REPORT OF THE POSTULATOR GENERAL

Foreword:

About a year ago I was called by the Minister General with his Definitory to succeed Fr. Ambrogio Sanna in the office of the Postulator General.

I know that, on the part of the central government of the Order, it was not easy to arrive at the successor to Fr. Sanna.  I am grateful for the confidence placed in me, and at the beginning of this report, I would like to thank Father Sanna for his patience in launching me in my role as Postulator General.

It is obvious that the greater part of this report will deal with the work carried out by my eminent predecessor, who even in this last year never simply "pulled his oars into the boat" but used the time to bring to completion a few tasks which were dear to him, besides helping me to take my first steps in promoting some Causes for canonization.

I will organize the information, keeping in view the progress made in each of the Causes, according to the following schema:

- Beginning with the most recent Causes, or rather those which have barely taken their first steps and  are still in the phase of "diocesan inquiry";

- I will continue, by making you aware of what has happened in the past sexennium to the Causes which have arrived at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, whether this means they are under study leading to the "Positio super vita, virtutibus et fama sanctitatis" or to the "Positio super martyrio" or to some level of discussion at various levels of the Congregation;

-  I will present the beatifications which have taken place or are soon to take place;

- At the end I will treat of the Causes of those blessed being moved forward toward formal canonization and of the single canonization which took place in this sexennium;

- As an appendix, I will list a few Causes which are "promising".

1.      Promotion of Causes in the Diocesan Phase

A.     There are three Causes which were opened in this sexennium and are still in the diocesan phase.

1.1  -Servants of God, Michael Tomaszek, Zbigniew Strzalkowski, priests of the Krakow Province, and Alessandro Dordi, diocesan priest from Bergamo, killed by guerillas of the "Sendero Luminoso", the first two on the 9th of August 1991 at Pariocoto (Peru), and the third on the 25th of the same month at Santa in the diocese of Chimbote.

By explicit request of the local Ordinary, Msgr. Luis Bambaren, and with the support of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, the Congregation of the Causes of Saints authorized the opening of their Cause on the 5th of June 1995, one year earlier that the period foreseen in the current legislation (5 years after the death of a Servant of God).

A little later, once Fr. Stanislaus Olbrycht, current pastor of Pariocoto, was named Vice-Postulator in Chimbote, the diocesan inquiry was initiated under the responsibility of the Bishop of Chimbote.  Subsequently in 1996, inquiries were sought and carried out in Krakow and Bergamo, with the purpose of obtaining testimony and documentation about the infancy, formation and first years in ministry of the Servants of God.

At present, the diocesan inquiry is nearing completion.

1.2  -Servant of God, Francis(Constantino) Mazzieri, founder of our mission in Zambia and first Bishop of Ndola, who died at Ibenga (Zambia) on August 19, 1983 at the age of 94.

Hopes for the inauguration of the Cause of canonization of Fr. Mazzieri emerged shortly after his death, and especially on the occasion of the centenary of his birth(1989), with the urging of the Province of the Marches, of which the Bishop was a member.

The first official step in the Cause was taken on May 30, 1996 by the Minister Provincial of the Marches with the unanimous support of the CIMP.  This request to the Minister General to pursue the promotion of the Cause with the competent authorities was not followed up with a presentation of the documentation necessary to justify the consent of the central government of the Order.  In the meantime, however, the Bishop of Ndola obtained on April 14, 1999, the "nihil obstat" of the Holy See to initiate a diocesan inquiry.

In the beginning of the year 2000 all the formalities were completed and on April 27th the first session of the process took place at Ndola. Witnesses were examined who are resident in Zambia.  At the same time request was made to the Bishop of Ancona-Osimo to make a supplementary inquiry to hear witnesses resident in Italy and to collect relevant documentation.

1.3-Servant of God, Leo(Clovis) VEUTHEY, priest of the Province of Switzerland, who taught for many years at our International College  and in other study centers in Rome and died in Rome on June 7, 1974.

The reputation regarding the holiness of Fr. Veuthey was clearly recognized by many of his confreres and by others who had him as professor and spiritual director. In particular, a group of persons, brought together by Fr. Ernesto Piacentini on the 5th anniversary of Fr. Veuthey's death(1979), became the "Association of the Friends of Father Leo Veuthey" with the commitment to keep alive the memory of our confrere, to publish his writings, and to collect documents about his life and virtues, facilitating in this way the launching of his Cause of canonization.

The Ordinary General Chapter of 1995 approved the motion presented by the Minister Provincial of Switzerland to promote the Cause of Fr. Veuthey. Such a motion was implemented when on the 20th of September 1997 the Minister General with his Definitory gave a mandate to the Postulator General to make a formal request to the Vicar of the Diocese of Rome.

On March 3, 1998, Fr. Ambrogio Sanna presented the "supplex libellus" to Camillo Cardinal Ruini with the necessary documentation. Now that the first formalities are completed (favorable opinion of the Bishops of Lazio, informative decree and opinion of two theologian-censors concerning the edited writings of the Servant of God), we are waiting for the issuing of the "nihil obstat" to allow the first public session of the diocesan inquiry.

B.     Three other Causes are still incomplete at the diocesan level, even though they were canonically initiated during earlier sexennia.

1.4- Servant of God Quirico Pignalberi, co-founder of the Militia of Mary Immaculate and Master of Novices of the Roman Province for about 40 years, who died at Anzio on June 19, 1982, three months before the canonization of St. Maximilian Kolbe.

