Saturday, May 14, 2005

In the Corriere - JPII, martyr?

There's some very theologically uninformed commentary in the Corriere della Sera today. The author speculates that the 1981 assasination attempt may allow John Paul II's cause for beatification be simplied by bringing him into the category of martyr:
Senza l’intervento della Madonna, sarebbe morto: questa la convinzione della vittima, suffragata dal parere dei medici, incapaci di spiegare una simile sopravvivenza. Dunque, Karol Wojtyla può, a ben vedere, essere considerato un «martire », cioè un credente ucciso in odium fidei. E’ possibile che questo non sia irrilevante per la causa: è previsto, infatti, che nel caso di martirio le procedure siano semplificate ed accelerate, a cominciare dal miracolo, che non è richiesto.
Without the intervention of the Madonna he would have been dead: that is the conviction of the victim, supported by the opinion of the doctors incapable of explaining such a survival. Therefore, Karol Wojtyla could, it would seem, be considered a 'martyr', that is a believer killed 'in odium fidei'. This might not be irrelevant for the cause - in the case of martyrdom procedures are simplified and accelerated, begining with the (first) miracle which is not required.

I don't buy it.

1 comment:

Samuel J. Howard said...

They're saying he's a martyr because he's only miraculously not dead?

But they seem to have missed that he's NOT DEAD.

Now if he HAD died and been resurrected by a miracle then I suppose you could make a case.