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JUBILEE YEAR for the CENTENNIAL of BLESSED
ROMERO, 2016 — 2017
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Blessed Oscar
A. Romero will be canonized this year—possibly on October 21 in a group
canonization ceremony that will include Pope Paul VI amid a synod of
bishops in the Vatican—but Father Rutilio Grande, Servant of God, will probably
not be ready for the altars until next year. This is the analysis of Super
Martirio after reviewing the most up-to-date information on the status
of both causes.
[Developing: the Vatican Secretary of State confirmed on Tuesday that Paul VI will be canonized in October.]
On the one
hand, the information augurs a triumphant result in the case of Archbishop
Romero, the martyred bishop whose cause is now on the verge of being
formalized, having concluded the entire course of the process (see chart
below). At this time, Romero has reached the same level of approval as Paul VI,
whose upcoming canonization was informally referred to by Pope Francis. The pope’s
approval of the miracle that leads to Romero’s canonization could arrive this
week, after a session of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on Tuesday
that could produce more decrees to be approved by the Pope.
On the other
hand, however, the information also implies the frustration of the Salvadoran
Church’s dream of seeing Romero canonized and Grande beatified together, in a
single ceremony. As can be seen in the following chart, the Grande case still must
complete several important steps, which place it lagging several months behind
Romero's cause.
Stage in the process
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Blessed Romero
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Servant of God R. Grande
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Opening diocesan
tribunal:
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January 31, 2017
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June 16, 2016
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Closing diocesan
tribunal:
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February 28, 2017
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August 16, 2016
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Decree of validity:
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April 7, 2017
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March 2, 2018
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Medical experts’ vote:
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October 26, 2017
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Does
not apply
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Theologians’ vote:
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December 14, 2017
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To
be done
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Cardinals and bishops’
vote:
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February 6, 2017
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To
be done
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Papal decree:
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Pending
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To
be done
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The
delay in the Grande cause was confirmed ahead of a conference about the legacy
of the Salvadoran cleric at the Gregorian University in Rome. First, Salvadoran
Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez said in an interview that, despite being sent to the Vatican
in August 2016, the Grande file was not accepted until November 22, 2017.
Later, the postulator of the case, Fr. Pascual Cebollada, told Vatican News that there
were still three approvals remaining in the Congregation for the Causes of
Saints still to be completed: the theologians, the cardinals and bishops, and
finally the pope.
However, before
being able to proceed with the votes, “what
we call the ‘Positio’ will have to be worked,” said Fr. Cebollada. “The ‘Positio’ is a report; it is, so to
speak, a kind of doctoral thesis,” he explained, “a book of about 500 pages.” The postulator explained the time scales
required to complete the process: “If
this ‘Positio’ is done in a few months—probably in a year we will have it done—and this will be followed by this process of
sessions where it will have to be judged and finally approved by the Holy
Father.”
In an interview with Catholic News Service, the Salvadoran Ambassador to the Holy See
emphasized Pope Francis' support for the cause of his Jesuit brother, Grande.
However, the papal support seems not to have resulted in pressure to speed up
the cause. On the other hand, the advances in the Romero case have been
documented in the Romero Trust newsletter in London, in its February edition. The status of the case is also an open
secret in some Twitter accounts of the San Salvador Archdiocese.
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