The diocesan inquiry was opened on July 20, 1992 in the friary at Piglio, where Fr. Quirico spent more than half of his life.

Over these past years 75 witnesses have been heard.  The conclusion is in sight for the diocesan process.  What still needs to be done is that the commission of experts named by the Bishop examine the unedited writings of the Servant of God and the documentation concerning his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness.

It is hoped that the diocesan phase can be brought to a conclusion as soon as possible, in order to forward the examination of the Cause to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

1.5- Servant of God Concetta Lombardo, a young lay woman belonging to the Secular Franciscan Order, killed at the age of 24 in 1948 at Staletti (Catanzaro) for refusing to give in to the advances of a married man who was enamoured of her.

Since the preliminary acts were completed with the acceptance of the Cause on the part of the central government of the Order in 1988, the Archbishop of Catanzaro opened the diocesan inquiry on January 20, 1990.   Subsequently, all the witnesses were heard. The process was slowed down by the death of two members of the diocesan tribunal and by the need to further question some witnesses for clarifications.

Recently, on October 25, 2000, the mortal remains of the Servant of God were transferred to the parish church, without proceeding, however, with the formal canonical recognition of the body.

1.6- Servant of God Dolindo RUOTOLO, a priest of the Naples clergy, member of the Secular Franciscan Order, who died in 1970 at nearly ninety years of age.

As far back as 1978, the Minister General with the consent of his Definitory, accepted that this Cause be entrusted to our Postulation.  Since then, the necessary documentation was collected for the diocesan inquiry.  At the same time the Postulator General asked that his autobiography and some spiritual writings be published.

Encouraged by numerous and authoritative petitions, Fr. Ambrogio Sanna presented in February of 1995 the formal request for the opening of the process of canonization, handing over all the writings of the Servant of God for the examination of theological censors.

At the beginning of January, 1997 the Archbishop of Naples asked the Congregation for the Causes of Saints for the necessary "nihil obstat" so the Cause can move forward, but until now no response has been given.

C.     Two other Causes have been officially entrusted to our General Postulation, but up to now it has not been possible to arrive at the stage when the canonical inquiry can take place on the diocesan level.

1.7- Servant of God Santina COLLANI, a religious of the Sisters of Mercy, an Institute of Sisters aggregated to our Order. She died at Vercelli in 1927.

In 1992 the Superior General of the Sisters of Mercy asked our Order to promote the Cause and on September 7, 1993 the Minister General agreed to the request, committing to the Postulator General the task of carrying out the necessary steps for the opening of the diocesan inquiry.

As soon as a priest of the diocese of Vercelli was named Vice-Postulator, the Archbishop, on April 25, 1995, promulgated the informative decree in view of introducing the Cause.  The canonical process, however, was halted both by the death of the Vice-Postulator and the need to name his successor, and by the change of Archbishop which took place in February 1996.  From then on, there has been no word.

1.8- Servant of God, Veronica ANTAL, a young woman of 24 years and member of the Secular Franciscan Order and the Militia of Mary Immaculate, killed in the outskirts of Halaucesti (Rumania) because she wanted to defend her purity at all costs.

The remembrance of the martyrdom of Veronica was always very uppermost in the Catholic population of Moldavia. But it was only in 1990 that it became possible to begin the necessary steps to further her Cause.  In 1994, Fr. Eugen Blajut collected 200 written testimonies on the virtues and martyrdom of Veronica.

On July 30, 1996, the Provincial Chapter of Rumania approved the request to promote the Cause. On October 15th of the same year, the Minister General entrusted this Cause to our General Postulation. Fr. Ambrogio Sanna immediately set things in motion. Very soon the Rumanian Province will be able to nominate a young priest with the necessary competence to pursue the Cause.

There is also evidence of special favors and miraculous cures obtained through her intercession.

2.      CAUSES IN THE STUDY PHASE AT THE VATICAN CONGREGATION

At present, there are 8 Causes of Servants of God under study at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, where either a "Positio super Martyrio" or a "Positio super vita, virtutibus ac fama sanctitatis" is in preparation.

2.1- Servant of God Francesco ZIRANO, a priest of the Sardinian Province, skinned alive by Muslims on January 25, 1603 in Algiers, where he had gone to ransom from slavery a cousin and friar-deacon Francesco Serra.

Back in 1731, an attempt was made by the Order to introduce the process for the martyrdom of Zirano, but this was met with a similar one introduced by the Observant Friars of Sardinia who considered him one of their own.  Despite the clarifications provided by the Minister Provincial, Fr. Luigi Sanna, showing that Zirano was in fact a Conventual Friar, the Cause did not proceed.

Only in January 1984, did the Minister General with the consent of his Definitory accept the request of the Sardinian Province to promote the Cause of canonization. With the "nihil obstat" of the Holy See, the Archbishop of Sassari opened the diocesan inquiry in September 1990 concerning the alleged martyrdom of Zirano and concluded it a year later, assured that there was abundant and certain historical documentation.

In the course of these past six years, a "Summarium documentorum" has been compiled. To this will be added the "Informatio super martyrio" prepared earlier by Fr. Ambrogio Sanna and revised with perseverance and love during the year 2000.  It is hoped that the entire "Positio" can be made public in the early months of 2001.

2.2- Venerable Servant of God Giuseppe Maria CESA, a priest of the Province of Naples, contemporary of St. Francis Anthony Fasani and Bl. Antonio Lucci. He died in Avellino in 1744. 

