REPORTS ON POSTULATION ACTIVITIES
BY THE POSTULATRIX
O.C.S.O., MOTHER AUGUSTA TESCARI
E
2002-2005
E
1999-2002
Report on Postulation Activities (2002-2005)
Assisi, General Chapter, October 19 th
, 2005.
1.
I have
been asked to tell you about the work accomplished since the
last General Chapter. The cause of Fr. Cassant progressed
to his Beatification which, in my opinion was a great grace
for the community of Desert and for the Order. A threshold
has been crossed, but the true spiritual adventure, with
Blessed Cassant as a companion on the way, begins, or
becomes more interesting now. It is as if the negative of
his photograph had been kept in the drawer until now but
without ever developing it. We looked at the negative, and
it is almost natural to say: “He was very good, bur all the
same…a sickly child, not very bright, who entered the
Trappists because he couldn’t get into the Seminary…” Now
that the photo has been developed we discover, in spite of
our prejudices and mediocrity, that this child was a
spiritual giant. I discovered that he is much better known
than I thought: I have been contacted by people fascinated
by his humility, his courage, his boundless love, and even
by theologians who told me: “Your little Father Cassant is a
charming figure: we can ask for the grace to imitate him; we
can say about him as Jesus said in the gospel: ‘I bless
you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for having hidden
this from the wise and clever and revealing it to little
ones!’. I often receive letters asking for biographies
and relics; I know that several communities have taken him
as a patron for the novitiate or for the associates. There
is a real discovery to make here for the facets of his
personality and his message are going to appear little by
little, discretely, but it will happen without doubt, as it
did for Gabriella, Rafael and Fr. Tansi.
2.
For the
martyrs of Viaceli and Algemesi, the Positio has been
printed, but as I predicted, I had to remove three monks of
Viaceli from the list, as the recorder who followed me in
the work of writing up the Positio, judged that we
didn’t have enough proof to present them as martyrs. They
were killed apart from the groups assassinated at Santander:
the superior of Huerta, Lorenzo Olmedo Arrieta, was killed
in the month of July 1936, but we do not know either the
exact circumstances or his interior dispositions; Santiago
Raba Rio and Ildefonso Telmo Duarte, who were of age to do
their military service, were forced to enrol in the
communist army. The first was found dead in a trench in
1937, having been shot several times in the neck; the
second, sent to a disciplinary battalion because he was a
religious, was killed by a grenade thrown by his officer.
They were almost certainly assassinated because they were
monks, given that their companions knew this and had
threatened them; we also know their dispositions regarding
probable death, but this is not sufficient for we have only
auditory and not visual witnesses. We cannot
even prove the exact motivations of the murder, always
difficult to control in the case of soldiers at war (and a
civil war!). In any case, the recorder wanted us to stay
open to the possibility of further proof but how to have
this 70 years after the events?
For the other 16 monks of
Viaceli and for the 2 nuns of Algemesi, we are waiting for
the judgment of the theologians, but it is certain that we
will have to wait our turn, that is, quite awhile, before
the Declaration of Martyrdom which corresponds to
Beatification.
3. For Fr. Romano Bottegal, monk
and hermit, I have received the vote of validity from the
diocesan process with no trouble and I have worked two years
with the recorder charged with causes for the Eastern
Church. The Positio has just been printed. A few
words of explanation for those who do not know what a
Positio is: it is a critical study which, for example
in the case of Fr. Romano, includes a Summary, which
is the essential from depositions of witnesses in the 4
diocesan processes; then an Informatio super virtutibus,
which proves in detail that the theological and cardinal
virtues were lived to an extraordinary, heroic degree; a
Relation of the Historical Commission that gathered the
documentation and another Relation of the theological
censor who examined his writings: his letters and notes; a
Documented Biography, (15 Chapters long) which very
carefully follows the life of Fr. Romano, based on the
autobiographical and biographical proofs, documentary and
iconographic testimonials. With this study we have been
able to show the exceptional consistency and sanctity of Fr.
