Beatification | the rite | the beatification of the venerable Pio of Pietrelcina
BEATIFICATION
The Vatican has established May 2nd 1999 as the date of the beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. As joy explodes in our hearts, we give thanks to the Almighty and express all our gratitude to the Pope and those in the Vatican that have worked to make this event possible.
Beatification is a relatively recent practice. It did not precede canonization until the 16th century. In that century it became common to allow the public and ecclesiastical worship in a circumscribed area of a number of Servants of God whose canonization Cause had not been completed or even presented. Towards the end of the century this concession was named beatification.
In the first half of the 17th century beatification became established practice, but unlike in the past, worship was usually authorized only after the virtues and miracles of the individual concerned had been discussed and approved. Thereafter, beatification became the necessary step prior to canonization.
What is beatification?
It is the permission given by his Holiness the Pope for the public veneration of a Servant of God in certain specified locations. This permission is accorded by the Pope as part of a solemn process similar to canonization, which introduces the public worship of a Blessed throughout the whole Church.
In terms of worship, when Padre Pio is declared Blessed, he will be able to be venerated publicly in the Diocese of Manfredonia-Vieste, in Franciscan churches and anywhere else where there is an interest in worshipping him, as a result – for example – of the presence of Prayer Groups. In this case, it will suffice to ask the authorization of the Congregation for Divine Worship.
In this context, worship means the celebration of Mass and the office in honor of the Blessed, and the permission to display his image for the veneration of the faithful in certain churches. According to the Code of the Postulators, the public and ecclesiastical worship which may be given to the newly-Blessed also includes the exposition of his body in a public church (below the altar or elsewhere), the conservation of his relics with those of the saints, a halo around the head in images of him, the dedication of altars or churches in his honor, etc.
As we know, for a Venerable Servant of God to be declared Blessed, two conditions must be satisfied: recognition that the virtues he exercised were heroic and the recognition of a miracle worked by the Lord at his intercession.
In the case of the Venerable Padre Pio, both conditions have been met. His heroic virtues were recognized on December 18th 1997 with the reading of the decree to this effect before the Holy Father in the Concistorum of the Vatican.
The miracle was recognized by the Pope following its approval by the three canonical commissions required. On April 30th 1998, the Medical Council of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints examined Signora Consiglia De Martino’s recovery from a “traumatic rupture of the thoracic duct in the neck”, which came about on November 3rd 1995, unanimously judging it (five out of five) to be “scientifically inexplicable”.
On June 22nd 1998, the Theological Commission, composed of the Promoter-General of the Faith and six theological councilors, examined the same extraordinary event and after exhaustive discussion expressed a clear affirmative (seven out of seven), deeming it to be a third-degree miracle, or quoad modum.
In October of last year the same favorable judgement was expressed by the Commission of Cardinals.
And as a final step, the Pope officially recognized the event as a miracle with a Decree dated December 21st 1998.
In canonical terms, Padre Pio has everything it takes to be declared Blessed. But above all, he has everything it takes from a spiritual and evangelical standpoint. He faithfully observed the beatitudes proclaimed by Jesus. He was poor in spirit, afflicted, meek, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker and persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
It is all documented in this book, which presents him as “everybody’s cyrenean” – Christ’s generous assistant for the salvation of his fellows.
San Giovanni Rotondo, 21st December 1998,
the day of reading of the Decree of the miracle
Padre Gerardo Di Flumeri
Vice-Postulator
from Il Beato Padre Pio da Pietrelcina ‘Cireneo di tutti'”
by Alessandro da Ripabottoni
published by the Postulation of the Cause of Padre Pio