The Cause for beatification was started only 10 years after the death of Cesa and in 1762 the Congregation of Rites published the "decretum super non cultu".  Then everything came to a halt.  After several attempts to reopen the case,  our Postulation received permission in 1983 to reopen the Cause, an event favored by the recognition of the body of the Servant of God and the acquisition of an extensive number of documents.  In subsequent years, precisely in 1989, a new critical biography of Cesa was published, written by our historian, Fr. Gustavo Parisciani.

At the beginning of this sexennium, in 1995, the  Bishop of Avellino, instituted a new commission of historical experts for the assembling and examination of the documentation. We are waiting now for the commission to complete its work. Afterwards, the next step will be the preparation of the "Positio" under the guidance of Fr. Cristoforo Bove.

2.3- Servant of God, Didacus KELEMEN, apostle and popular preacher, former Minister Provincial of Hungary, who died at Miskolc in 1744.

The reputation for holiness of Kelemen spread in Hungary immediately after his death, as results from the "Vita Servi Dei" (Life of the Servant of God) written in the same year by one of his disciples.  Soon his fame spread also in the Order, as various documents from the middle of the 18th century testify.

Between 1774 and 1776, the Bishop of Eger instituted the process "super non cultu" which remained, however, incomplete simply because the Bishop did not complete it by adding his own opinion.  In 1794 the Bishop of Alba Julia also instituted a process "super fama virtutum et miraculorum" which was concluded after hearing only one witness and after collecting some documents about the life and virtues of the Servant of God which came from the episcopal chancery in Eger.  But even this process could not be forwarded to Rome at that time due to political difficulties.

In 1927 a new biography of Kelemen awakened new interest in his Cause among the Hungarian friars and the superiors of the Order. Further interest was fostered by the arrival at our General Postulation of an authenticated copy of the documents of the previous processes.

In 1975 Fr. Raymond Rakos published in Rome an extensive biography and many letters of Kelemen and two years later the primate of Hungary, Cardinal Lekai, presented a letter signed by all the bishops of the nation, to Pope Paul VI, in which they urge the re-opening of the Cause. This became possible in 1978 when Fr. Donald Kos, Postulator General, presented a resume of the Eger process to the Vatican Congregation.

In 1979-1980 there occurred the recognition of the body of the Servant of God and its re-entombment in our Church in Miskolc. The following year, the Postulator, Fr. Sanna, presented the "Positio super scriptis" to the Congregation.  This was followed by a decree of approval.

After the promulgation of the new norms concerning the Causes of canonization, the Bishop of Eger, in 1984, instituted a process "super continuatione famae sanctitatis Servi Dei" while at the same time Fr. Ernesto Piacentini collected new documents in Hungary about Kelemen.  Later on, documents also arrived at our Postulation which had been held in the capitular archive at Alba Julia.

At this point since it was believed that all relevant documents had been assembled, the Postulator proceeded to prepare the "Summarium documentorum" which was presented to the expert named by the Congregation. His advice, however, was to widen still further the search for documents and to re-arrange the "Summarium". As soon as possible, the "Informatio" will also need to be prepared.

2.4 - Servant of God, Lodovico COCCAPANI, a member of the Pisan fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order, who for many years had been president of the local Conferences of Saint Vincent. He died in Calcinaia (Pisa) on November 14, 1931.

Right from the beginning the Cause was entrusted to our Postulation. Fr. Antonio Ricciardi followed the cause during its first phase at the diocesan level, i.e. from 1949-1966. At that time the process was stopped due to reasons extrinsic to the Cause.

Only in 1989 under the present Archbishop of Pisa, Msgr. Alessandro Plotti was our Postulator, Fr.Ambrogio Sanna able to have the process re-started.  It was concluded on November 15, 1996 in the Basilica of St. Francis in Pisa.

The Acts of the diocesan inquiry, which had been transmitted to the Congregation, were canonically opened with the decree of January 28, 1997. Two omissions were noted in the subsequent examination of the Acts, and it is hoped that these can be supplied soon. Once these are supplied by the Archbishop's chancery in Pisa, the validity of the diocesan inquiry can be formally recognized, and we can go forward with the editing of the "Positio super vita, virtutibus et fama sanctitatis" of Lodovico Coccapani, true servant of God and of the poor and marginalized.

2.5- Servant of God Melchior (Joseph) FORDON, a priest formerly of the Diocese of Vilnius and later superior of our friary in Grodno, when this was returned to the Polish Province in 1919.  He died on February 27, 1927 at Grodno, within Polish territory at that time, but later annexed to the Soviet Union. Currently it is part of the Republic of Belarus.

The General Postulation tried to promote the Cause of canonization already in 1964, but this became possible only in 1991, with the independence of Belarus and the establishment of the Diocese of Grodno.

With the consent of the Bishop of Grodno, the diocesan process was instituted in Warsaw, with the authorization of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, granted on September 1, 1993.

The diocesan inquiry, followed with care by the Vice-Postulator Gregory Bartosik, and his assistant in Grodno, Fr. Joseph Makarczyk, was begun June 30, 1997 and completed September 21, 1998.

Once the transcript of the Acts of the inquiry arrived in Rome, they were officially opened by the decree of November 12, 1998 and their validity was certified by a subsequent decree exactly one year later, November 12, 1999, overriding the alleged defect in form, since they lacked the consent of the regional Episcopal Conference.

As far as our General Postulation is concerned, we are going forward with the translation of one of the volumes of the process.  After that, we need to name a "referee" for the Cause.  The study will then need to go forward to prepare the "Positio super vita, virtutibus et fama sanctitatis" of this Servant of God who, in his later years, was both confessor and counsellor to Saint Maximilian Kolbe.

