Apositio (short for theLatinpositio super virtutibus: "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which aCatholic person is declaredVenerable, the second of four steps on the path tocanonization as a saint.
Apositio is a formal brief arguing for thecanonization of an individual in theCatholic Church. Before canonization,[1] the formal declaration by thepope that a person is asaint, there is a long process, with various intermediate steps. First, a person whoseholiness is being investigated (by apostulator, appointed by the Pope) is referred to as aServant of God. The very fact of appointing a postulator means that the process ofbeatification has been activated.
If investigations reveal that the person was indeed holy enough, then a "formal argument forsainthood", thepositio, is presented to theDicastery for the Causes of Saints. This document contains theinformatio, or life story, of the Servant of God under investigation, as well as a series of documents andtestimonies to support the cause (summarium). In short, thepositio collects the evidence obtained by a diocesan inquiry into a candidate'sheroic virtues.
Upon presentation, thepositio 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 thePope that the candidate be declaredVenerable—that is, worthy of the devotion ofCatholic believers.[2]
Apositio can run to over 1,000 pages in length. The time between the preparation of apositio and a recommendation by the committee of historians and theologians can often be decades.
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