Pope Francis offers a special blessing for the repose of Mother Angelica's soul during his general audience March 30, 2016. Credit: CNA.
Posted on 03/30/2016 4:10:12 PM PDT by NYer
.- Pope Francis on Wednesday offered a special blessing for Mother Angelica following her death on Easter Sunday, expressing his confidence that she is already in heaven.
“She’s in heaven.” The Pope pointed to the sky as he spoke these words to members of EWTN’s Rome bureau, who brought an image of the late Poor Clare nun to his March 30 general audience as a sign of affection and remembrance.
Francis saw the framed photo in the crowd, and blessed it when asked by EWTN’s Executive TV Producer in Rome, Martha Calderon, for a blessing for Mother Angelica’s soul.
Today #PopeFrancis gave a blessing 4 #MotherAngelica's soul, saying "she's in heaven" & pointing to the sky #ewtnMA pic.twitter.com/MQvKeSu1UW — Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) March 30, 2016
Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation founded the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), in 1981, and it has since become the largest religious media network in the world. She passed away March 27 after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old.
Pope Francis offered his prayers for Mother Angelica Feb. 12 while on his way to Cuba, and asked for her prayers in return.
But he isn’t the only one who is confident in the nun’s holiness. Several other prelates have voiced their admiration and appreciation for Mother’s contribution to the faith, to the Catholic Church in the U.S., and to the world of Catholic communications, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and the Vatican’s spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi.
Although Francis has expressed his belief that Mother Angelica is already in heaven, the formal process for declaring her a saint has yet to begin.
Once a cause for her canonization officially opens, the facts and details of her life, as well as the testimonies from those around her, must be obtained and gathered into a lengthy report called a “positio” or “position” and presented to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The congregation must then study the records to determine Mother’s heroic virtue, and eventually look into miracles attributed to her intercession. Only when one miracle has been officially approved can she be declared a Blessed. A second is then required for her canonization as a saint.
However, the Pope could decide to take the route of what’s called an “equipollent,” or “equivalent” canonization, in which he waives the requirement for one or both of the miracles and canonizes the person without them.
This was the case with St. Pope John XXIII in 2014, for whom the Pope decided to waive the second miracle required for his canonization, and proclaimed him a saint with just one.
In his general audience speech, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on mercy as understood in scripture, finishing his segment on the Old Testament.
He focused on Psalm 51, also referred to as “the Miserere” and which is traditionally understood as King David’s prayer asking for forgiveness following his sin of adultery with Bathsheba.
Francis pointed to the psalm’s opening words “Have mercy on me, O God in your kindness,” saying they are “a moving confession of sin, repentance and confident hope in God’s merciful pardon.”
Alongside his “heartfelt plea” to be cleansed and purified of his sin, King David also praises God’s infinite justice and holiness, the Pope observed.
Not only does he ask to be forgiven of his sin, but he also prays “for the gift of a pure heart and a steadfast spirit, so that, thus renewed, he may draw other sinners back to the way of righteousness.”
“God’s forgiveness is the greatest sign of his infinite mercy,” Francis said, and in off-the-cuff remarks had the pilgrims present at the audience repeat three times that “God's forgiveness is greater than our sin!”
He closed his audience by praying that Mary, the “Mother of Mercy,” would intercede so that all would become “ever more convincing witnesses to that divine mercy which forgives our sins, creates in us a new heart, and enables us to proclaim God’s reconciling love to the world.”
Santa Subito
Well at least the popetard still believes in Heaven. You never know with commies.
True, although no thanks to this Pope.
I agree with the Pope on this one.
Mother Angelica was a real spitfire. She was absolutely never afraid to state what she believed.
If he had of passed first I wonder what she would have said about him...
There is only one ‘Judge’!
Francis is clearly going against the teachings of the Magisterium in this instance.
Unless, or until, the Church raises Mother Angelica to canonization ~ it is the sin of presumption to dare speculate on what Our Blessed Lord has decided regarding her immortal soul.
I understand his intent, but it was another tactical error.
Only ONE J
Ratzinger did the same thing at the funeral of JPII. He shouldn’t have.
Yes, I’m quite sure the Lord has welcomed her with open arms and said with joy (as per Matthew 25:21):
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Mother Angelica’s eternal fate is now sealed.
I think Mother Angelica will be made a saint. She didn’t want to be, but I think it’s going to happen anyway.
Her fate is certainly sealed, but we can’t know it this side of eternity.
I think you are getting wound up over nothing. There is no canon law that forbids the expression of a personal opinion on someone’s sanctity (or lack thereof). Back in the days before the Schism, saints were often canonized by popular acclamation. This remains informally true today in the Orthodox Church where saints are often recognized by the people long before the Church gets around to putting an official seal on some piece of paper.
See Yevgeny Rodionov...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Rodionov
From all I’ve heard about her. The pope is certainly correct.
Mary...mother of Mercy. So sad he invokes a false idea.
Wow, he finally got ONE right!
I speak this as a Catholic.
The issue isn’t whether he believes in Heaven. The issue is whether he believes in a Hell/anyone goes to Hell.
“Mary, Mother of Mercy” is equivalent to calling Jesus “Mercy,” that is mercy personified, which is hardly a “false idea”.
Ergh. Well-intentioned, sure... but careless comments like this can lull listeners away from praying for Mother’s soul... which, for anyone who knew ANYTHING about Mother, is utterly contrary to her wishes (i.e. she was one of the nation’s biggest advocates of prayers for the departed). Pray for her, until such a time as she’s canonized.
(This error is echoed in many, MANY Catholic funerals, by the way... “Uncle Wally is certainly in Heaven, enjoying [x], etc.”... which leads all the people in attendance to smile, dab their eyes with their hankies, and never offer even one prayer for the soul of the departed—much less pray fervently and persistently for it!)
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