2.6- Servant of God, Thomas of CELANO, disciple and biographer of our Seraphic Father Saint Francis, from time immemorial called "blessed" and who died at Tagliacozzo(Aquila) in 1260.

The promotion of the Cause of canonization of Thomas of Celano, repeatedly desired in the course of the centuries by the Franciscan families, was re-affirmed in 1960 on the occasion of the celebration of the seventh centenary of his death.

In 1968 the Bishop of Avezzano instituted an historical commission on the diocesan level to seek and examine the documentation necessary for the process "super cultu ab immemoriali" which, at the instigation of the Postulator General, Fr. Antonio Ricciardi, had been inaugurated in 1970-1.

Once the Acts were forwarded to the Congregation , a first draft of the "Positio" appeared in 1973, but needed to be completed with a second draft in 1976.  The third revision of the "Positio super cultu ab immemoriali" under the direction of Fr. Giovanni Bastianini was presented in 1980 to the new Postulator General at the time, Fr. Ambrogio Sanna. After an extended study by two referees, who had replaced one another, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the decree "super validitate processus" on November 27, 1991.

In 1983 the legislation regarding the procedures of the Causes of Saints had been revised with the result that the study of the Cause of Celano is being organized in view of preparing a "Positio super cultu immemorabili atque virtutibus".  Once this is approved, the next step would be the immediate passage to formal beatification, seeing that the need for a miracle would be replaced by the establishment of a long-standing cult.

Within the past decade(1991-98), with the collaboration of Fr. Giovanni Odoardi, the Postulator General drew up the "Summarium documentorum". In the meantime  the Congregation named Fr. Cristoforo Bove the new referee of the Cause.  Fr. Bove is moving ahead with the writing of the "Informatio", which must then be submitted to the judgment of the historical and theological censors. This latter group have the responsibility of formulating the final judgment before it goes to the Holy Father for his decision.

2.7- Servant of God Giacomo BULGARO, a professed religious of the Paduan Province, porter  for about 30 years at the friary of St. Francis in Brescia, where he died on the evening of January 27, 1967.  His master of novices was Fr. Dionisio Vicente Ramos, who was killed on July 31, 1936 in the outskirts of Granollers (Barcelona) and who will be beatified on March 11, 2001 along with 5 Spanish confreres.

Already in 1982 the Ordinary Provincial Chapter of Padua had requested that his Cause of canonization be promoted. On April 9, 1986 the Minister General with his Definitory entrusted this task to the Postulator General.

The diocesan inquiry, begun at Brescia on November 19, 1989 was concluded on the 13th of December 1990. The decree regarding the validity of the process was issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on November 27, 1992.  Afterwards his Cause was handed over to the referee, Fr. Jerome Fokczynski, SJ. The long work has begun of developing the "Positio super vita, virtutibus et fama sanctitatis".  It became necessary to submit all the personal writings of the Servant of God to the examination of an expert in mystical theology.  The actual drafting of the text of the "Positio" has been entrusted to another collaborator who is nearing the end of his work. It is hoped that the completed text of the "Positio" can be quickly published and subsequently examined according to the practice of the Congregation.

In the meantime the documentation is also being examined with regard to an alleged miracle which took place at the end of January 1997 through the intercession of Brother Giacomo.

2.8- Servant of God Girolamo Maria BIASI, a priest of the Province of Padua, co-founder of the Militia of Mary Immaculate, who died at Camposampiero on June 20, 1929.

The Cause of Canonization of Fr. Girolamo had been often wished for by Saint Maximilian Kolbe himself. Already on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his death in 1939, his confrere, Fr. Leonardo Frasson, had collected memories and written testimonies as well as the manuscripts of his writings and notebooks. On December 8, 1987 the body of Fr, Girolamo was transferred from the city cemetery to the Church of the Antonian Sanctuaries at Camposampiero near the statue of Saint Maximilian.  

In 1996 Fr. Faustino Ossanna, who comes from the same village as Fr. Girolamo, published a biography of the Servant of God, along with the documentation gathered in 1939.

Subsequently, on July 9, 1997 the Ordinary Provincial Chapter of Padua  approved the promotion of the Cause of canonization and on the following September 19th, the Minister General entrusted to the Postulator General the task of initiating formally the diocesan  phase of the canonical process.

On September 11, 1998 the Vatican Congregation transferred responsibility for the Cause from the Diocese of Padua to that of Treviso: the little town of Camposampiero in fact is divided into two parishes, each one dependent on one or the other of the above-mentioned dioceses.  The Antonian Sanctuaries come under the jurisdiction of Treviso while the hospital where Fr. Girolamo died, which lies only a few hundred meters from the friary, belongs to the Paduan diocese.

The diocesan inquiry, opened at Treviso on March 8, 1999, was concluded on March 4, 2000. A few days later the Acts of the procedures were handed over to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.  On November 17, 2000 the Congregation issued the decree asserting the validity of the diocesan inquiry.  The next step will be the study leading to the drafting of the "Positio."

3.      CAUSES ADVANCED TO THE STAGE OF THE DISCUSSION OF THE "POSITIO"

In the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, there are actually five published "Positiones" awaiting their discussion.  Four of these had been completed during this past sexenium.  It is the practice of the Vatican Congregation that the discussion of the "Positio" can be brought forward by an obvious miracle which has already been examined on the diocesan level.  Otherwise the discussion can remain on the waiting list for a long time.

