Schäffer was a seminarian, a doctor, and a surfer who drowned while surfing in 2009 off the coast of Rio de Janeiro at the age of 34 before he could fulfil his desire of being ordained to the priesthood.

Known locally as the "Anjo Surfista" or "Surfer Angel," Schäffer began each surfing lesson with a prayer. He was known for his work with the poor, providing medical care to Rio's "favelas" (poor, working-class neighbourhoods) alongside the Missionaries of Charity.

With the decree, Pope Francis declared Schäffer "venerable." The church will now need to approve a miracle attributed to his intercession before he can be beatified.

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The Vatican cardinal was sacked by Pope Francis in September, amid a corruption investigation. He is suing Italian news magazine L'Espresso, claiming that by ruining his reputation his chance of becoming pope was destroyed.

Bacciu's complaint raises questions about the conduct of Vatican criminal prosecutors investigating a corruption case. It suggests they leaked information to L'Espresso about financial irregularities in the Holy See.

Becciu resigned as the prefect of the Vatican's head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in September after Pope Francis had presented the cardinal with allegations he had sent €100,000 in Holy See funds to a charity controlled by his brother.

Becciu admitted he sent the funds to the charity, not his brother - and told reporters he had done nothing wrong.

To date, he has not been under investigation in that case or any other, Becciu said in a statement announcing the lawsuit's seeking damages.

In his legal complaint, Becciu claimed that his sacking was a coordinated hit job with L'Espresso.

The magazine broke news of the payment to his brother in a story that went to the printers Sept. 24.

The complaint alleges Francis had a copy of the magazine's article on his desk during the Sept. 24 meeting at which he sacked Becciu. This suggested an internal leak of the story to the Vatican.

The L'Espresso's publisher has said some early editions "disappeared" from the printer that night and ended up on the pope's desk.

The complaint also says that nearly eight hours before Becciu's 6 p.m. meeting with Francis, L'Espresso created a webpage with an article entitled "This is why Cardinal Becciu resigned."

Citing the timestamp of the site's metadata, the complaint argues that the magazine knew about Becciu's sacking before he did, suggesting coordination with the Vatican.

L'Espresso has been leading the charge against Becciu. It has published a series of unsourced and speculative articles outlining prosecutors' case against him. Some of them citing unnamed Vatican investigators but others offering no attribution for the magazine's claims.

Sources

• Religion News
• Catholic News Agency

He selected Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa to be a member of the Council of Cardinals.

Bishop Marcello Semararo of Albano was appointed the new prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Cardinal Besungu takes the place of his predecessor in the DRC capital, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo, on what is now the C-7. The pope retained six other of the members of what was originally the C-9.

Bishop Semararo takes the place of Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the Vatican's former deputy-Secretary of State for internal affairs ("Sostituto") whom the pope recently sacked from heading the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, apparently for embezzlement and nepotism.

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The American Jewish Congress is reacting to the Pope's signature last Monday on a decree recognising the "heroic virtues" of Cardinal August Hlond (1881-1948).

Hlond was the highest ranking church official in Poland from 1926 to 1948. He is credited with keeping the church strong and protecting its autonomy during the Nazi occupation and postwar communism.

Hlond's cause was recommended by the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The American Jewish Congress is contradicting the views held by the Congregation.

It says Hlond fostered anti-Semitism and refused to help endangered Jews.

"While realising the Holy See has its own criteria for the cause of canonisation, such a step will be perceived within the Jewish community and beyond as an expression of approval (or at least absence of condemnation) of his extremely negative approach," Rabbi David Rosen says.

Rosen is the Congress's international inter-religious director.

He cited a 1936 pastoral letter Hlond wrote three years before the Nazi invasion. The letter urges Poles to stay away from the "harmful moral influence of Jews" and to boycott Jewish stores and stalls in the marketplace.

Hlond's letter also alleged Jews were perpetrating fraud, usury and prostitution, and corrupting Catholic morals by "spreading pornography."

He went on to accuse Jews of "waging war against the Catholic Church" and acting as "the vanguard of atheism, the Bolshevik movement and revolutionary activity," and warned that a "Jewish problem" would continue "as long as Jews remain Jews."

He then urged Polish Catholics to shun Jewish publications and to stay away from their "anti-Christian culture."

"While he [Hlond] did temper his remarks with an admission that 'not all Jews are this way,' and forbade assaults on Jews or attacks on their property, he nevertheless condemned Judaism and Jewry for rejecting Jesus and advocated a virtual boycott of Jewish establishments," Rosen says.

After the war, the Congress says Hlond refused to meet with Polish Jewish leaders over concerns they had about accusations of ritual murder ahead of Passover and the danger of pogroms.

On July 4, 1946, a mob attacked the building of the Jewish Committee in Kielce, leaving 42 Jews dead and more than 40 wounded.

"Cardinal Hlond held a press conference but he did not condemn the pogrom nor urge Poles to stop murdering Jews.

"Rather, he pointed out that the Jews were all communists or supporters of communism and that the pogrom was their own fault," the Congress says.

