Italian newspaper says Mother Marianne to be beatified by cardinal

Published: 2005-05-03

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Mother Marianne Cope of Molokai may be beatified in mid-May, but Pope Benedict XVI will not celebrate the beatification Mass, according to an Italian newspaper. A Vatican official told Catholic News Service May 3 that the newspaper article "was not without foundation," but he refused to elaborate. For years, Vatican officials and theologians have been discussing the possibility of returning to the pre-1971 practice of having a cardinal, not the pope, preside at beatifications, giving a clear sign that a beatification is different from the declaration of sainthood. The Italian daily, Il Giornale, reported May 3 that Pope Benedict had delegated Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, to preside over Mother Marianne's beatification.

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