3.1- Servant of God Maria Giuseppina BENVENUTI (Zeinab Alif) of the Order of Saint Clare, commonly called "la Moretta" (The Black), born in the Sudan in 1845-46, taken by slave-traders at the age of 8, ransomed from slavery shortly afterwards and then brought to Italy where she was entrusted to the Poor Clares of Belvedere Ostrense(Ancona). At the age of 30  she was accepted into the community of the Poor Clares of Belvedere(shortly thereafter the monastery was transferred to Serra de'Conti). She became Abbess of the monastery where she died at the age of 80 enjoying a reputation for holiness.

The diocesan inquiry took place in Senigallia in 1987-8 and the "Positio" was officially presented in 1994, i.e. during the previous sexennium.

3.2- Servant of God Venantius KATARZYNIEC, of the Polish Province of Saint Anthony, master of novices at Kalwaria Paclawska, where he died on March 31, 1921.

The informative process at the diocesan level was begun in 1950-1, but its completion took place only in the 80's. After the translation from the Polish carried out by Fr. Zbigniew Suchecki of the biography of the Servant of God, it was possible to obtain from the Vatican Congregation the decree concerning the validity of the process. The preparation of the "Positio super virtutibus et fama sanctitatis" was begun by the advocate, Giulio Dante, and brought to completion  by the referee Fr. Embrogio Eszer, OP, on February 14, 1997.

3.4- Servant of God Luigi LO VERDE, a professed clerical student of the Province of Sicily who died at the age of 21 at Palermo on February 12, 1932.

The diocesan inquiry was completed between 1985 and 1988, while the decree affirming the validity of the process was issued by the Vatican on February 22, 1992. The formal recognition of his mortal remains took place in the same year when they were transferred to the Church of the Sacred Heart at Palermo-Noce.

The "Positio", compiled by Fr. Filippo Rotolo, under the guidance and responsibilty of the referee, Fr. Cristoforo Bove, carries the date, February 12, 1997.

3.5- Servant of God Elisabeth Maria SATOKO KITAHARA, a Japanese lay woman who was enrolled in the Militia of Mary Immaculate.  Born in 1929, she died near Tokyo on January 23, 1958, in the village of Arinomachi where she chose to live since 1950, shortly after her baptism.  There she exercised  heroic charity and an intense apostolic activity among the poor and rag-pickers.

The Cause of canonization was urged by the Japanese Province since 1972 and the Minister General, Fr. Vitale Bommarco, encouraged the collection of the initial documentation necessary to begin the Cause. The inquiry phase took place in Tokyo in 1981-3.

Once the Acts of the process arrived in Rome the Congregation for the Cause of Saints declared the validity of the process with the decree of October 5, 1984 and entrusted the Cause to the referee Fr. Peter Gumpel, SJ. In 1990, he signed the "Summarium" of documents  prepared by our Postulator, Fr. Ambrogio Sanna  with the collaboration of Fr. Ernesto Piacentini.  After the "Informatio super virtutibus" was completed under the direction of Fr. Cristoforo Bove, the entire "Positio" was published on August 14, 1997.

4.      CAUSES OF VENERABLES AWAITING A MIRACLE

The General Postulation has followed, recently and in the past, some Causes which have arrived at the declaration of heroic virtue  in the respective Servants of God, for which they were given the title "Venerable". Such Causes are only waiting for the Lord, who, entreated by our prayers, would graciously grant a "confirmation" by means of a miracle.  The miracle once examined by the Congregation for the Cause of Saints and approved by the Pope would open the way to a formal beatification.

4.1- Venerable Domenico GIRARDELLI DA MURO, who died at Amalfi(Salerno) on December 30, 1683, and whose heroic virtues were recognised by Pope Pius VI with a decree of August 2, 1789.

We are awaiting the publication of a critical biography, being compiled by a friar of the Naples Province.

4.2- Venerable Angelo Antonio SANDREANI, who died at Iesi(Ancona) on October 29, 1752.  His heroic virtues were approved with the decree of Bl. Pius IX on September 2, 1852.

Recently, some initiatives have been undertaken such as the recognition of his mortal remains and their transfer to the chapel of the Poor Clares at Iesi. In addition, a popular biography of the Venerable has been published by the canon Costatino Urieli. It is hoped that soon a critical biography of Venerable Sandreani will be available.

4.3- Venerable Benvenuto BAMBOZZI, who died at Osimo on March 24, 1875 and is buried in our church there. The decree "super virtutibus" was issued on December 11, 1987 by Pope John Paul II. An alleged miracle, after serious study, has proven not to be such.

Likewise in his regard, we are waiting for a competent hagiographer to compile a good documented biography.

 

5. CAUSES OF VENERABLES DECLARED MARTYRS OR  ALREADY BEATIFIED

This sexennium has seen two formal beatifications, while a third is scheduled to take place on  March 11, 2001.  In each of these cases we are dealing with the Causes of martyrs.

5.1- Blessed Louis-Armand ADAM and Nicolas SAVOURET, priests killed in hatred of the faith at Rochefort, Diocese of La Rochelle, in the month of July, 1794 during the French Revolution.

The Cause of 64 priests martyred at La Rochelle had been entrusted to our Postulation for at least thirty years, until the Ordinary of the Diocese, principal protagonist of the Cause, entrusted it in 1988 to a French religious, choosing likewise a French co-worker, the historianYves Blomme, for the editing of the "Positio super martyrio". These were presented to the Congregation in 1992 and immediately scheduled for discussion.  On January 29 and May 17, 1994 there took place a special gathering of historians along with the regular session of Cardinals and Bishops with the result that on July 2 of the same year, Pope John Paul II signed the decree "super martyrio".

