OF POPE FRANCIS ” Maiorem HAC DILECTIONEM “ THE OFFER OF LIFE
”No one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” ( Jn 15, 13).
They are worthy of special consideration and honor those Christians who, following more closely in the footsteps and teachings of the Lord Jesus, have willingly and freely offered their lives for others and persevered until death in this regard.
It is certain that the heroic offering of life, suggested and supported by charity, expressing a true, full and exemplary imitation of Christ and therefore is deserving of the admiration that the community of the faithful is usual reserve to those who voluntarily accepted the martyrdom of blood or who have heroically the Christian virtues.
With the comfort of the favorable opinion issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints , who in the Plenary Session of September 27, 2016 has carefully investigated whether these Christians deserve the beatification, I establish that the following rules be observed:
Art. 1 L ‘ offer of life is a new crime of’ process of beatification and canonization, distinct from the case of martyrdom and heroic virtues.
Art. 2 The offer of life, so that it is valid and effective for the beatification of the Servant of God, must meet the following criteria:
a) free and voluntary offering of life and heroic acceptance propter caritatem certain death and short-term;
b) the relationship between the supply of life and premature death;
c) exercise, at least in ordinary degree, the Christian virtues before bidding of life and, later, to the death;
d) existence of the reputation for holiness and signs, at least after death;
e) the need of the miracle for the beatification, which took place after the death of the Servant of God and through his intercession.
Art. 4 The Positio on the offer of life must respond to the dubium : An constet de heroica oblatione curriculum until death propter caritatem necnon de virtutibus christianis, saltem in ordinary gradu, et in casu to effectum de agitur quo .
Art. 5 The following articles of the aforementioned Apostolic Constitution are amended as follows:
・ Art. 1:” To diocesan bishops, Eparchs and those with them are treated by the law, within their jurisdiction, either ex officio or at the request of the individual faithful or of legitimate groups and their representatives, has the right to investigate about the life, virtues, the offer of life or martyrdom and reputation of sanctity, of offering of life or martyrdom, alleged miracles and, if necessary, on the ancient cult of the Servant of God, applied for the canonization “
・Art. 2.5:” The Inquiry into alleged miracles is to be made separately from that on the virtues, supply of life or on martyrdom ” .
・Art. 7.1:“Study the causes entrusted to them with independent contractors and prepare Positiones on the virtues, the offer of life or martyrdom” .
・Art. 13.2:” If Congress will judge that the case was dealt with under the provisions of law, it will determine to assign them to one of the speakers; The Rapporteur, in turn, helped by an external collaborator, will make the Positio on the virtues, the offer of life or martyrdom, according to the rules of critical hagiography “.
Art. 7:” The cause can be recent or ancient; It is called recent if the martyrdom, the virtues or the offer of the life of the Servant of God can be proven through the oral depositions of eyewitnesses; it is ancient when the proofs regarding martyrdom or virtues can be derived only from written sources . “
・Art. 10.1 °:” In both recent and ancient causes, a biography of a certain historical value on the Servant of God, if he exists, or, in the absence of an accurate chronological report on the life and activities of the Servant of God, on the virtues or on ‘ offering of life or martyrdom, the reputation of holiness and miracles, without omitting that which seems contrary or less favorable to the cause . “
・Art. 10.3 °:” Only in recent cases, a list of people who can help explore the truth on the virtues or the offer of life or the martyrdom of the Servant of God, as well as the reputation of holiness and miracles, or challenge it .”
・Art. 15, to:” Upon receiving the report, the Bishop deliver to the promoter of justice or to another expert everything that has been acquired up to that point, so that it can prepare the interrogatories to investigate and reveal the truth about the life, virtues, the ‘offer of lifeor martyrdom, his reputation for sanctity, the offering of life or martyrdom of the Servant of God “.
・Art. 15, b:” In ancient causes interrogations only affect the reputation of sanctity, of offering of life still present or of martyrdom and, if necessary, the cult given to the Servant of God in recent times .”
・Art. 19:” To prove the martyrdom, the practice of virtue, or the offering of life and fame of the miracles of a Servant of God, who belonged to some institute of consecrated life, witnesses must be presented, in large part, strangers; unless this is impossible, because of the particular life of the Servant of God . “
・Art. 32:“The investigation on miracles must be instructed separately from on the virtues or supply of life or martyrdom and is performed according to the following rules .”
・Art. 36:” They are forbidden in churches Any solemn celebrations or panegyric speeches about Servants of God whose sanctity of life is still being legitimately examined. But even outside the church must refrain from acts that could mislead the faithful into thinking wrongly that the investigation, by the bishop on the life and virtues, martyrdom, or the offer of the life of the Servant of God, involving the certainty of future canonization of the same Servant of God “.
All that I have determined with this Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu proprio, I order that is observed in all its parts, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, even if worthy of special mention, and I establish that it is promulgated by publication in the newspaper “L ‘ Osservatore Romano “, entering into force on the day of the promulgation, and subsequently is added to AAS .
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on July 11, the fifth of Our Pontificate. FRANCIS
