The martyrdom and the witness’s role in light of jurisprudence of the Congregation for Causes of Canonization

Abstract

In the legal understanding, martyrdom requires external recognition as well as external evaluation. For this reason, the visual witness appears in the context of death (the witness of martyrdom). His job is to cognitively and consciously evaluate the fact of the physical loss of life. The reason to begin the process of canonization can only come about in close connection with the evaluation of internal state of love and faith of the martyred person; but not necessarily. Since death for the faith has the value of the Sacrament of Baptism, it may happen that an unbeliever or someone not practicing his faith, can give his life for the faith. Through this act, he absolves his unbelief or committed sins and can become blessed or a saint of the church. This is, however, a unique gift of God’s grace which is rather rare. Usually a zealous, faith-filled life, prepares the believer to follow the footprints of his Master and give his own life.

The witness is the person who knows something important about the ongoing canonization case. He is a person who personally saw (de visu) or heard (ex auditu) something important in connection with the death of a particular person whose case is in process of establishing a potential martyrdom. When there is a lack of witness de visu there is a need to examine the witness ex auditu or else ex auditu a videntibus. These are the persons who do not know the development of these tragic events personally, but heard about them from the person (people) who directly participated in those events.