The rite of beatification took place on Sunday, October 1, 1995 in Rome in St. Peter's Square. The new blessed, Louis-Armand and Nicholas, join the ranks of our other two confreres martyred during the French Revolution, John Francis Burte and Jean Baptiste Triquerie (beatified in 1926 and 1955 respectively).  They are offered for the veneration of the Church and proposed for our imitation of their faithfulness to Christ.

5.2- Blessed Antonin BAJEWSKI, Pius BARTOSIK, Innocenty GUZ, Achilles PUCHALA, and Herman Stepien (all priests) and Tymoteusz TRAJANOWSKI and Bonifacy ZYCHOWSKI (religious brothers).  They were all killed by the Nazis in hatred of the faith in concentration camps or elsewhere between the months of May 1941 and July 1943. Blessed Antonin, Pius, Tymoteusz and Bonifacy died in the camp at Auschwitz; Innocenty in the camp at Sachsenhausen: all five were members of the community of Niepokalanow, which had already been sanctified by the martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Blessed Achilles and Herman, however, were killed in Belarus during a Nazi mopping-up operation.

The passage to arrive at the beatification of these martyrs was rather rapid. In fact, it was initiated toward the end of 1993 and was concluded in the middle of 1999 with their beatification.

After the preliminary inquiries, the diocesan phase took place in Warsaw from May 26 to December 12, 1994. Once the Acts arrived in Rome, a decree was issued on June 2, 1995 concerning the validity of the process and subsequently, on October 13, 1995 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints decreed the joining of the Cause of our martyrs with that of the "Vladislaviensis" martyrs bringing to 108 the number of Polish Servants of God martyred by the Nazis during the Second World War and for whom a "Positio super martyrio" had been compiled. The steps of the discussion were as follows: on November 20, 1998 there was a special gathering of theological consultants and on the 16th of February 1999 the regular session of the Cardinals and Bishops who are members of the Congregation with the result that on March 26 John Paul II approved the publication of the decree of martyrdom of the 108 Servants of God killed "in odium fidei".

The beatification took place at Warsaw on June 13, 1999 during the last apostolic trip of the Holy Father to his native land.

5.3- Venerable Alfonso LOPEZ, Miguel REMON SALVADOR, Modesto VEGAS VEGAS, Dionisio VICENTE RAMOS, Francisco REMON JATIVA and Pedro RIVERA RIVERA, killed in hatred of the faith in the neighborhood of Granollers, between the end of July and the first days of September 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

The diocesan processes took place at Barcelona from October 5, 1953 to April 5, 1961, about 20 years after the martyrdom of the six friars. Until 1981 the progress of the Causes of the martyrs remained suspended because of the socio-political situation of the nation.

Once the study of the Cause was re-opened, it was necessary to gather other documents and testimony (especially concerning the circumstances of the killing of Fr. Pedro Rivera).  These augmented the Acts previously presented to the Vatican Congregation. On June 2, 1989 the decree was issued concerning the validity of the process.  Two years later, in 1991, the "Positio super martyrio" was completed and published.  It was edited by advocate Giulio Dante with the presentation of the referee, Msgr. Jose L. Gutierrez.

The discussion of the "Positio" took place on February 10, 1998 in the special gathering of theological consultants, which was followed by the regular session of Cardinals and Bishops of the Congregation on February 2, 1999.  On the basis of their positive judgments Pope John Paul II, in an audience on March 26, 1999. authorized the publication of the decree concerning the martyrdom of Alfonso Lopez and companions.

It was our desire that the beatification take place during the Holy Year 2000, but the Holy See considered it more opportune to await the conclusion of Causes of other Spanish martyrs. Finally, as was communicated to the Order by the Minister General, the rite of beatification is scheduled for March 11, 2001, the Second Sunday of Lent.

6.      CAUSE OF BLESSEDS PROMOTED TO CANONIZATION BY THE CONFIRMATION OF             THEIR CULT

Among the Causes for which our Postulation obtained from the Holy Fathers a decree verifying their cult, at least three have been re-opened in view of formal canonization.

To arrive at such an outcome, current legislation requires that there be completed whatever was not done in the past when it sufficed to prove the existence of a long-term cult so that the Mass and Office of the Blessed might be celebrated. Now, "it is necessary that wherever the process regarding the cult of the person has taken place there be instituted a diocesan inquiry "super vita et virtutibus". Obviously such a process needs to be done through documents. Afterwards a formal decree is issued concerning the exercise of heroic virtue. In addition, this same legislation requires a properly approved miracle attributable to the intercession of the Blessed."  (Letter of the Prefect of the Congregation, September 30, 1995, concerning the Cause of Blessed Odoric of Pordenone).

6.1- Blessed Angela of Foligno of the Third Order of Saint Francis (1248-1309)

The immemorial cult of Blessed Angela was implicitly recognized by Clement XI on May 7, 1701 when he granted the faculty to celebrate the Mass and Divine Office for the whole Order and for the diocese of Foligno.

Only in the late twentieth century has there been an attempt to take up the Cause again, after a long series of letters requesting it from various parts of the world. In 1992 the Postulator, Fr. Ambrogio Sanna, made a formal request of the Bishop of Foligno to establish an historical commission to seek appropriate documents.  On July 23, 1994 Bishop Arduino Bertoldo handed over the Acts of the inquiry to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.  The latter noted some missing parts of the documentation and omissions in the procedural acts.

