posted on Oct, 18 2004 @ 10:31 AM
There are no such thing as decanonized saints.
There was a rumor going around that St. Christopher
had been. But it isn't true.
The closest you get to 'decanonization' is this -
Quote from Encyclopidia of Saints from Our Sunday Visitor
IBSN - 0-87973-588-0
Page 17 - "Since 1969, some cults have been confirned to local calendars or discontinued entirely. This is an effort to update cuases and cults and
to bring them into line with modern scientific and historical verifications. Some saints, popular as they may have been over the centuries, were not
recorded with any verifiable authenticity. Legends, mistaken identities, repetitions, and local folk tales have blurred the facts in some of the
individuals from truly ancient eras. The changes thus made do not imply a lack of veneration, but a new approach to saints that demands clearer
authenticity and proof.
- what this is saying is that some of the canonized saints can not
have their lives verified. The process of canonization NOW is very
different from what it was a long time ago. It is stricter now. Some
saints can't have their miracles verified by modern means so the
church has put them in a quiet corner and brought the saints that
can have their miracles and lives verified .. out to the forefront.
No one has been de-canonized. However, after 2,000 years, the
church is saying ... we can't vouch for the authenticity of these
people over here ... so stick with these that we are putting on
the calendar now.