Why is Philomena No Longer Considered a Saint?

Posted on September 12, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q: How is it that the martyr Philomena used to be a saint, but isn’t any more?  I don’t understand how the Church can canonize a saint and then change its mind…  –Mary

A: Philomena is not, and has never been a saint.

Many Catholics erroneously believe that Philomena used to be a saint, and was somehow “decanonized” by Pope John XXIII in 1961.  In fact, the action taken that year by the Congregation of Rites—which back then had jurisdiction over matters pertaining to the canonization of saints—actually clarified and made more consistent the canonical status of the person commonly known as “Saint Philomena,” which up to that point had been quite confused.  Continue reading →

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How Do I File a Canon Lawsuit?

Posted on August 29, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q:  A group of us in my parish would like to hire a canon lawyer.  Specifically, we want to sue the bishop of the diocese for abuse of power, after he unjustly removed our parish priest without cause…. How do we go about filing a canon lawsuit?  –Katrina

A:  You don’t.

This is not meant to disparage Katrina, because she has unintentionally proven a good point: it is gradually becoming more common to hear of lay-persons attempting to take various types of legal actions against church officials, for violations of canon law.  Unfortunately, in the minds of many Catholics, this general idea of “legal action” frequently morphs into the notion that they should canonically “sue” someone.  Continue reading →

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Are SSPX Sacraments Valid? Part II

Posted on August 15, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

(Part I of this article on the SSPX was posted on August 1, 2013, and can be read here.)

We’ve been looking at the sacraments administered by priests of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), an institute which, despite numerous attempts at reconciliation, still has no canonical status in the Catholic Church.  As was seen in Part I of this article, all of the sacraments administered by SSPX clergy—with the exception of absolution in danger of death (c. 986.2, discussed in “Can All Priests Always Hear Confessions?”)—are administered illicitly.  In other words, since these clerics have been given no authorization by competent ecclesiastical authorities to minister to the faithful, their ministry is illegal.  This means simply that they are doing something that they shouldn’t be doing!

At the same time, however, this doesn’t necessarily imply that the sacraments administered by clergy in the SSPX are invalid.  Continue reading →

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Are SSPX Sacraments Valid? Part I

Posted on August 1, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q: What’s the canonical status of priests ordained by SSPX bishops, and what’s the canonical status of the sacraments they administer? –John

A: It would have been marvelous to be able to respond to John that the priests of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) were now fully united to Rome, and thus had a status comparable to the members of any other religious institute in the Church.  Sadly, however, this is not the case!  While Pope Benedict was clearly hoping to reconcile the SSPX to the Church during his papacy, the fact is that this important item on his to-do list was left unfinished when he resigned in February. Continue reading →

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How Many Miracles are Required to Canonize a Saint?

Posted on July 18, 2013 by canonlawmadeeasy

Q: How many miracles are required before somebody can be canonized a saint?  I thought that you needed three.  But now the Pope has announced that John Paul II will be canonized after only two miracles, and John XXIII with (I believe) even less than that.  Did the rules get changed at some point?  Is this even a canon-law question?  –Sylvie

A:  Sylvie is of course referring to the Vatican’s July 5 announcement that a miracle has been attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Paul II, clearing the way for his canonization.  The same decree also indicates that Pope Francis has approved a decision made at the Vatican’s Congregation for Causes of Saints, regarding the canonization of Blessed John XXIII—although no miracle has been attributed to him.  What’s going on here? Continue reading →

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