Less than two weeks until the big day!
I’d like to see the text of Vallini’s statement. To my knowledge, theologians have debated whether canonizations are exercises of papal infallibility and the consensus leans more toward saying they are not. I don’t think the question has ever been definitively resolved. I hope Vallini didn’t baldly say what is attributed to him here.
I, for one, don’t see how a canonization can be an exercise of infallibility since it depends heavily on historical judgments about heroic virtue. Supernatural confirmation in the form of a miracle helps relativize that dependence on human prudential judgment, but even in assessing miracles, prudential judgment is involved.
Finally, canonization at its heart involves a disciplinary decision—a decision to add a feast to the liturgical calendar.
I think it’s theologically unwise to claim infallibility for canonizations. I know Rad Trads are keen on claiming infallibility, but I thought that the question was left unresolved precisely because strong arguments can be made on both sides.
Perhaps Vallini is depending on a definitive clarification on the issue that I am not aware of. Or perhaps the journalist distorted what he said.
I suppose the quote from Benedict from 2006 could be interpreted as him saying that the miracle by itself creates the infallibility. He clearly recognizes that the Church’s judgment by itself is fallible. He says the miracle “confirms” it. If one views it this way, then this is NOT strictly speaking an exercise of papal infallibility but a claim that supernaturally and extrinsically God confirms, via the miracle, a fallible human judgment. That would get around the canonizations as liturguical-discipline decisions problem.
I’m still uneasy because the panels that rule on miracles, in my view, clearly are depending on human, fallible judgments. That’s the problem, of course, with a divine-human institution like the Church. Even when God “intervenes” we have to receive God’s supernatural “intervention.” I have no problem whatsoeve with papal doctrinal infallibility in faith and morals. That’s a charism granted by Christ.
But miracles are assessed on purely scientific, empirical evidence. I don’t see how one can escape the problem that deciding whether God has performed a miracle rests on human empirical observation. That’s why many theologians have opposed the claim that canonizations are infallible.
But if B-16 says so, okay. I just remain a tad skeptical that he’s really going whole-hog for “canonizations are infallible.” But perhaps he is.
I’m lucky enough to be near the John Paul II Polish Center in Orange County, CA, and they are having an all day event to watch the telecast together. You can imagine how thrilled they are! I will try to be there that day to celebrate with my fellow Catholics as this great man is beatified. It starts off with a Latin Mass.