Romano; we have also clarified certain difficult
circumstances of his life and proven that the accusation of
disobedience brought against him was not well founded.
St. Benedict says that the
life of a monk ought always to have a Lenten character, but
few have the strength for this. Fr. Romano was among these
few who lived Lent and Easter. He felt called to go to the
depths of the desert of humility, austerity and poverty in
response to the gift of innocence which he had kept from
baptism. After 18 years of exemplary cenobitic life, the
great difficulties of his time and his community convinced
him he could do this better in a solitary life in the shadow
of his monastery. Providence did not allow it, perhaps to
permit him to be stripped even more effectively, in
xeniteia, among the Moslems, in a country at war. From
a juridical and affective point of view, he remained a monk
of Tre Fontane, and I think that this has been a gift of God
for the Order, for he is an exceptional figure, a great
mystic and at the same time, a very simple man, joyous and
radiant. His whole life was praise of God and a
transformation into God. A theological study of the
Letters of Fr. Romano has been published in Italian by
the San Paolo Editions and numerous articles in the
Cistercian Revista, published at Casamari.
4. As for Blessed Rafael, there
is an important development: since the month of April the
diocese of Palencia has begun a process to witness a rather
important cure – a presumed miracle – attributed to Rafael.
During 2003-2004 we have gathered detailed documentation and
given medical specialists preliminary reports which they
judged positive. This has allowed us to open the diocesan
process with a certain probability of success. It involves
a 31 year old woman who was in her second pregnancy; her
first one had gone well but the second one had caused
problems from the beginning. In her 32nd week,
that is, before coming to term naturally, the doctors had to
do an emergency caesarean because something was wrong with
the foetus. The infant, a girl, was born very small (1.2
kilos or 2.6 pounds) but perfectly healthy. The mother, to
the contrary, had everything a woman in her condition could
have: eclampsia, hepatitis, ischemia, grave respiratory
distress, cardiac arrest…A friend prayed and had others pray
to Rafael (the sick woman who had already prayed to Rafael
in other circumstances, could not do it at the time because
she was in a coma…) and she improved quite rapidly without
any consequences or damage to the brain. Now there are a
few difficulties as usual in the cases of presumed
miracles: while the gynaecologists and the doctor in charge
of resuscitation say that the situation was desperate and
that the very rapid improvement is inexplicable
scientifically, the doctor in intensive care thinks that -
even though the situation was very serious – his medical
intervention saved this woman from death. There have been
exchanges between the doctors and the situation is in favor
of the inexplicable, but we will see what the “Consulta
medica” of the Congregation, which is composed of 5
specialists, will say. If the miracle is approved by the “Consulta”,
by the theologians and the Congress of Cardinals and
Bishops, Blessed Rafael can be canonized.
A few words on the difference
between Beatification and Canonization: Beatification
is the permission for a local cult of a servant of God
because – after much research, investigation and inquiry –
it can be affirmed with prudence that this man or woman is
in heaven, that he/she lives in God and is blessed.
Canonization makes this local cult normative and
canonical and extends it to the entire Church. In order for
a Blessed to become a Saint, a second miracle is necessary
and his/her renown must be universal or very widespread. It
is not only the cardinal virtue of prudence that is at
stake, but faith, and that implies the infallibility of the
successor of Peter.
For what concerns Rafael, if
the miraculous cure is approved, we can easily show that in
Spain and Latin America he is very well known. He is less
known in other countries because of language, but the
community of San Isidro is doing all it can to make him know
through translations and other initiatives.
5.
These are
the causes that the Order is directly involved in. There
are other which concern members of the Order, but for which
the Petitioners, that is those responsible, are the
dioceses. The diocese of Zinguinchor, in Casamance in
Senegal, began the process of Fr. Joseph Faye, a Senegalese,
who, being considered a candidate for the episcopacy, fled
to Aiguebelle. The Postulator of this cause is the same
person in charge of the cause of Charles de Foucauld.
