News of the canonization on the 1st page of the L'Osservatore Romano

News of the canonization on the 1st page of the L'Osservatore Romano

“Francisco and Jacinta Marto to be saints” – announces the L'Osservatore Romano on today’s edition, referring to Pope Francis decision to approve the miracle assigned to the two sears of Fatima, the last stage on the canonization process. 

The official daily newspaper of the Vatican, publishes this fact on its front page, reminding that the Pope´s decision occurs in the Centennial of the Apparitions celebrations year.

“Thus opens the path to their canonization, following their beatification on 13 May 2000 by John Paul II, as he celebrated Mass in the Marian Shrine built on the site where Francisco and Jacinta (along with their cousin, Lucia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, whose diocesan process of beatification was concluded in February) witnessed the apparitions of the Virgin which occurred between the 13th of May and 13th of October 1917”, refers the L’Osservatore Romano.

The Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Monsignor Manuel Clemente, plead “very happy”, as all Portuguese people and all Catholics.

To the Patriarch, “the most important”, meaning, the approval of the miracle, “is done”, remain to be seen is where and when the canonization ceremony of the youngest saints not martyrs of the Catholic Church will happen.

The miracle, now approved, said Monsignor Manuel Clemente, is “a great sign of God”, “that the children and what happened is important to them and to all of us”.

The Vatican announced this past Thursday that Pope Francis had approved the miracle of the cure of a Brazilian child assigned to the two Blessed, the last stage of the canonization process of Francisco and Jacinta Marto, initiated 65 years ago.

The decision about the place and date of the ceremony will be taken on a meeting of Pope Francis with the cardinals (Consistory), schedule to April 20th.

Brothers Francisco and Jacinta Marto witnessed, with their cousin Lucia, the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Cova da Iria, between May and October 1917.

Francisco who died with 11 years old, and Jacinta who passed away before completing 10 years old, are buried in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, in Fatima, along Lucia.

The canonization process of the two siblings begun on April 30th 1952, when the bishop of Leiria, Monsignor Jose Alves Correia da Silva, opened the two diocesan processes over the fame of sanctity and virtues of the two brothers.

Following parallel paths, the diocesan phase of the process of Jacinta is closed on July 2nd, 1979, with 77 sessions and 27 testimonies. The process of Francisco is closed one month later, on the 1st of August, with 63 sessions and 25 testimonies.

Ten years after, on the 13th of May 1989, John Paul II decrees the heroism of the virtues of Francisco and Jacinta and the two little shepherds started to be considered venerable, fact the happens for the first time in the Catholic Church History with non-martyrs children.

  From this point on the two processes are gathered in one.

The next step in the beatification process of Francisco and Jacinta occurs ten years after, on the 28th of June, 1999, when Pope John Paul II issues the decree about the miracle of the cure of Emilia Santos, granted by interception of the two Little Shepherds, opening the way to the beatification, which celebration came to happen, in Fatima, the following year, on May 13th.

The beatification was being prepared to take place in Rome, but by the will of the polish Pope, the celebration was transferred to Fatima, where John Paul II beatifies Francisco and Jacinta Marto, presenting them to the Church and the world as “two candles which God lit to illumine humanity in its dark and anxious hours”.

The pontifical decree concedes the venerable Francisco and Jacinta to be considered blessed, with a liturgical party on the 20th of February.

Sister Lucia was present in the celebration of the beatification of her cousins and had then her last encounter with John Paul II.

The canonization is the confirmation, by the Church, that someone is worthy of public and universal cult (in the case of the blessed the cult is diocesan) and worthy to be given to the faithful as an intercessor and model of sanctity.