Tuesday, March 06, 2018

Romero now, Grande later


JUBILEE YEAR for the CENTENNIAL of BLESSED ROMERO, 2016 — 2017


#BlessedRomero #Beatification
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
Blessed Romero
Servant of God R. Grande
Opening diocesan tribunal:
January 31, 2017
June 16, 2016
Closing diocesan tribunal:
February 28, 2017
August 16, 2016
Decree of validity:
April 7, 2017
March 2, 2018
Medical experts vote:
October 26, 2017
Does not apply
Theologians’ vote:
December 14, 2017
To be done
Cardinals and bishops’ vote:
February 6, 2017
To be done
Papal decree:
Pending
To be done

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 monthsprobably in a year we will have it doneand 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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