Certainly, the community of Aiguebelle will furnish all the
documentation and witnesses. There is one thing I regret
about this proposal: that the brother of Fr. Joseph, Pierre
Faye, is not being considered. He entered Tibhirine and
many of you who have known him at Koutaba, Fes and
Aiguebelle, can verify his sanctity. He is a magnificent
person of whom Christian de Cherge spoke beautifully in his
chronicles. I believe that his biography will appear soon.
For Br. Zacarias of La Oliva,
who D. Francisco presented to you at the last Chapter, the
Diocesan process is beginning, supported by the diocese of
Pamplona. He was a lay brother from 1929 until the
unification of 1965. If he is beatified we will be linked
again with the former tradition of the Blessed lay brothers
of Villers and so many others of whom our menologies speak.
6.
I can tell
you something more precise about our Atlas brothers. You
know that since the Jubilee year, the Archbishop of Algiers
has been asked to introduce the cause of all 19 martyrs of
Algeria. Since then, the postulators of the 8 Congregations
concerned have met each year to come to a consensus,
which is becoming more and more concrete.
Already last year we came to
a total agreement and were able to begin the preliminary
investigation for the cause, as the risk of losing the
testimony of certain older witnesses is becoming more real
from year to year. One reason for waiting, at least for our
monks, was that at the time there was a lot of commotion in
the French and Algerian press regarding the monks of
Tibhirine because of the suicide of a journalist who was
interested in the question and many declarations of
President Bouteflika. It was not opportune – even while
acting with much discretion – to increase the confusion of
opinions. I had proposed going ahead temporarily without
the group of Trappists, waiting for a little more clarity,
but the other Congregations did not accept this. All 19
were martyrs of the Church of Algeria and they must not be
separated.
This year we met twice at the
White Fathers and chose as General Postulator, the
Postulator of the Marist Brothers, who had been officially
named by Bishop Tessier. The White Fathers insisted that
the process take place in Algeria, with discretion but in
total openness. We had another meeting with the
Congregation, with the Prefect, who strongly reassured and
encouraged us. Yes, even for the Congregation there is no
doubt: we can have confidence ie the faith that has always
been in our hearts, that all 19 are true martyrs,
even if for the last ones there were probable manipulations
or causes that are not those declared officially. The
Cardinal and the reporters who habitually treat the
complicated cases of martyrs, in which motivations are very
mixed, were already a little aware: they asked us questions
but encouraged us to proceed. In substance, they told us
the following:
(i) We must exclude no one from the
list, but treat the cause in several lists (for example the
first eleven, the Trappists, Claverie. The bishop of Oran
has given the competitio to the bishop of Algiers for
Mgr. Claverie.). The members of the diocesan tribunal can
discern if it is more prudent for them to go to listen to
certain witnesses instead of making the witnesses come to
them.
(ii) Certainly, the martyrdom of our
brothers and sisters should be inserted into the great
martyrdom of a people. It should not be a provocation, but
a proposal, very humble and discrete, of the values of love,
friendship and fidelity for which these men and women lived
and accepted to die. This proposal is very important for
inter-religious dialogue: it is our duty to keep and diffuse
the memory of the martyrs of Algeria.
(iii) If, on one hand, the sense of
justice makes it totally legitimate and even requires that
the perpetrators of the murders be sought out, and if these
inquiries can help to clarify the witness of the martyrs, on
the other hand we must distinguish well: in the midst of a
process such as the one we wish to introduce, there are the
martyrs and the values for which they gave their lives, and
not the assassins.
Up to now, nothing official
has been done; Bishop Tessier is coming to the end of his
mandate and he can only take preliminary steps. All the
Congregations have accepted the cause having taken votes in
their General or Provincial Chapters. For us, given that it
is not the Order who is the Petitioner of the cause,
to take a vote is not necessary, our Constitutions do not
ask for it. However, I am suggesting that we take it, as a
material and moral support, since we have the most important
group in number and renown. The formulation of the vote
could be as follows:
In the event of an official
introduction on the part of the Diocese of Algiers of the
Cause of Declaration of the martyrdom of the 19 witnesses to
the faith in Algeria – among whom are our 7 brothers of
Atlas – would you accept that our Order takes its modest
part in sharing the costs, and above all, in technical help?
