Historia Causae Canonizationis Ioannis Pauli I

With the opening of the Cause for his beatification and canonisation John Paul I (26 August 1978 - 28 September 1978) becomes the sixth pontiff of the twentieth century to be put on the path to sainthood. Among the popes already raised to the honour of the altars for veneration by the universal Church are: Pius X, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II. The Cause of Albino Luciani as Confessor of the faith was opened on the 23 November 2003 and concluded on the 8 November 2017 with the proclamation of his heroic virtues. Currently taking place is a 'Super miro' investigation for an alleged extraordinary healing attributed to the intercession of John Paul I. Should it be recognised the beatification could then take place. According to current norms of canon law the following step would be the recognition of a second 'Super miro' investigation. Only then could the Cause of canonisation proceed. HISTORIA CAUSAE CANONIZATIONIS IOANNIS PAULI I Immediately following the death of John Paul I, on the 28 September 1978, requests for his canonisation began to reach his home diocese from across the world. At the time the Bishop of Belluno-Feltre, Maffeo Ducoli, declared he had: «received a growing number of requests to open the Cause, all of which are now archived at the 'Archivio della Curia’ of Belluno». Requests that came in without any official stand on the part of the diocese. Rather signed petitions sent in by people from local communities throughout different countries, among which Switzerland, France, Canada and the United States. On the 9 June 1990, the Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, Dom Serafim Fernandes de Araújo, presented John Paul II with a request to open the Cause, handing him a petition signed by the entire episcopal Conference of Brazil. The two hundred and twenty six signatory bishops shone the spotlight on the motivations behind this unanimous request, highlighting the eXample of the virtuous habitus of the Bishop of Rome, Albino Luciani, who eXemplified «the typical synthesis of the man of God, who is fullness of humanity together with fullness of Christ». And as such was «apostle of the Council of which he explained the teachings in a crystal clear manner correctly translating the directives into practice». Therefore «our innermost belief» the Brazilian bishops went on to conclude, «is that we are interpreting the favourable opinion of many other brothers in the episcopate and relaying the legitimate aspiration of the faithful of the Church in Brazil and indeed of Catholics the world over». However it was only during the ministry of Salesian, Vincenzo Savio, Bishop of Belluno- Feltre from the 18 February 2001 to the 31 March 2004, that the diocesan Inquiry into the heroicity of the life, virtues and reputation of holiness of John Paul I could begin. On the 26 April 2003 the Bishop of Belluno-Feltre, Vincenzo Savio, formally requested that Cardinal Camillo Ruini, at the time Vicar of the diocese of Rome, consent to the introduction of the process, not at the Vicariate of Rome, natural seat of competence but rather in Luciani's home diocese of Belluno-Feltre. The reasoning behind this appeal was that: «While his presence in Rome as pontiff had been brief - little over a month, as the Servant of God in this diocese - the greater part of his life had been spent in the northern Veneto region. It was here that he had eXercised his magisterium, first in his home diocese, subsequently in the neighbouring diocese of Vittorio Veneto and finally at the patriarchate of Venice». In communicating this message to his diocese Bishop Savio explained at length the motivations behind this decision, how the over three hundred thousand signatures on the petition he had received led him to decide the process for the Cause should begin in the home diocese. After all: «Albino Luciani's childhood, the years in formation as a seminarian, his presbyterial years and those of vicar general of the diocese of Belluno until he turned forty siX, his commitments first as bishop and then as patriarch had never taken him away from his homeland in Veneto, whereas his pontificate away from home had only lasted thirty three days ». Added to these reasons the bishop also explained how this choice would allow : «further in-depth information relating to the conteXt of family life and local faith in which Albino Luciani grew up». On the 17 June 2003 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints granted the nihil obstat. On the 23 November 2003, twenty five years after the death of John Paul I, the solemn opening of the Cause took place in the Basilica Cathedral of Belluno. The inaugural session of the diocesan Inquiry was exceptionally presided over by the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of the time, Cardinal José Saraiva Martins. On this occasion the Cardinal highlighted how this circumstance contributed to a better and more profound understanding of the figure and work of Albino Luciani: « so that one day this great man from the local Church in Belluno destined to the universal