The Lives of the Saints Volume 1 - St. Patrick's Basilica

Urban's bull was confirmed.
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The beatification of a saint is generally considered as a preliminary to
his canonization. It is a kind of provisional permission, authorizing
the faithful to honor {028} the memory of the person beatified; but
qualified as to the place or manner. A decree of pope Alexander VIII. in
1659, prohibits the faithful from carrying those honors farther than the
bull of beatification expressly permits.
The proceedings of beatification or canonization are long, rigorous, and
expensive. 1st, The bishop of the diocese institutes a process, in the
nature of an information, to inquire into the public belief of the
virtues and miracles of the proposed, and to ascertain that the decree
we have mentioned of pope Urban VIII. has been complied with: this
proceeding begins and ends with the bishop, his sentence being
conclusive. 2dly, The acts of this proceeding, with the bishop's
sentence, are sealed up, then taken to the congregation of rites: and
deposited with the notary. 3dly, The solicitors for the congregation
petition for publication of the proceedings. 4thly, This is granted; and
the proceedings, being first legally verified, are opened before the
cardinal-president of the congregation, 5thly, The pope is then
requested to refer the business to a particular cardinal to report upon
it. 6thly, This being granted, the writings of the proposed, if he be
the author of any, are laid before the cardinal-reporter. 7thly, He
appoints a commission to assist him, and, with their assistance, makes
his report. If one formal error against faith, one direct opinion
contrary to morals, be round in them, it puts a total end to the
proceedings, unless the author, in his life, expressly retracted it. "A
general protestation;" says Benedict XIV., "the most sincere submission
of all opinions to the authority of the Catholic church, saves the
author from criminality, but does not prevent the effect of this
rigorous escalation." 8thly, Hitherto the proceedings are not in
strictness before the pope; but, from this sage of the business, the
affair wholly devolves on his holiness. He signs a commission to the
congregation of rites to institute and prosecute the process of
beatification; but, before this commission is granted, ten years must
have expired, from the time when the acts of the diocesan were first
lodged with the congregation of rites. 9thly; The congregation of rites
appoints commissaries, whom the pope delegates, to inform themselves of
the virtues and miracles are the proposed. The commissaries usually are
bishops, and the bishop of the diocese where the proposed is buried is
usually one of them; but laymen are never employed. The proceedings of
the commissaries are secret, and carried on and subscribed with the
strictest order and regularity, and in great form; the last step in
their proceedings is to visit the tomb of the deceased, and to draw out
a verbal process of the state in which his remains are found. The