The costs will be very
limited since everyone wants to do things economically: we
have suggested to the Marist brother who will be the General
Postulator of the future cause, to establish a monetary fund
from the beginning, but he didn’t want this, saying that for
the first steps the costs are minimal. Regarding technical
aid, I am thinking of the work in gathering the
documentation, classifying it, evaluating it, and in the
future, perhaps collaborating in the drafting of the
Positio.
7.
One last
suggestion, which you are completely free to accept or
reject: I propose it very simply, following some experiences
I’ve had in this service of postulatrix that has been
confided to me. I receive letters: “The saints, the blessed
and the other fine monks and nuns of the Order are a part of
our patrimony, but we don’t know them well enough…”. “Send
me a pamphlet about such and such a one which does not exist
in my language”. I have been in the monastery for 15 years
and know nothing about our Chinese martyrs”. One sister
told me: “I have never heard of the Loeb brothers and
sisters”.
We have biographies of
certain ones but nothing of a synthetic or complete nature,
at least at the level of the Order, to give our observers,
postulants and novices; nothing to put in our shops, guest
houses and eventually in Catholic book stores…I have seen
what Catholic Action is in the process of doing for its
saints: a series of very well made booklets in a small case,
with an intelligent portrayal, a chronology and a
bibliography for those who want to know more. It costs 5
Euros! Why not copy this initiative in the principal
languages of the Order, at least for our 4 Blesseds, for the
Viaceli martyrs, Consolation, Liesse, Tibhirine, the Loeb
family and Fr. Romano? I believe that we have a heritage to
transmit to the young, and not just to keep in our libraries
or in the hearts of the seniors. I repeat: it is just a
proposal…
One more suggestion that someone gave me: a
reporter, of whom I had asked explanations about the
documentation to give to the Historical Commission for the
martyrs of Tibhirine, said to me: “Do you pray to your
martyrs?” “Yes”. “Do pray to them for vocations?” “No”.
“Pray to them: the blood of martyrs is the semen
christianorum…et monachorum; formerly Europe was
Cistercian from Sweden to Cyprus. You still have many
things to say to the Church, to Europe and the world”. I am
simply offering the suggestion. As for me, I have found it
good and have begun
Report on Postulation Activities (1999-2002)
Rome, General Chapter,
September 14 th
, 2002.
1.
The first news to give you is that concerning
the cause of Fr. Cassant. These days,
the “Consulta medica” of
then Congregation for Saints (i.e. a group of 5 specialists) should examine the
case of a presumed miracle which, if approved, will bring our little brother
Joseph Cassant, who is already a Venerable, to
Beatification. Next year we will
celebrate the centenary of the death of Fr. Cassant
and it would be really beautiful if he could be declared Blessed.
The miracle concerned here is not recent, since it was
presented in the ordinary and apostolic processes, but it was dropped because
in a preliminary investigation, a doctor had given Fr. Paolino
(who was Postulator at the time) a dubious opinion.
With the recent appearance of the biography by Robert
Masson, Les inaperçus
de Dieu and the short book of Fr. Jean-Christophe of Saint Mary of Désert,
L’instinct du
bonheur, [Ed.
du Livre Ouvert,
Dijon, 2001] interest in
Fr. Cassant has been reawakened; the man, who in his
infancy had been suddenly cured of an acute purulent meningitis, made a new
declaration. Fr. Jean-Christophe, who is the Vice-postulator
asked me to take interest in the case…and everything began to happen in a truly
providential way. Several doctors to
whom I submitted the documentation have given a favourable opinion and the
Congregation encouraged me to proceed. I
found a collaborator for the
Summarium, which was printed with a chronological report of the
illness. Now, we must wait for the
opinion of the doctors that have been consulted. If it is positive, I will need to complete
the Summary with a detailed
Informatio. Then
everything will have to be submitted to the investigation of 8 theologians and
after that, passed on to the regular Congress of Cardinals and Bishops of the
Congregation. The greatest miracle in
the examination of a miracle, is really the fact that
everyone – doctors, theologians, cardinals and bishops – come to an agreement
on the miracle!
