Beatification
In
Catholicism,
beatification (from
Latin beatus, blessed, via
Greek μακάριος,
makarios) is a recognition accorded by the
church of a dead person's accession to
Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name (
intercession of saints). As far as the word "beatification" is concerned, its use probably does not antedate the fourth century, when it was introduced in the church at
Carthage, but the fact is certainly older. In the earlier ages this honor was entirely local and passed from one diocese to another with the permission of their bishops. This is clear from the fact that early Christian cemeteries contain paintings only of local martyrs. The history of the process is more closely examined in the article on
canonization. It should be noted that some of the beatifications by bishops in the Middle Ages are almost scandalous by modern standards. For instance,
Charlemagne was beatified by a court bishop shortly after his death. He was never canonized, and his veneration has been mostly suppressed, though permission is given to celebrate
Mass in his honor in the cities of
Aachen and
Osnabrück, however without using the title of "Blessed."
Beatification primarily differs from canonization in this: that the former implies (1) a locally restricted, not a universal, permission to venerate, which is (2) a mere permission, and no precept, while canonization implies a universal precept. That is to say, beatification allows the public veneration of a person as having entered Heaven, while canonization commands it.
Since the
Canon law reform of
1983, one
miracle must be proven to have taken place through the intercession of the person to be beatified, though this requirement is waived for those who died a martyr. More about the process can be found in the article on
canonization.
A person who is beatified is given the title "Blessed." The
feast day, however, is not universal, but is celebrated only in regions where the Blessed receives particular veneration. For instance, Blessed
Kateri Tekakwitha is honored in the
United States of America and
Canada. The Blessed may also be honored in a particular religious order. For instance, veneration of
John Duns Scotus is found in the diocese of
Cologne, Germany and among the
Franciscans, among other places.
Beatification is considered to be a step towards being declared a saint, usually following the step of being declared
venerable and preceding the step of
canonization as a saint. Unlike canonization, most theologians do not consider the declaration of beatitude to be an infallible statement of the Church.
Pope
John Paul II (
18 May 1920 "
2 April 2005) markedly changed previous Catholic practice regarding beatification. By
October 2004 he had beatified 1,340 people, more than the sum of all of his predecessors since
Pope Sixtus V (d. 1590), who established a beatification procedure similar to that used today.
*
List of all Blesseds in the Catholic Church by Giga-Catholic Information
The following is a selected list of the most well-known beatified persons. For a more complete list, see the category :Category:Beatified people.* Blessed
Teresa of Calcutta* Blessed
Kateri Tekakwitha* Blessed
Pope Pius IX* Blessed
André Besette* Blessed
Pope John XXIII* Blessed
Damien of Molokai* Blessed
Angelico* Blessed
John Duns Scotus* Blessed
Mary MacKillop* Blessed
Hildegard of Bingen* Blessed
Karl of Austria* Blessed
Junípero Serra*
The Process of Becoming a Saint - article explaining the history of the process of becoming a saint at the Catholic Herald.
