www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Question about beatification Mass yesterday

Phil,

"I am glad that it wasn't an Orthodox bishop, but that I thought it was, aren't you?" Yes, indeed.

You are correct though, among Byzantine Catholics only the Melkites have made use of the small omophor. Although Bishop George wore won at Otpust this year.

In Christ,
Subdeacon Lance

Me 'scusi, fratelli, but as it happens the small omophorion is by no means peculiar (among Greek-Catholics) to the Melkites. It is also used by the Ukrainians, the Romanians, the Greeks, the Italo-Greeks, and no doubt by others if I were to go to the trouble of looking. Incognitus
Anyway, what reason is there to assert that Patriarch Gregory III is not an Orthodox hierarch?

Dear Friends,

One aspect of the beatification ceremony intrigued me.

The press kept saying this was the final step before sainthood for Mother Teresa - and they were right in the strict sense.

But to be beatified, while not an infallible pronouncement, is really the Roman Catholic form of "local canonization" where the saint is given public liturgical honours within a locale.

But RC canonization doesn't change that, does it? It only extends the veneration for the entire Church?

Latins?

Alex

Sorry Alex,

But I have always understood that beatification is for the entire Church - it is a stage on the way to Canonisation and some of the beatified never go to Canonisation - no please don't ask for examples - I can't give them.

A

Actually, I think that officially Alex is right. Even now, Blesseds are given the same liturgical honors as the canonized, however the cult is restricted to a certain geographical or canonical jurisdiction. For example, currently, Bl. Teresa of Calcutta will be celebrated in Latin Churches in India (since that is where the bishop who authorised the beatification is from, that is, this is where she died) and in all houses of the M.C.s as a saint. However, here in the U.S., she won't be put onto the calendar until she's canonized.
Then again, I'm no canonist.

Justin

The alleged distinction between beatification and canonization is what a highly eminent professor of mine, utterly loyal to the Catholic Church, describes as "folklore". The whole idea is an innovation - the first person "beatified" in the history of the Catholic Church was Saint Francis de Sales, which is not exactly ancient history. And it is easy to obtain permission for public veneration of Blessed So-and-So outside his or her geographic territory (at least it's usually easy - if there is a flood of petition in some small town to build eight new parish churches, each in honor of the newly-beatified Mother Teresa, the bishop is quite within his rights in suggesting that one such church will be sufficient). Infallibility does not enter into the matter. Incognitus