In 1998 a new "Summarium documentorum" was completed and presented to the Vatican Congregation, but once again there were reservations on the part of the Congregation regarding the canonical procedure of the diocesan inquiry.

Now, with the help of the Promotor of the Faith of the Congregation, these juridical obstacles to receiving the decree affirming the validity of the process are being overcome, and a serious and proper study of the Cause carried out, i.e. the preparation of the "Positio super vita et virtutibus" for the subsequent discussion by historians and theologians, as well as by the Cardinals and Bishops of the Congregation.

6.2- Blessed Odoric MATTIUZZI of Pordenone, priest of the Franciscan Order(1265-1331).

The immemorial cult of Blessed Odoric was recognized by Benedict XIV in 1755. Two years later the Pope granted to the Order the faculty of celebrating the feast, a faculty later extended to the dioceses of Udine and Concordia-Pordenone.

In the twentieth century, following the publication in 1929 of the critical edition of the report of his missionary journey, interest was re-awakened for the re-opening of the Cause of his canonization.  In 1982 a Congress was held to study the life and work of Blessed Odoric and in 1994 the Minister Provincial of Padua, Fr. Agostino Gardin, put forward an explicit request for the re-opening of the Cause.

On April 15, 1994 the Postulator, Fr. Ambrogio Sanna, presented the "supplex libellus" to the Archbishop of Udine.  The bishop in turn proceeded to set up a commission of historians to gather documentation which would not only establish the continuity of cult but especially the heroicity of virtue practiced by Blessed Odoric.

We are awaiting the conclusion of the work of the commission.  Thereupon the Ordinary of Udine will be able to give a judgment on the Acts and transmit them to the Vatican Congregation for the subsequent study required by the legislation of 1983.

6.3- Blessed Antonio PRIMALDO, Bishop of Otranto and his 800 companions, killed August 14, 1480 and recognized as the "martyrs of Otranto".

Their immemorial cult was recognized by Clement XIV on May 11, 1778.

The re-opening of the Cause-- desired many times, especially following the visit of John Paul II to Otranto on the occasion of the fifth centenary of their martyrdom-- was set into motion by the local Ordinary with the establishment in 1988 of an historical commission for the gathering and examination of documents and with the entrusting of the Cause of canonization to our Postulation.

The diocesan inquiry, begun in 1991 and completed in 1993, was sent in April of 1993 to the Vatican Congregation. On May 27, 1994 the Congregation issued a decree of validity regarding the process. The "Positio super martyrio" , presented in 1966, had already received the favorable vote of the historical consultors(April 28, 1998).

We are waiting now for a date to be set for the special meeting of the theological consultants.

6.4- Blessed Andrea CONTI, priest of the Franciscan Order(1240-1302)

The immemorial cult of Blessed Andrew was confirmed by Innocent XIII on December 11, 1723.

Recently (October 2000), the Minister Provincial of the Roman Province informed the Minister General about the will of the Province to encourage the re-opening of the Cause of canonization of this Blessed who is buried in the Conventual Franciscan Church of St. Laurence in Piglio.  The Blessed is believed to be one of the inspiring figures for the calling of the first Jubilee Year in 1300.

In view of the seventh centenary of the death of the Blessed, the Roman Province intends to move forward extensive historical research which could be helpful in the re-opening of the Cause.

7.      HISTORIC CAUSE CONCLUDED WITH CANONIZATION

In the last six-year period one of the Causes entrusted to the General Postulation of our Order concluded with the canonization.

7.1- Saint CUNEGUNDA(KINGA), queen, of the Order of Saint Clare (1224-1294).

The immemorial cult was recognized on June 11, 1690 by Alexander VIII, who, on December 17, granted the faculty to celebrate the Mass and Divine Office in honor of the Blessed.

After various attempts, the Bishop of Tarnow(Poland) in 1990 entrusted the Cause of canonization once more to the Postulator General of our Order and in 1993 named an historical commission. The commission ably completed its work  the following year with the result that on March 3, 1995 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints was able to issue the decree of validity for the diocesan inquiry. The "Positio super vita et virtutibus" was compiled under the direction and effort of the referee, Fr. Cristoforo Bove, of our Postulator, Fr. Sanna, and his co-worker, Fr. Zbigniew Suchecki.

The "Positio" published in 1996 was studied and approved rapidly, first by the historical consultants(October 10, 1996), then by the theological consultants(October 10, 1997) and lastly by the Cardinals and Bishops  who are members of the Congregation(May 19, 1998). Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree on the heroicity of virtues on July 3, 1998.

In the meantime the Postulator had presented for the examination of the Vatican Congregation the documentation regarding the alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Kinga, which had taken place in 1974 at Katowice(Poland). The case was examined on November 19, 1998 by the medical consultants who declared that the rapid disappearance of the illness was unexplainable scientifically. The theological consultants then expressed itself favorably (December 11, 1998) concerning the preternatural quality of the cure which occurred in conjunction with invocations directed to the Blessed in view of a cure. The Cardinals and Bishops came to the same conclusions at their regular session on January 12, 1999.  Pope John Paul II ratified their judgment on February 12, 1999 and granted a dispensation from the calling of a Consistory and others who would have the right to vote.

Finally, on June 16th of the same year, 1999, at Stary Sacz, the Holy Father proceeded to the solemn canonization of Blessed Kinga or Cunegunda.