2. The second cause in process concerns
the martyrs of Viaceli
and Algemesí. At the
Lourdes Chapter, I told you that the process had been momentarily interrupted
because of a denunciation that had been discovered in the archives of the
Congregation of the Faith regarding
Pío
Heredia, leader of the group of
martyrs. I had presented a defence file,
which had been studied by the Holy Office over a year. Then, we received a communication declaring
that the obstacles were removed and the cause could be pursued. Since there is some good in every evil, in
recompense for the delay, the Congregation for Saints immediately gave us a
decree of validity for the diocesan process, even if it was poorly done in
haste and with an evident lack of experience on the part of the tribunal
members. The documentation was not
sufficient and it was necessary to add many proofs and witnesses.
Almost at the same time, the diocesan process of
the sisters of Algemesí
was approved after two new supplementary inquiries were added.
With the two decrees of validity in
hand, I had the idea of combining the two causes, given that the brothers of
Viaceli and the sisters of Algemesí
were martyred in the same year and in the same context of persecution. Presenting the two causes at the same time
would save time and money, for the publication of a single
Positio would cost less than
two. Also this combination would have a
symbolic meaning: in our martyrs, are found all the historical reasons that
separate our Congregations. The Bishops
of the two dioceses of
Valencia and
Santander have accepted this.
I took the necessary steps with the Congregation and there was no
difficulty except for the name of the cause, since our two Orders or
Congregations are distinct juridically. I was afraid of making a mistake from the
juridical point of view, but with the counsel of M. Danièle,
we came to a formulation which, I believe, can satisfy everyone:
Causa Declarationis
Martyrii Servorum Dei
Pii Heredia et XX
Sociorum atque Sociarum ex Ordinibus
Cisterciensibus Strictioris
Observantiae et Sancti
Bernardi.
Everything is there.
The
Positio, i.e. the critical study
established on the basis of the diocesan process, has not yet been printed, for
there are changes to be made. For two or
three martyrs, who were killed outside of the two groups imprisoned in the
Checa de Santander, we only have
auditu witnesses, not
de visu: they say this isn’t
sufficient. I hope this isn’t so but
perhaps I will be obliged to remove certain names from the list of martyrs. For the moment I can’t affirm anything; it
depends on the judge and the theologians being consulted. It has been suggested that I have a brief
declaration signed by the abbots/abbesses at the Chapter, attesting that all 19
brothers of Viaceli have always been considered
martyrs and, as such, some brothers or sisters in our monasteries ask their
intercession. I have prepared a short
text that I will read to you later…
In any case, it is sure that we will
have to wait a long time before our martyrs will be beatified. Next year there will probably be another
large group of martyrs beatified, but ours will not be among them. The Spanish martyrs are so numerous! All the dioceses, Congregations, associations
want theirs, and rightly so. Because of
this the Congregation for Saints still foresees two or three beatifications of
numerous groups, in order to finish with the tragic history of the civil war in
Spain, the wounds of which are still not completely healed. That is it for the martyrs: I can answer your
questions later, if there are any.
3. The third cause with which I am concerned is that of
Fr. Romano Bottegal, monk and hermit, the introduction of whose cause you
voted for at the last MGM. During the
year 2000, two Lebanese theological censors examined all the writings of Fr.
Romano and presented their written judgement; an historical Commission gathered
and classified the documentation; the Bishop of Eparchie
of Baalbeck named the tribunal. The process, properly speaking, lasted from
June 10, 2001 to March 10, 2002 and took place in four different dioceses: one
Lebanese and three Italian. Most of the
witnesses, Christian and Muslim, made their deposition in Arabic (the acts of
the process have the Arab text and opposite, the French translation). As Postulatrix, I
assisted at the opening and closing sessions.
