Rosmini to be beatified

Sandro Magister reports today on the forthcoming beatification of Antonio Rosmini on Sunday 18 November in Novara, Northern Italy. (Chiesa: Blessed Liberty: The Posthumous Miracle of Antonio Rosmini) Magister observes:

Of his books, the one still most widely read and translated is "Delle cinque piaghe della santa Chiesa [Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church]." One of the wounds that he denounced was the ignorance of the clergy and the people in celebrating the liturgy. But it is a mistake to view him as a standard bearer for the abandonment of the use of Latin. He wrote, instead, that "reducing the sacred rites to the vernacular languages would mean resorting to a remedy worse than the disease."

Magister also points out that Rosmini was condemned by the Holy Office in 1887 and this condemnation was only finally rescinded by Cardinal Ratzinger in 2001. He therefore refers to the forthcoming beatification as a miracle. Perhaps it is, but not such an unusual one in the history of the Church. Many saints have been rejected during their lives and subsequently rehabilitated. Contrary to popular assumptions, the Church is not only able to forgive but also to admit mistakes.

It is significant that he is to be beatified during the reign of Pope Benedict who is an admirer of his work and a theologian of note in his own right. This is not an unmitigated advantage for a Pope but Pope Benedict shows an awareness of the humility required in such a combination of roles.