The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-20
TARDY HONOR ASKED
TO REWARD COLUMBUS
With 400th Anniversary of Death,
Agitation to Canonize
Is Renewed.
Special Cable to The Journal.

Special Cable to The Journal
Rome, May 19.-Tomorrow will be
the four hundredth anniversary of the
death Of Christopher Columbus. 1t
was on May 20, 1906, that the dis
last in the town of Valladolid, Spain,
after partaking of the holy sacrament,
and uttering these words: "Into thy
hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit"
With the approach of this anniver-
sary has come revival of the move
ment to place. the name Of Columbus in
the catalog of saints, or in other words
gan in earnest in 1892, the four hun
dredth anniversary of the discovery Of
America, at which time great pressure
was brought to bear on the college Of
cardinals to induce them to take action
in the matter. A petition signed by
several millions Of people in nearly
every civilized country, and including
many of the highest dignitaries Of the
church, was presented to the sacred
college.
But the cardinals of the curia de-
cided at that time that the father Of
an illegitimate son could not possibly
be saint. This objection refers to
the relations of Columbus with Beat
rice Enriques, daughter of an innkeeper
at o.. Cordova, whose acquaintance he
made while stopping in her fathers
to his petition for aid to make the voy
age to find the western passage to
India. Columbus fell in love with
the young woman, and she became the
mother Of his son Fernando. A book
has been written to prove that they
were legally married, but this evidence
was rejected as not satisfactory by the
congregation Of rites in 1892.
Now the movement has been revived
by the archbishop Of Turin and other
Italian ecclesiastics, who have asked
for the reconsideration Of the case.
There are good prospects that the move
ment will meet with success in the
(course of time. The strongest argu-
ment in favor Of the admission Of Col
umbus to the calendar of saints is that
he was an instrument of Providence in
opening the western hemisphere to
civilization. and Christianity. Another
argument is that in his will he be-
queathed the greater part of his estate
to the rescue of the holy sepulcher and
> the conversion of the world.
The steps to canonization are many
and much time is required before the
final stage is reached The import
stood when it is stated that it is
deemed to be "the public Judgment OF
the apostolic see; respecting the holi.
ness and glory of one who is thereupon
: enrolled among the saints.' It is de-
clared that the person thus honored lee
a perfect life and that God worked
miracles at his intercession, either
during his life or after his death, anc
that consequently he is worthy to be
honored as a saint, to invoke him anc
, to celebrate mass and an office in hit
l honor.
Of saints by papal decree the number
Is comparatively small. Up to tn,
time of Plus TX. there were only II;
, papal lamentations, and under the Ions
pontificate of the late Pope Leo Their,
were fewer than a dozen.
Takes Long to Canonize.
A condition precedent to canoniza
ton is qualification. This consists O.
fourteen distinct steps. The candidat
must be one who is alleged to hav
4 practiced in life in heroic degre
s faith, hope and charity. The frs
s step is the bishops inquiry, which i
!. made as exhaustive as possible to as
/. certain whether the person was eminen
v comes an inquiry as to whether Their
= has ever been any cultus. The mex
! step is to report on these points to tn
8 secretary Of the congregation of rites
The fourth step is the opening Of thi
| report and the presentation Of a fol-
NAL request that the person be Gale
blessed: Next after this "Promoto
f1del IS appointed by the pope. l
| is the duty Of this officer to urge a
| the objections that he can find .agains
the candidate for the honor The sixt
step is a minute examination of all til
| writings of the. one for whom beatif
I cation is sought, and then the congreg;
ton OF rites proceeds to an investig;
| ton Of the miracles said to have bee
performed. An interval of ten veal
| must elapse between this and the ne,
! stage of the procedure, the appointm e1
I of three bishops or high functionarit
| to review the work of the examine,
/ into the miraculous deeds. 81
| Their report is the next move an
| this is followed by the arguments Of Il
| secretary to the, congregation an
| "Promotor Fidei.' Then the fin
/ report, if favorable, is read at thr,
| At the last assembly the pope himse
i is present and renders his decisio
/ Then there is a general congregatio
. held at the Vatican, the briefs a
Il read, the TIE Deum chanted, the mag
or pictures on the altar are unveile
and incensed and Che new collect
= Tread.
Il BeIOre Cne DeaC1ned can De canOnlzt
Il at least two miracles must have be-
II performed The name of the beatif
# one is then presented again to thr
congregations, at the last Of which t
Il final ceremonies take place. The va
ious stages sometimes extend over ce
I turies, so that there is little chance
Il the present generation ever being ak
Z to invoke the blessing Of Sal
Il Columbus
NEW JOB FOR HAYASHI.
| BY Publishers Press.
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