Beatification Issues

[Dave]

I've been told that while canonizations are infallible, such is supposedly not the case with beatifications. Is that true? So while Holy Mother Church can't err in proclaiming saints, could she possibly err in proclaiming blesseds? If a Catholic refuses to accept a blessed as such, would he/she be committing heresy or a similar sin? Thanks in advance.

[cappie]

I would disagree that the church would make a mistake in the process of beatification. I don't think it would be in the provenance of someone to accept or reject someones beatification. Some may think it premature, say in some recent famous cases, but the could not say the church is wrong, in my opinion.

Beatification is an official declaration by the Pope that a person (called a Servant of God) practiced the Christian virtues to a heroic degree during his or her sojourn on earth. Before the Servant of God under consideration is beatified, a thorough examination of his or her life, virtues, and reputation for holiness is conducted. If the Servant of God did not die a martyr’s death, there must also be one confirmed miracle attributed to his or her intercession. Beatified persons are called Blesseds. They may receive the veneration of the faithful within certain limits set by the Church, but may not be venerated in an organized public manner throughout the whole Church.

Beatification is a step in the process of canonization. By it the Pope allows public veneration of the person in a particular local Church, within the religious congregation with which he or she was associated (if this be the case), and in other places by those who receive such permission. Note the difference: a Saint should be honoured in liturgical celebrations by the universal, that is, the whole Church, whereas a “Blessed” may be so honoured in certain places.