The Catholic Church will have 14 new saints on October 20

• Blessed Carlo Acutis was not included in the list to be proclaimed during World Mission Day 2024

Pope Francis decreed on July 1 the new blesseds who will be proclaimed during World Mission Day on October 20, 2024. During the Ordinary Public Consistory (meeting of cardinals) for the Canonization of Blesseds, the names of 14 blesseds who will be canonized by the Catholic Church were announced.

“Pope Francis decreed that Blessed Manuel Ruiz López and seven companions and Francesco, Mooti and Raffaele Massabki, Giuseppe Allamano, Marie-Léonie Paradis and Elena Guerra be inscribed on the List of Saints on Sunday, October 20, 2024,” the document states. Note from the Vatican Press Office.

He blessed Carlo Acutisa young Italian who died in 2006 when he was 15 years old and became known on the Internet as “God’s influencer,” was not included in the list even though his upcoming sainthood had been announced on May 23.

“He will be inscribed on the List of Saints on a date to be determined,” the Vatican said.

According to the website Vatican Newsthe canonization of Acutis might take place during the Jubilee of 2025.

Photo: Vatican News

Who are the future saints of the Catholic Church?

At the Ordinary Public Consistory, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, gave a brief summary of the biographies of the 14 blesseds who will be canonized on October 20.

The first to be named were Manuel Ruiz López and seven companions of the Order of Friars Minor, together with the laymen Francisco Mooti and Raphael Massabki, who were killed in Damascus (Syria), between 9 and 10 July 1860 for reasons of “hatred once morest the faith”.

Cardinal Semeraro then mentioned Giuseppe Allamano, an Italian priest and founder of the Institute of the Consolata Missionaries and the Consolata Missionary Sisters.

Allamano was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 7 October 1990 and is considered the patron and protector of the Consolata missionaries.

She was followed by Canadian Sister Marie-Leonie Paradis, founder of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family. Pope Francis approved the decree of a miracle on January 24, 2024, making her upcoming canonization possible.

Photo: EFE/Riccardo Antimiani

Helena Guerra, founder of the Congregation of Oblates of the Holy Spirit, known as the “Sisters of Saint Zita.” Pope John XXIII called her “The Apostle of the Holy Spirit of modern times” and she was beatified in 1959.

Process to canonize a blessed

According to the Catholic news agency, ACI Prensa, for to proclaim a person a saint Four stages must be completed prior to canonization:

– Servant of God: the starting point is marked by the initiative of the diocesan Bishop and the Postulator of the Cause, who present to the Holy See a detailed report on the life and virtues of the candidate. The Holy See, through the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, evaluates the information and, if it finds no impediments, issues the Decree Nihil obstat, which authorizes the formal beginning of the process.

– Venerable: This stage consists of five steps. In the first, testimonies are collected from people who knew the named Servant of God, in order to evaluate his virtues. Then, a commission of censors appointed by the Bishop of the cause analyzes the writings he left behind during his lifetime, to seek consistency with the teachings of the Church.

The third step is the preparation of the Positive, which is a document summarizing the life, virtues and writings of the Servant of God. It must be prepared by the Relator of the Cause previously appointed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Afterwards, the discussion of the Positive takes place, in which consulting theologians, cardinals and bishops discuss the document with the virtues of the candidate. Finally, the Decree of the Holy Father is awaited.

Photo: EFE

– Blessed: To achieve beatification, two requirements must first be met: a reputation for sanctity and a proven miracle. The postulator of the Cause must demonstrate popular devotion to the Venerable, as well as the graces and favors attributed to his intercession. Then, a case of healing or another extraordinary event inexplicable by science, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable, must be presented.

This miracle is duly investigated by doctors and theologians, under a strict process of analysis. If the miracle is approved, the Pope issues the Decree of Beatification, which authorizes the celebration of the liturgical ceremony.

– Saint: The last stage is canonization, which requires the approval of a second miracle that occurred following the beatification. The process of investigation and evaluation of the miracle follows the same steps as in the previous stage. If approved, the pope issues the Decree of Canonization and an Ordinary Public Consistory is convened to inform the cardinals. Then the date is set for the canonization ceremony, a solemn celebration in which the pope declares the blessed a saint and recognizes him as a heavenly intercessor for his virtues and favors granted.

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