San Romero of the Americas

Word out of the Vatican is the Monsenor Oscar Romero is one step closer to canonization after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints ruled that he died a martyr, that he was murdered "in hatred of the faith."

The step, which now needs to be ratified by a commission of cardinals and separately by Pope Francis, means Romero can be beatified without a miracle being attributed to him. Beatification is the step before sainthood in the Church.

Polycarpio has the analysis

First of all, the import of the theologians’ vote is that it enables the Church to designate Archbishop Romero as a “Blessed.”  This is the first step in the two step canonization process—in the second step, Romero can be called a “Saint.”  The first step is called beatification; the second step is canonization. Because Romero was proposed for the sainthood as a martyr, the decree certifying the validity of martyrdom is all that it takes for him to be beatified.  Someone who is not a martyr (like Mother Teresa or St. John Paul II) require the certification of a miracle in order to be beatified; Romero will not.  All sainthood candidates require a miracle, however, for the second step (canonization), unless the requirement is waived by the Pope.

As the blurb indicates, after the theologians’ vote, there are still some formalities to be completed for beatification but, make no mistake, convincing the theologians is the biggest hurdle.  If we had to think of a secular metaphor to explain the process and the significance of the theologians’ vote, we could think of it as similar to the jury process under U.S. law.  If the jury finds in your favor, that is a major step.  You may still need to have that verdict certified by the court clerk, and have the judge issue a judgment, but the “heavy lifting” is done.

It is also significant that the report mentions that the theologians’ judgment was unanimous.  This suggests that there is not necessarily a dramatic disconnect between those inside the Church and the outside world, where Romero has been very broadly accepted.  It lends credence to the theory (espoused here) that the hesitation about beatifying Romero had to do with “prudential concerns” (in Pope Francis’ words) rather than with the merits of the case.  The theologians’ unanimous vote will also make it very difficult for any remaining skeptics (of which there are a few) to argue that Romero is not deserving of the sainthood.

There now seems to be no question that Romero will be recognized a saint by the Catholic Church. The questions are when (many are probably hoping in time for the 35th anniversary of his death in March) and what will it mean (a lot for those who are battling over defining the civil war in El Salvador, but not much more other than extreme pride for contemporary Salvadoran life).

Let me just say that I am going to feel uncomfortable once again when FMLN supporters celebrate his canonization as vindication of their battle with right-wing guerrillas when yesterday's developments say that he died because of his faith, not because of his politics. On the other hand, it is somewhat silly to separate the two. My faith certainly affects my politics.

 

It's no doubt an exciting time for San Romero of the Americas.