Why this rush to raise recent popes to the Altars?
On 10 December, it seems that the Congregation’s cardinals and bishops voted unanimously in favour of recognising the ‘heroic virtues’ of Giovanni Battista Montini -- who was Pope from 1963-78.
This means it is highly likely that Pope Benedict XVI will now promulgate a decree of heroic virtues, granting the Conciliar and post-Conciliar Pope Paul the title ‘Venerable’.
It could be argued that the Church suffered near collapse during his pontificate, as the decrees of the Second Vatican Council were implemented in a way we now know to have been contrary to the real mind of the Church.
Liturgical abuses went viral soon after the promulgation of the Missal of Paul VI, whilst Marxist ideology and lack of discipline infiltrated seminaries, and priests and nuns abandoned their vocations in droves.
And, of course, traditional Catholics were virtually persecuted within their own Church during Montini's pontificate, as those attached to the 'old Mass' had to metaphorically take to the catacombs! (I am not suggesting he was behind the purge of the old rite, just that it seemed most virulent and unchecked during his reign.)
I find it odd that nearly every pope from the time of the Second Vatican Council onwards has been fast-tracked to sainthood. Surely, there are holier popes than these -- ones who have been hanging about, waiting for canonisation, or just some form of recognition, for centuries?
What about Blessed Urban II, when will he finally be canonised?
What about Leo XIII, a great man indeed, or the angelic Venerable Pope Pius XII?
And what about all the other saintly bishops, priests, religious, and lay men and women who already have popular cults, but whose canonisation processes have ground to a bureaucratic halt?
Since Vatican II, the Church has suffered greatly.
The past 50 years have brought little light and an awful amount of darkness and distress for the Catholic Church.
Surely, then, it seems a little strange to be rushing to raise some men to the Altars whose pontificates were not that great compared to some others.
In centuries to come, will it be said that Papa Montini's reign was one of truly happy memory?
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