I can say that, in spite of a lack of experience – mine and that of the
members of the tribunal – we worked with much good will and collaboration and I
hope that the results will not be bad.
The officials of the Congregation for Saints also had pity on us and
patiently helped us with all our hesitations regarding the procedure. At this
time, a copy of the transcribed process is being studied by a consultant to see
if everything has been done according to the norms.
I must say that the person that is
coming to life in this process is quite surprising. Father Romano appears as a man cut from a
solid block, of great consistency. In
him there was no separation between the call received and the response
given. He was a total YES to the calls
of the Lord. The Christians and Muslims
who witnessed at the process emphasized this exceptional consistency, putting
the accent on the balance and humanity of Fr. Romano, who loved everyone,
without distinction, who was gentle, amiable, charitable and poor. The evidence is very simple and direct but
without contradiction. Unanimously, Romano was perceived as a saint.
The only difficulty in the process
does not concern the period of eremitical life, nor that of Romano’s
cenobitic life, given that at Tre
Fontane he was monk, prior, and an exemplary novice
director, but his departure for the hermit life. His motivations have been misunderstood. The same for his refusal to remain as spiritual
director at Tre Fontane
after his fourth return, always called back by his
superiors. The community situation was
so ambiguous and the manipulation of his person that small antagonistic groups
tried to make happen was so evident that he decided, in good conscience and assuming
the responsibility, to continue the hermit life. Thus he asked for an exclaustration
ad nutum
Sanctae Sedis and returned to
his Lebanese hermitage. His charity, but
also his decision was criticized afterward.
After his death, when the introduction of his beatification cause was
already being considered, he was accused of disobedience. I believe that a serious and unprejudiced
study of all the documentation – and not only a part of it – will allow us to
advance the cause with tranquillity, avoiding personal interpretations that do
not respect enough the truth of events.
Everything has been given to the Congregation, even the negative
documentation. I am not a prophet but I
believe I can affirm that the judges and theologians will have no difficulty in
recognizing the heroic virtues of Fr. Romano, who lived through the great
difficulties of an epoch and a community.
We have succeeded, with the help of
a competent person and with great difficulty, to decipher almost all the notes
of Fr. Romano, who wrote for himself and God alone, with abbreviations,
initials, symbols and very concise sentences: all this material, which cannot
be classified and dated easily is a very rich mystical and theological treasure
that will be good to study carefully and to publish. On the other hand I hope to publish
immediately – in Italian for the moment – a good theological study of the
Letters of Fr. Romano, which are numerous and have been providentially
preserved by those to whom he wrote. The
book, which will be entitled Charity and
Word in Silence, presents the spirituality of this exceptional person very
well.
4. The last important thing
to share with you concerns
our Atlas
brothers. After the celebration of
Witnesses to the Faith at the Coliseum on
May 7, 2000, Archbishop Teissier of
Algiers, received requests to introduce the cause of all
19 martyrs of
Algeria. He wrote to
the 8 Congregations concerned, proposing a joint cause to them. The conditions were very precise: everyone
must agree, including the families of the martyrs, and the implementation of
the work, done in strict collaboration.
We began to share our opinions.
For my part, since the promoter of the cause (i.e. the one responsible)
was the diocese of Algiers and not the Order, I was not obliged to propose the
vote to our Chapters. So I simply
consulted the communities who were most involved: Atlas, Aiguebelle,
Bellefontaine, Tamié – and
at this time – the brothers of the new community of Tibhirine. I had favourable responses, with some perplexity
on the part of one community. Among the
other Congregations, there were the Marists and the Augustinian Missionary
Sisters who were very, very favourable, the Little Sisters of the Assumption
and those of the Sacred Heart, favourable, the Sisters of the Congregation of
O.L. of the Apostles were a little reticent; the White Fathers were against it
and the Dominicans divided. Thus we let
it be since we didn’t have the foreseen consensus. Two years later, Archbishop
Teissier, who had continued the dialogue, wrote again,
saying that he had the agreement of all the Congregations and he proposed a
meeting in Rome to discuss the question.
