18.9.14

Goa's patron Vaz set to be a saint

Bending Vatican rules once again to bypass the usual requirement that a second miracle be confirmed, Pope Francis signed off Blessed Joseph Vaz as a saint.
Francis is expected to canonize Vaz, a 17th-century Goan missionary, during his January visit to Sri Lanka.Bl Vaz is the patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. He is the first Goan to be named a saint. Another Goan, Venerable Agnelo, is also on the road to sainthood. While St Alphonsa was the first Indian saint, Bl Kuriakose will be canonized in November this year. Mother Teresa, beatified in October 2003 and bestowed with the title “Blessed“, awaits her canonization, pending confirmation of a second miracle ­ the requirement waived off for Bl Vaz.
Vaz was born in Benaulim in 1651, but chose to work in Sri Lanka amid persecution of Catholics by Dutch colonial rulers, who were Calvinists. He is credited with having revived the Catholic faith in the subcontinent.The Vatican said that Pope Francis approved a decision by the Vatican's concerned office to canonize Vaz.
Usually , the Vatican must approve one miracle for beatification, and a second one for canonization. The pope usually signs an official decree attesting the miracles. Francis bent the rules for Vaz, using the same process he applied to canonize St John XXIII without a second miracle attributed to his intercession.
Francis has waived such rules on several occasions now, convinced that the faithful need more models of holiness and that saints like Pope John don't need the technical, time-consuming and costly process of miracle-confirmation to be offered up as saints.
Francis has also promised to give Asia more saints. During his recent visit to South Korea, he promised to speak to “my friend Angelo“, the head of the Vatican's saint-making office, after a young Cambodian complained her country had no homegrown saints.

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