austraLasia #2454

Understanding the process in Saintly Causes

TZANEEN (South Africa): 4th July 2009 --  Recently we made mention of the fact that a couple of Salesians had been added to the Congregation for Causes of Saints, headed up by Archbishop Amato sdb.  What was not mentioned in that article was that there are any number of confreres around the world playing key roles in the process which a Cause involves. Some of them are in the South Asia region, one is in the EAO Region, and there are others sprinkled through other regions.
    Not many of the rest of us have a clear understanding of how these things work, so it was with interest that we received (forwarded by the Provincial of Southern Africa, Francois Dufour) a description of the process by Fr Eddie O'Neill, of that Province, in one instance.  We offer it here for information.  Eddie also included several photos which illustrate the process.  They are not reproduced here. I may look to putting these on sdb.org along with all the rest of the material we have on Salesian holiness.
    At 12.00 noon on Thursday 2nd July 2009, an historical occasion took place in Tzaneen as the Diocesan Inquiry into the Life and Death of the Servant of God Benedict Daswa, a Venda, was brought to a successful conclusion, and the final document addressed to Archbishop Angelo Amato SDB, Prefect of the Congregation for Causes of Beatification and Canonisation, was signed by Bishop Hugh Slattery, Sr Sally Duignan, a Sacred Heart Sister and Chancellor of the Diocese, Fr Andre Bohas MSC, Postulator of the Cause and Fr Eddie O'Neill SDB, the Promoter of Justice.  
    The final document, which consisted of over 850 pages, had to be signed and copied four times. The original, which was sealed first, remains in the archives of the Diocese of Tzaneen, the Transcript and Public Copy were then sealed and are to be sent to the Sacred Congregation in Rome, through the services of the Papal Nuncio, who sends them in the diplomatic bag.
    Archbishop Green will be presented with these documents on Tuesday 8th July by Bishop Hugh and Fr Andre in front of the clergy and religious of the Diocese.  The fourth set of documents remains with the Postulator of the Cause. This ends a process that was started four years ago and is the first Cause of a South African-born Catholic to be presented for Beatification and Canonisation.
    The Transcript and Public Copy remain sealed until the Sacred Congregation approves a Roman Postulator to proceed with the second phase of the process. Information about the Servant of God and the Cause may now be made known to the public".
    There is one confrere from our region directly involved in a Cause: Fr Gaetano Compri, GIA, is the Vice Postulator of the Cause of Ven. Vincent Cimatti.  As the Postulator General, Fr Enrico dal Covolo points out in a recent document, that the person of the vice postulator, normally someone in a province who has the Cause to heart and follows up all the material avidly, is absolutely crucial.  The document where he outlines the entire process and activity involved in such Causes is now, or will be within the next few hours, included in the 'official notes' section of the sdb.org website under 'Salesian Saints'.  That document is only in Italian at the moment.  We shall see what we can do to translate it.
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Title: australasia 2454
Subject and key words: SDB General: Saintly Causes
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2454