Positio
Encyclopedia
In the Roman Catholic church, a positio (Positio super Virtutibus) is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a person is declared Venerable
, the second of the four steps on the path to Roman Catholic sainthood. It collects the evidence obtained by a diocesan inquiry into a candidate's heroic virtue
s in a form suitable for presentation to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
. Upon presentation, the positio is examined by a committee of expert historians and theologians, and if they find the evidence presented suitable, they may then make a recommendation to the Pope that the candidate be declared Venerable.
Positios can run to over 1,000 pages in length. The time between the preparation of a positio and a recommendation by the committee of historians and theologians can often be measured in decades.
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
, the second of the four steps on the path to Roman Catholic sainthood. It collects the evidence obtained by a diocesan inquiry into a candidate's heroic virtue
Heroic virtue
Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Roman Catholic church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it connotes a degree of bravery, fame, and...
s in a form suitable for presentation to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification...
. Upon presentation, the positio is examined by a committee of expert historians and theologians, and if they find the evidence presented suitable, they may then make a recommendation to the Pope that the candidate be declared Venerable.
Positios can run to over 1,000 pages in length. The time between the preparation of a positio and a recommendation by the committee of historians and theologians can often be measured in decades.