Don't jump the gun: Norms for saints' causes call for careful study

Published: 2008-02-15

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a new set of rules encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican is requiring dioceses to be more meticulous and objective when they prepare local sainthood causes. The new norms do not introduce revolutionary changes in the existing process, but they tighten up the margin of error and require better documentation in order to avoid carelessness or even, in the Vatican's words, "fraud or deception." The rules are contained in a 45-page instruction made public by the Congregation for Saints' Causes in February. The instruction revises the procedures used by dioceses to recognize and investigate potential saints before forwarding their causes to Rome. The instruction covers everything from the medical investigation of miraculous cures to the interrogation of favorable and unfavorable witnesses. Above all, it urges those investigating the life of a would-be saint to act with utmost impartiality and avoid whitewashing any personal faults or negative aspects that emerge.

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