Benedict XVI has been a breath of fresh air compared to John Paul II. He has met with Hans Kung, allowed controversial issues to be discussed at bishops synods and the like. There is a lot more I hope for, but another seed of hope is his changes to determining the calandar of saints in the Roman Church's universal calander.
I guess it is really the Catholic Church's saint version of affirmative action. The article from CatholicNews.com states:
"Special consideration will be given to saints from countries not already represented in the general calendar and from underrepresented categories, such as laypeople, married couples and parents, the norms said. In addition, the norms said, 10 years should have passed since the canonization ceremony to ensure ongoing, widespread devotion."
In one sense the road to canonization is too complicated and too expensive. It would probably be better if the canonization process was mostly left up to the local or national church conferences. But the fact that in 25 years I might be able to open up a saint of the day book and see the greater international diversity of our church as well as more lay people is a fascinating thought. Maybe there is hope at the end of the tunnel.
A faithful Catholic
No comments:
Post a Comment