This meeting took place last May 23-24, with the presence of
representatives of the 8 Congregations, Archbishop Teissier
and an official from the Congregation for Saints, who answered our
questions. I will share with you a
synthesis of the conclusions to which we came after very frank and free
discussions :
·
All the Congregations having witnesses to the faith in
Algeria were open – of course in different degrees from a
minimum to a maximum – to the introduction of a common cause. Everyone
recognized that these martyrs are admirable examples of a veritable Christian
love; that they have written a new page in the history of the theology of
mission, giving proof of a more universal understanding of certain pages of the
Gospel; that it is necessary to perpetuate their memory especially for new
generations who do not know or can easily forget, attracted by superficial
novelties.
·
But an immediate introduction of this cause did not seem opportune. The political situation is still quite tense.
There is a risk of interference from the media and a possible danger for the
religious who have taken the place of those who were assassinated.
·
We have given ourselves a year to gather the documentation in a
systematic way. Certain important
witnesses are old. We cannot risk
loosing their testimony. The
Congregations, even those who don’t have official postulators, have chosen a
competent person or persons for this work.
·
We have fixed the next meeting for April of next year to evaluate the
material that has been gathered and to discern what needs to be done next. Attention to the signs that the Lord gives
and the unanimous consent of the representatives of the 8 different
Congregations will be a good guarantee, I think, to help discern well the
Lord’s will.
We discussed at length with the
representative from the Congregation, the notion In
odium fidei which is very ambiguous if applied to
our martyrs without discernment. The
Congregation for Saints is encouraging us to go ahead, but suggests also taking
the advice of the
Vatican Secretary of State regarding the political implications. In any case, the work of preparation, either
before or after the eventual introduction of the cause, is very long (at least
10 years) and remains confidential and private.
Only the Beatification is the public act and at this moment it is
necessary to study the formulation well, in collaboration with the Council for
Inter-religious Dialogue, so that this act will be a help and not a hindrance
to a reciprocal agreement. The martyrdom
of our brothers and sisters ought to be inserted into the great martyrdom of a
people.
We must enter into the very spirit of our witnesses to
the faith. They have been faithful to
the Algerian people, loved unconditionally, weaving
with the people a tapestry of friendship in an absolute respect for their
Muslim faith. They made the free choice
to remain, living a common adventure with the people in its martyrdom, its
joys, its hope, conscious that their life was in danger, in the will to be a
privileged link for dialogue and openness.
In the eventuality of an introduction of the cause, it is that which
should be emphasized and we are in agreement to proceed in this direction.
5. For
the other Blesseds
: Tansi, Rafael, Gabriella, their cult is growing and the example of their life
and their spirituality has given birth to some interesting initiatives, but
regarding their cause for canonization, at the moment, there are no miracles.
On the occasion of the centenary, I
received a dozen requests to introduce the cause of beatification for De
Rancé, but I think that I should leave this task to my
successor, for an historical process is very complicated and is completely
beyond me. I believe that you will
easily agree with me on this question.
I will read the short text that I prepared for the
martyrs of Viaceli and that I will invite you to
sign:
“The abbots and abbesses of the O.C.S.O., meeting for their General
Chapters, attest in their own name and in the name of their community, that the
19 brothers of the monastery of Viaceli, assassinated
in the years 1936-37, have been considered martyrs from their death until our
own day.
In the Spanish communities, be they Trappist
or of other branches of the Cistercian family, there are many who ask the
intercession of Father Pio Heredia
and his 18 companions.
Others also pray to these martyrs in other Cistercian communities
throughout the world.
We are witnesses to this.
Signed….
Rome,
14th September 2002.
Sr Augusta Tescari,
Vitorchiano.
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