The following comes from a September 23 Catholic News Agency article by Hannah Brockhaus:
Changes to the regulations for confirming alleged miracles during the causes of saints aim to preserve the scientific rigor of the examination and maintain its distinction from matters of theology, it was announced Friday.
The changes, which were approved by Pope Francis Aug. 24, were announced by the Vatican Sept. 23. They concern the professional secrecy of the proceedings regarding presumed miracles and hold that a supermajority of two-thirds (five out of seven, or four out of six) of the votes from members of the Medical Board must be positive for the cause to continue to the next step.
Previously, only a simple majority of medical experts acknowlegding a supernatural healing was required. The changes also stipulate that the medical experts will receive their remuneration only through bank transfer – not cash.
“The purpose of the Regulation can be none other than the good of the Causes, which can never neglect the historical and scientific truth of the alleged miracles,” Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci, Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, wrote regarding the changes. “Just as it is necessary for the legal checks to be complete, convergent and reliable, it is also necessary that their study be performed with serenity, objectivity and sure competence by highly specialised medical experts.”
Only God decides who is permitted in Heaven or Purgatory (with hope that they will be in Heaven someday) and who is cast into Hell to suffer its torments for eternity. Shudder the thought but it is true! My point is the Vatican does not make that decision, that is why in the beatification/canonization process of yesteryear it took years and lots of convincing evidence, including 3 bonafide no-doubt directly attributable miracles before Holy Mother the Church was convinced someone was a Saint in Heaven already. You see the Church’s credibility also had to be protected, if some person was declared a saint and later investigations showed that that same person had committed grievous offenses against God without remorse and amendment, the…
. . . . Church would be lambasted by its enemies and its reputation would suffer. Enemies would just look at the beatification/canonization process as a joke, and deceive the naïve and innocent. This is why the old beatification/canonization process ought to be restored, and those declared saints by it, all ought to go through the rigors of the old process to be sure!
Clarification! Those people declared saints by/under the new modern process should be reviewed when the old process is reinstated; however, don’t count on that ever happening as the Vatican 2 Church would have egg all over its face.