Tuesday, September 7, 2010

It’s no easy walk to sainthood



STEPHEN MUDIARI | NATION The Pope’s Representative in Kenya Apostolic Nuncio (centre) conducts a special mass to commemorate the seven years after the death of Maurice Cardinal Otunga. The mass took place at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, on Monday.

By NYAMBEGA GISESA Engisesa@yahoo.com
Posted Monday, September 6 2010 at 22:00
In Summary

Beatification process for both Nyerere and Otunga at the same stage

It will not be based on your sentiments, your love, or the feeling you felt for his Servant of God Maurice Cardinal Otunga — he simply has to meet all requisites of sainthood.

“Every detail of his life matters,” His Eminence the Apostolic Nuncio Alain Paul Lebeaupin told the Nation on Monday after leading the celebrations to mark the seventh commemoration of the death of the Servant of God Maurice Cardinal Otunga.

“The working of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is similar to the beatification process,” a smiling Apostolic Nuncio explained.

“Evidence will be dug from his past and will be available to any person to cross-examine. Nothing will be left out.”

Details will be thoroughly crosschecked before the Devil’s Advocate, the slang word which the Apostolic Nuncio confesses refers to the Defender of Faith, visits the country so that the evidence can be presented to him.

“There has to be a defence based on evidence that will beyond reasonable faith to support why he deserves sainthood,” he added.

The postulator beatification for Otunga’s sainthood Consolata Missionary’s Fr Anthony Bellagamba has received a report based on submissions on why Otunga deserves to be made a saint. But the final report is yet to be out.

Submissions are presented to his team made of three full-time working committees. The committees are the Historical, Theoretical and Medical committees.

The medical committee composed of the medical director at Mater Hospital Dr Marian Dolan, University of Nairobi lecturer Dr Daniel Migwi and the doctor-in-charge at the Kenya Episcopal Conference Dr Agnes Gitome is working on two of the cases.

Their task is to prove that two-year-old Lance Chacha who was suffering from a long illness was “miraculously” healed after his mother sought Otunga’s intercession more than a year ago.

On Monday, the young boy happily played at the Holy Basilica Church as the holy Eucharistic sacrifice for Otunga went on.

Father Bellagamba’s team is in the second stage of the Diocese beatification process which involves studying his written documents.

The first stage involved presenting a case to Rome.

“This is a critical stage because all he wrote from books to his letters which say something about his philosophy and teachings are debated at length,” Father Bellagamba who witnessed the beatification of the founder of Consolata Missionary delayed for seven years, explains.

Underpaid congregation

“Members of his congregation wrote to Rome stating that Saint Joseph Alamano underpaid them. His beatification was delayed until seven years when the letter detailing his agreement with them was discovered,” he says.

Fortunately, Cardinal Otunga has an advantage in this stage. “He never wrote much and what this means is that it will take less time to question his teachings and philosophy,” he adds.

After studying the writings, there has to be proof that he is what people wrote about him.

“His faith, humbleness, humility and an explainable hand to control his temper (it’s said that his temper never rose) will be told by those he interacted with — the poor and the rich, the fit and the sick, all he met and stayed with ,” Father Bellagamba goes on with providing further details.

Although the beatification process for both Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Cardinal Otunga is at the same stage, the fact that Nyerere spoke much and wrote much will probably drag his beautification.
His philosophy and teachings contained in his numerous books and numberless speeches will be scrutinised keenly.

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