The ordinary session of the cardinals and bishops of the dicastery of the saints pronounced itself without objections in favor of the “heroic virtue” of John Paul I.
On the morning of Tuesday, November 7, the ordinary session of the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints unanimously voted in favor of the “heroic virtues” of Albino Luciani, the Venetian Pope successor to Paul VI who in the summer of 1978 reigned for just 33 days. This is the last expected act before the signature of the decree by Francis, which could take place in the next few hours.
Today’s decision closes the process of beatification and canonization of Luciani, who, after the decree, will be defined as “venerable”, awaiting the beatification itself. Before then, it will be necessary for the dicastery of the saints to approve a miracle attributed to Pope Luciani’s intercession and which took place after his death.
For a possible miracle, the diocesan process in Buenos Aires has already ended, while for a second one, a trial is underway. And it has not yet been decided which of the two unexplained healings will be chosen by the postulator of the cause, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, to be presented to the Congregation.
The opening of the trial for Pope Luciani, whose figure has always been surrounded by a reputation for holiness especially among the faithful, took place on 23 November 2003 in the Cathedral of Belluno. The diocesan phase ended in 2006. Two years later, in March 2008, a new court was set up for a supplementary investigation and, in June 2008 the Congregation of the Saints issued the decree on the formal validity of all the acts of the two diocesan enquiries.
Father Cristoforo Bove, who died a few months later, was appointed Relator of the cause. Father Vincenzo Criscuolo, Relator General of the department, replaced him. The writing of the Position was entrusted for the historical part to the vice-postulator Stefania Falasca, author of the book “Papa Luciani. Chronicle of a Death” (Piemme, from today in bookshop), and the theologian Davide Fiocco, with the contribution of the historian Mauro Velati.
The Position was delivered to the Congregation on 17 October 2016. The congress of the theologians voted unanimously in favor on 1 June 2017. And today the unanimous vote of the cardinals and bishops of the dicastery arrived.
It is too early to speculate on dates for Luciani’s beatification, because of the required time for the examination of the miracle process. But certainly, the ceremony is approaching along with the ceremony for the canonization of Blessed Paul VI which is also upcoming, given the promising outcome of the process on an alleged miracle attributed to him and that took place in Northern Italy after his beatification.