Source

• The Tablet
• The Times of Israel
• The Jerusalem Post
• Cision
• Image: Jerusalem Post

His decree has promulgated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Those whose heroic virtues the Pope recognized include American-born Servant of God Norbert McAuliffe (born: John).

McAuliffe was a professed religious of the Institute of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Read more

The ceremony will take place at the end of the Synod of Bishops on youth and discernment, Cardinal Pietro Parolin says.

The cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for Saints' Causes have voted to recognise a miracle where Blessed Paul healed an unborn baby and helped her reach full term.

The baby's mother, who was told she had a very high risk of miscarrying the baby, had prayed for Blessed Paul's intercession a few days after his beatification by Pope Francis in 2014.

Blessed Paul was pope from 1963 to 1978.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has also publicised the martyrdom, miracles and heroic virtues of a number of others.

They include:

• a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez, Archbishop of San Salvador, martyred on 24 March 1980;
• a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Francesco Spinelli, Diocesan priest, founder of the Institute of the Sister Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament, who died on 6 February 1913;
• a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Vincenzo Romani, Diocesan priest, who died on 20 December 1831;
• a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Maria Catherine Kasper, foundress of the Institute of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ who died on 2 February 1898;
• a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God María Felicia Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, Professed Sister of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, who died on 28 April 1959;
• the martyrdom of the Servant of God Anna Kolesárová, Laywoman, killed in hatred of the Faith on 22 November 1944;
• the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Bernard Łubieński, professed priest of the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer, who died on 10 September 1933;
• the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Cecilio Maria Cortinovis, professed religious of the Order of Friars Minor, Capuchin, who died on 10 April 1984;
• the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Giustina Schiapparoli, foundress of the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Divine Providence of Voghera, who died on 30 November 1877;
• the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Schiapparoli, foundress of the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Divine Providence of Voghera, who died on 2 May 1882;
• the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Antonella Bordoni, laywoman of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, foundress of the Lay Fraternity of the Little Daughters of the Mother of God, who died on 16 January 1978;
• the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Alessandra Sabattini, layman, who died on 2 May 1984.

Source

• Vatican News
• The Tablet
• Catholic Herald UK
• Image: EpicPew

This category is distinct from martyrdom through "oblatio vitae, or "the free offering of their life" for love of God and neighbour.

The letter's title, Maiorem hac dilectionem, comes from Our Lord's words in St. John's gospel: "Greater love than this no one has, that they lay down their life for their friends".

Francis explains in the letter: "It is certain that the heroic offering of life, suggested and supported by charity, expresses a true, full and exemplary imitation of Christ.

"It therefore deserves the admiration that the community of the faithful usually reserves to those who have voluntarily accepted the martyrdom of blood or have exercised in a heroic degree the Christian virtue."

He also outlines the five differences between the new category's definition and the one defining martyrs.

• "The free and voluntary offering of one's life, and heroic acceptance ... of a certain and soon-to-come death;
• "A nexus - i.e. close relation - between the offering of life and the premature death of the one who offers it;
• "The exercise, at least in ordinary degree, of the Christian virtues before the subject's offering of his or her life and, afterward, perseverance in those virtues unto death;
• "The existence of fama sanctitatis - i.e. the reputation for holiness - on the part of the subject, and of signs [confirming these], at least after death;
• "The necessity, for beatification, of a miracle, one that occurred after the death of the Servant of God, and by said Servant's intercession."

Besides these criteria, the diocesan inquest into the Cause of the Servant of God must answer the following question:

"Does the case consist of [an] heroic offering of his/her life up to death for the sake of supernatural love of God (propter caritatem) and also of the Christian virtues, at least in the ordinary degree, on the occasion and to the effect for which [the subject's offering of his/her life] was made?"

The new category was approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints' support.

Source

• Crux
• Vatican Radio
• Image: EpicPew

The new financial accountability regulations came after reports of gross abuses on the use of donations from the faithful.

At least two books by Italian journalists revealed that the Vatican's saint-making process brought in hundreds of thousands of euros in donations for each saintly candidate but had virtually no financial oversight as to how the money was spent.

The books estimated the average cost for each beatification at around 500,000 euros ($550,000), with much of the proceeds going to a few lucky people with contracts to do the often time-consuming investigations into the candidates' lives.

The new rules call for an administrator to be named for each saintly cause who must "scrupulously respect" the intention of each donation.

The administrator must keep a running tab on expenditures and donations, prepare an annual budget and be subject to the oversight of the local bishop or religious superior.

That person must also approve the annual budget and send it to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints — the Vatican office responsible for reviewing saintly candidates, investigating miracles and preparing the cases for the pope's ultimate decision.

The rules also set out the mechanism by which each cause pays the congregation for its services finalizing the beatification or canonization, though it doesn't specify how much is given.

The rules were published just days before Pope Francis is due to set the official date for the canonization of Mother Teresa.

Sources

Vatican Radio
The Daily Mail
AP/Yahoo
Image: AP/Vatican Radio

Although the process is
supposed to be secret at this point, the Italian news agency ANSA reported that the proclamation of sainthood "needs only the approval of the commission of cardinals and bishops and the final signature of Pope Francis".

The miracle was reportedly approved by two doctors in April as having been a cure that cannot be explained in natural terms.

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