VATICAN: BEATIFICATION CAUSE OF SLAIN SALVADORAN ARCHBISHOP OSCAR
ROMERO AT STANDSTILL
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/18/europe/EU-GEN-Vatican-Slain-
Archbishop.php

The Associated Press
Published: February 18, 2008

VATICAN CITY: The beatification cause of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the
outspoken Salvadoran church leader who was killed in 1980 as he
celebrated Mass, remains at a standstill while officials study
whether his death made him a martyr for the faith, a senior Vatican
official said Monday.

To put Romero on the path to sainthood, the church must first
determine if the Archbishop of San Salvador was killed for religious
reasons or for other motives, said Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, who
heads the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

"To be a martyr, the Catholic faithful must be killed for 'hatred of
the faith,'" Saraiva Martins said at a news conference at the Vatican
discussing new sainthood procedures. "There can be political, social
motives. If the motive is not clear it must be studied in depth."

The cardinal stressed that the Vatican was not trying to block the
beatification of Romero — a clergyman who many in Latin America see
as a political hero for the left.

Romero was appointed archbishop of El Salvador's capital in 1977 in
the midst of the military-led government's crackdown on suspected
guerrillas and leftist opponents.

The archbishop responded with emotional homilies condemning human
rights abuses by the dictatorship and paramilitary groups, and
advocating for the many impoverished Salvadorans who were being
terrorized. The day after Romero called on the nation's military to
halt its repression, he was shot while leading worship in a hospital
chapel.

Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have said publicly that
Romero was indeed a martyr for the faith, which means he could be
beatified without the Vatican having to confirm a miracle attributed
to him. But the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has yet to make
that determination.

===

VATICAN SEEKS TRUE 'HOLINESS' AS PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING SAINTHOOD
TIGHTEN
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331058,00.html

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is making it tougher to become a saint.

New procedures announced Monday call for more "rigor" and "sobriety"
by bishops deciding to begin the process of beatification and
determining the required miracles.

Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, head of the Vatican's sainthood
office, recently suggested that the Vatican was overwhelmed by causes
following the pontificate of the late Pope John Paul II, who elevated
more people to sainthood than all his predecessors combined.

Saraiva Martins said there are more than 2,200 beatification and
sainthood causes pending.

The cardinal, speaking at a news conference, stressed the need for
a "true reputation for holiness" among candidates before a process
begins. He said "rigorous historical research is obviously intrinsic"
to the investigation.

During his 27-year pontificate, John Paul beatified 1,338 people and
canonized 482 — more than all his predecessors combined since current
procedures were introduced in the 16th century.

Asked about prominent cases now pending, the cardinal said the
beatification cause of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the outspoken
Salvadoran church leader who was killed in 1980 as he celebrated
Mass, remains at a standstill while officials study whether his death
made him a martyr for the faith.

To put Romero on the path to sainthood, the church must first
determine if the archbishop of San Salvador was killed for religious
reasons or for other motives, the cardinal said.

He also denied reports that the case of Pope Pius XII had been
halted, saying he expected further research in the Vatican archives
that "can't but help the cause" of the World War II pope.

Pius has been criticized by some Jewish groups and others who claim
he did not speak up enough against the Holocaust. Saraiva Martins
reiterated the Vatican stance that Pius "acted prudently" to avoid
causing further suffering.