8.      CAUSES WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF A POSITIVE OUTCOME

As an appendix, I am presenting three Causes- for the time being simply in the "hopeful" stage- for which the General Postulation has been requested to undertake the steps necessary for their promotion.

8.1- Mons. Giovanni SOGGIU, prefect apostolic of the mission of Hinganfu in Xian, China, murdered by brigands on November 12, 1930 while he was carrying out his priestly ministry.

The introduction of the Cause of canonization by the declaration of martyrdom for Fr, Soggiu has been hoped for repeatedly according to the documents of the time and in subsequent years. Nevertheless, there has not yet been a formal request on the part of the Minister General to take on this Cause among those the Order is promoting through our Postulation.

In 1951 the Postulator General, Fr. Antonio Ricciardi, in a report on the state of the Causes introduced, affirms:" There cannot be excluded in a future tomorrow the Cause of the Servant of God Mons. Giovanni Soggiu, first apostolic prefect of the Chinese mission at Hinganfu…." Fr. Ricciardi, who already knew  the biography of Mons. Soggiu published in 1947 by Fr. Felice Roseti as well as the documents cited there, showed himself favorable to the introduction of the Cause of canonization of the Servant of God, but postponed the actual introduction to a future date, realizing the need to collect more precise testimony concerning the specific circumstances and motives surrounding the tragic death of Fr. Soggiu.

In 1967 Fr. Pietro Maleddu, Apostolic Prefect of Hinganfu, prepared the second edition of the work of Rosetti (Una Missione in Cina), adding some new information. In 1975 Fr. Matteo Luo, disciple of Fr. Maleddu, published at Bologna(with a second edition at Oristano in 1980) the volume Una Missione in Cina dei Francescani Minori Conventuali (1925-1952), inserting in it an account of the martyrdom of Mons. Soggiu.

The Sardinian Province, feeling itself directly involved in the case, has continued to collect all the documents which could be useful, with the hope of presenting them for the examination of the Order and then of the Church in order to initiate the process. This intent was shared by the Postulator General, Fr. Amborgio Sanna.

8.2- Fr. Placido CORTESE, a priest of the Paduan Province, killed at Trieste in the headquarters of the German SS during the first days of November 1944. The Servant of God, a member of the community at the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, was entrusted during the Second World War with the task of assisting Jews, refugees and prisoners imprisoned in the concentration camp in the outskirts of the city.  He gave himself zealously to this charitable work. For this reason he was unexpectedly taken away by two unknown persons and all trace of him was lost. Brought to the Nazi headquarters in Trieste, he was tortured to death, as has come to be known from reputable witnesses. His confreres who did not succeed in any attempt to save him are convinced that his death was a true martyrdom and they are hopeful for the recognition of martyrdom on the part of the Church.

Mons. Antonio Vitale Bommarco has shown interest in the Cause. It was he who handed over to the General Postulation some important documents concerning the martyrdom of Fr. Cortese.

The Minister Provincial of Padua, Fr. Luciano Fanin, with his Definitory determined during their meeting, June 15-19 1999, to ask the Minister General for his consent to promote the Cause of canonization of Fr. Cortese.

Right now we are waiting for the documentation to be submitted for the examination of the Minister General so that he with his Definitory can authorize the General Postulation to promote the Cause.

8.3- Fr. Carlos de Dios MURIAS, a priest of the Province of the Rio Plata, born in Cordoba on October 10, 1945, and  killed at Chamical on the 18th of July 1976 in the diocese of Rioja along with a French missionary priest, Gabriel Longueville.  Shortly afterwards, a lay catechist, Wenceslaus Pedernera and the Ordinary of the Diocese, Mons. Enrique Angelelli, were also killed.

The notice of their martyrdom spread in the Diocese and among the Friars Minor Conventual. The new bishop of La Rioja, Mons. Bernard Witte, decided to take the first steps toward the introduction of the Cause of canonization of all four martyrs, setting up a commission on June 22, 1990 to collect all the documentation possible regarding the factual account of what took place in July and August of 1976, but his successor in the episopal see, Mons. Fabriciano Sigampa, suspended the research of the commission.

Almost twenty-five years have elapsed, during which time the fame of the martyrdom of the four Servants of God continues to spread . Now Mons. Sigampa believes the opportune moment has arrived to promote the Cause.

The Postulation is awaiting further developments and is willing to offer whatever help may be necessary.

CONCLUSION

I extend to the Minister General and his Definitory my thanks- and I know Fr. Ambrogio Sanna joins me in this duty of gratitude- for the interest and support offered continually with regard to the promotion of the Causes of canonization  entrusted to the General Postulation of the Order.

I would like to thank the vice-postulators who have collaborated in the various Provinces with the central office of the Postulation.  Fr. Ambrogio likewise thanks Fr. Zbigniew Suchecki who was his immediate co-worker for many years.

I thank, finally, the Ministers Provincial for their support regarding the Causes of Saints inaugurated or supported by them.

To all these- and to all the superiors at the general and local level-a fraternal invitation to contribute with their effort and capacity to the personal sanctification of all their friars.  This is, sincerely speaking, a much more important and serious duty than promoting the Causes of canonization of some of our confreres who are deceased for some time and whom the Lord has already glorified in a way which only He knows how to do. Our saints and blessed, are they not ultimately the examples which the Lord puts before us so that they can be our guide and impetus in the following of the Lord Jesus, which we, pilgrims in this world, undertake day by day?

Thank you and Buon Lavoro!

Fr. Cristoforo Zambelli
Postulator General

Rome, November 26, 2000
Solemnity of Christ the King