John Paul II being beatified for holiness, not his papacy, speakers say

cns ^ | April 1, 2011 | Cindy Wooden

[NYer]

Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, speaks at a conference about Pope John Paul II in Rome April 1. (CNS/Paul Haring)

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II is being beatified not because of his impact on history or on the Catholic Church, but because of the way he lived the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love, said Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes.

"Clearly his cause was put on the fast track, but the process was done carefully and meticulously, following the rules Pope John Paul himself issued in 1983," the cardinal said April 1, during a conference at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

The cardinal said the church wanted to respond positively to many Catholics' hopes to have Pope John Paul beatified quickly, but it also wanted to be certain that the pope, who died in 2005, is in heaven.

Cardinal Amato said the sainthood process is one of the areas of church life where the consensus of church members, technically the "sensus fidelium" ("sense of the faithful"), really counts.

"From the day of his death on April 2, 2005, the people of God began proclaiming his holiness," and hundreds, if not thousands, visit his tomb each day, the cardinal said. A further sign is the number of biographies published about him and the number of his writings that are translated and re-published.

"In the course of a beatification cause, there is the vox populi," he said, which must be "accompanied by the vox dei (voice of God) -- the miracles -- and the vox ecclesiae (voice of the church)," which is the official judgment issued after interviewing eyewitnesses and consulting with historians, physicians, theologians and church leaders to verify the candidate's holiness.

Beatification and canonization are not recognitions of someone's superior understanding of theology, nor of the great works he or she accomplished, he said. Declaring someone a saint, the church attests to the fact that he or she lived the Christian virtues in a truly extraordinary way and is a model to be imitated by others, the cardinal said.

The candidate, he said, must be perceived "as an image of Christ."

Cardinal Amato said, "the pressure of the public and of the media did not disturb the process, but helped it" because it was a further sign of Pope John Paul's widespread reputation for holiness, which is something the church requires proof of before it moves to beatify someone.

Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who served as Vatican spokesman under Pope John Paul, told the conference that the late pope's voice, his pronunciation, his use of gestures and his presence at the altar or on a stage all contributed to his success as a communicator.

But the key to his effectiveness was that he firmly believed that each person was created in God's image and likeness, Navarro-Valls said. "I think this was what attracted people even more than the way he spoke."

People felt he was sincere in his recognition of their dignity and of their destiny to be with God, he said.

"He was a man profoundly convinced of the truth of those words in Genesis -- 'God made man and woman in his image and likeness.' This gave him optimism even when he could no longer walk, and then even when he could no longer speak," Navarro-Valls said.

The Spaniard, a member of Opus Dei, said he had the blessing of personally knowing three saints: Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei; Blessed Teresa of Kolkata; and Pope John Paul.

What all three have in common, he said, was a good sense of humor, a ready smile and an ability to laugh.

As for those who question beatifying Pope John Paul only six years after his death and those who say the explosion of the clerical sex abuse scandal during his pontificate casts a dark shadow on his reign, Navarro-Valls said people must remember that beatification is not a judgment on a pontificate, but on the personal holiness of the candidate.

The key question, he said, is: "Can we be certain he lived the Christian virtues in a heroic way?"

[don-o]

If it’s not criticism, then what is it? What do you make of the words following “but, I say unto you...”?

[circlecity]

It’s not scripture he’s criticising. If so, give me the chapter and verses of the scriptures he’s criticising.

[don-o]

Matthew 5:27

Exodus 20:14

[circlecity]

Heavens, Jesus isn't criticizing the scriptural prohibition not to commit adultery - where did you get that idea? As with much of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is revealing just how far the imperatives of the Decalogue go. They extend to thoughts as well as action. Jesus is saying that to even think about breaking the 7th commandment is to break it. He reinforces and discloses the true meaning of the scripture (despite what they may have “heard”) and in the process reveals to everyone, especially the pharisees, just how far from the Kingdom of Heaven they really are. Far from criticizing scripture here, Jesus is proclaiming just how important it really is - and the terrifying consequences that has for everyone.

[don-o]

[krit-uh-sahyz] Show IPA verb, -cized, -ciz·ing.
–verb (used with object)
1.
to censure or find fault with.
2.
to judge or discuss the merits and faults of: to criticize three novels in one review.

---

The second definition is what our Lord is doing. One could fairly say that he is criticizing the sola scriptura of the teachers of His day.

[PapistProud]

Scripture is wonderful, if we read it through the lens of tradition.

[circlecity]

"Scripture is wonderful, if we read it through the lens of tradition.

I prefer reading it through the power of the Spirit. That protects against the corruption of tradition.

[Campion]

Which it teaches by enabling us to (1) originally recognize which writings were cannonical scripture and (2) giving us the ability to understand scripture.

Who's "us"? Historically, it was the church -- the one that started at Pentecost and had priests, bishops, and yes -- Popes -- which recognized the canonicity of Scripture.

(Incidentally, that right there destroys sola Scriptura, because the Scriptura by itself is not sufficient to give you its own table of contents.)

And "giving us the ability to understand scripture"? Understand it exactly how? The way the LCMS Lutherans understand it? The way Southern Baptists understand it? The way the Assembly of God understands it? The Holy Spirit cannot be the author of contradiction; I hope you would agree with that.

[Campion]

I have found 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 work for me

The immediately preceding verse describes the Scriptures as something Timothy has "known from [his] infancy". That didn't include the New Testament, which hadn't been written yet. If 2 Tm 3:16-17 proves that only Scripture is needed, it necessarily proves that only the Old Testament is needed.

BTW, the Greek says pasa graphe, which can just as easily be translated "every Scripture" as "all Scripture".

And it's God's Word that makes you complete and thoroughly furnishes (literally perfectly finishes) you for ALL good works.

Certainly it's necessary, but the problem is that it doesn't say that that's all you need. And it's clearly not all Timothy had, either: he had the church, the "pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tm 3:15), of which he was not only a member, but a bishop. He had the preaching of Paul (2 Tm 2:2) and the graces conferred on him by his ordination (1 Tm 4:14).