Church as Bishop of Rome, might be invoked as Saint ». The postulator general of the Salesian family Don Pasquale Liberatore was appointed Postulator of the Cause. After his death in October 2003 Monsignor Giorgio Lise was entrusted with the role of vice postulator and in 2004 Don Enrico dal Covolo who had succeeded Liberatore in his capacity as Postulator General of the Salesians was appointed Postulator of the Cause. The ecclesiastical tribunal of the diocesan Inquiry started work on the 22 November 2003 and concluded three years later on the 10 November 2006. The diocesan process took place during an overall two hundred and three sessions in the episcopal sees of Belluno, Vittorio Veneto, Venice and Rome. A hundred and siXty seven witnesses testified during these sessions, all but one de visu, as well as nine ex officio. Furthermore added to these testimonies were the depositions of three eXperts from the Historical Commission. Whereas the eXamination of Luciani's edited writings was entrusted to two theologians from Belluno who taught at the diocesan Seminary. In November 2006 the acts of the diocesan phase were submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. On the 9 November 2017 while eXamining these acts for approval, the ordinary Congress for the Causes of Saints noticed shortcomings in the documents, with special reference to those pertaining to the Historical Archive of the Patriarchate of Venice and to the Archive of the episcopal Conference of Triveneto. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints therefore placed a request to inquire further in an effort to complete the documentation. On the 25 March 2008, the Bishop of Belluno-Feltre, Giuseppe Andrich, set up the tribunal for the supplementary diocesan Inquiry entrusting it to doctor Stefania Falasca. And on the 13 June 2008, once the missing archive papers had been submitted, the formal validity of the documentation of the acts of the principal and supplementary diocesan Inquiry was recognised by decree. The Roman phase of the process could then begin. First of all this entailed the research required to obtaining the overall documentation relating to the Servant of God, the historical- scientific study, the eXamination of all documentary and testimonial sources with a critical evaluation. And then the elaboration and drawing up of the Positio, the dossier which contains the overall corpus of documented and testimonial proof confirming the heroicity of the life, the virtues and the reputation of holiness of the candidate to be raised to the honour of the altars. On the 27 June 2008 Father Cristoforo Bove was appointed relator of the Cause. While the drawing up of the Positio was entrusted to doctor Stefania Falasca, assisted as from 2012 by theologian and professor of patrology Davide Fiocco, a priest from Canale d'Agordo. At the death of Father Bove, the Cause was assigned to Father Vincenzo Criscuolo, relator general of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints who continued with the work already undertaken relating to the Cause, by requesting further in-depth studies and necessary ulterior acquisitions both in terms of documentation and of testimonies. In fact the delay in the opening of the Cause had compromised the acquisition of precious eye-witness accounts. As well as, to a certain eXtent, the dispersal of documentary material for which more accurate research needed to be undertaken. In the course of the eXamination of the procedural documentation it was deemed necessary to renew the research in the following archives: Archive of the Pieve of Canale d'Agordo, Archive of the Historical library of the archdeaconry of Agordo, Archive of the bishopric of Belluno, diocesan Archive of Vittorio Veneto, Archive of the Cini Foundation in Venice. Also eXamined were Vatican archives: those of the Congregation of the Clergy, the Congregation of Bishops and of the Secretariat of State. It was then decided to add further testimonies, those of witnesses who had not previously been called to testify by the tribunal during the Inquisitio Dioecesana. Between 2008 and 2015 extra procedural depositions on the part of twenty one witnesses, with particular reference to the pontificate and death of John Paul I, were added to the documentation. Among these especially significant is the testimony of Pope Benedict XVI, considered an historic unicum, as it marks the first time one pope testifies de visu on another pope. Moreover beyond the drawing up of the procedural acts in the light of the newly acquired documentation - on the basis of omnino plena archival investigation involving over seventy archives in thirty different localities, above all those kept in the institutional archives of the sees designated to Luciani from Belluno to the Vatican - a great deal of effort was put into the tracing and critical transcription of hitherto unpublished writings and in the cataloguing of all the publications signed or attributed to this Servant of God, thanks to the precious work of the nieces of John Paul I, Lina Petri and Pia Luciani.

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