this pontificate is in full bloom. It was
similarly during his sixth year that Benedict XV (pope between 1914 and 1922)
canonized “the Maid of Orleans” (Joan of Arc), and many other popes
have made their most memorable canonizations well into their papacy. For example,
Pius XI (pope 1922-1939) canonized Bernadette Soubirous, Saint Thomas More, Don
Bosco and Therese of Lisieux, during his second decade on the throne of Saint
Peter. Saint John Paul II (1978-2005) canonized Maximilian Kolbe in the fourth
year of his papacy, but the canonizations of Edith Stein, Padre Pio, Juan Diego
and Josemaria Escriva had to wait. Pope Francis (2013-to date) has already
canonized prominent saints such as John Paul II, John XXIII, Junipero Serra and
Mother Teresa, but he still needs a saint who represents the grand values of
his pontificate.
All this will
change in 2018, when Francis will have the opportunity to canonize both Romero
and Paul VI, his favorite pope. We can entertain the daring fantasy of Montini
and Romero being canonized together! In fact, Romero and Montini will be the
first saints to be beatified and also
canonized by Francis. How awesome it would be if the Pope of the Second
Vatican Council were canonized in the same ceremony as his seminary student,
Romero, the Martyr of the Council, who quoted Paul VI more than any other
authority to justify his ministry. The encyclical that Romero cited the most
was «Evangelii Nuntiandi»—the same that Francis has called “to
my mind the greatest pastoral document that has ever been written to this day.”
It was also Pontiff Paul who unhesitantly supported Romero when he debuted his
preferential option for the poor.
For this
reason, it is possible to project that 2018 will be the year of Pope Francis’ defining
canonizations, and that the canonization of Archbishop Romero will be principal
among them. In fact, Pope Francis,
along with the other popes mentioned above, is already among those who have had
the most impact on canonization. Previously, he has reformed the system for
financing causes (imposing limits), has promulgated new rules for miracles
(making them stricter), and has created a new path to the sainthood (broadening the
concept of giving one’s life for the faith).
The importance
will be reinforced by other factors in the life of the Church. First of all,
2018 will mark 50 years since the conference of the Latin American bishops in
Medellin, Colombia (presided over by Paul VI himself), which defined the “preferential
option for the poor.” Romero put the
teachings of Medellin at the center of his ministry and it is impossible to
think of a larger proponent of Medellin than Romero in the entire continent.
The possibility that Francis will issue a document on the doctrine of the Just
War, or that he will make some important pronouncement on nuclear weapons
(which we can see a hint of in his New Year’s Eve message publishing a photo of
the consequences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima). Finally, 2018 will be
important for its emphasis on youth vocations and the role of the family, due
to important gatherings devoted to these issues, for which Romero can become an
important saint (the postulator of the Romero cause has been president of the
Vatican dicastery on the family and has called Romero a saint for the family).
Undoubtedly,
canonizations do not depend on recurring motifs for their reason for being, and
I do not mean to suggest that the canonization of Archbishop Romero will need
the coincidences related here to become a reality. The canonization of
Archbishop Romero will fall by its own weight, but these factors will situate
it in its proper place in the history of this pontificate and of the Church. A
canonization that may be announced in the first quarter of the year, and is
likely to arrive in the following twelve months.
