canonisation
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. The official act of declaring a deceased person to be a saint: In the Roman Catholic Church and some other Christian traditions, canonisation is the final step in a long process that recognizes an individual as a saint, worthy of public veneration. 2. The state of being canonized: The condition of having been formally admitted into the canon (official list) of saints.
Usage
- Canonisation is a formal ecclesiastical decree. It typically follows a process involving the verification of the person's life of heroic virtue and the authentication of miracles attributed to their intercession.
- The word is used in religious, historical, and academic contexts.
Examples
- The canonisation of Mother Teresa took place in 2016.
- The lengthy process leading to canonisation can take decades or even centuries.
- The Pope presided over the canonisation ceremony in St. Peter's Square.
Advanced Usage
- "To be on the path to canonisation": To be in one of the preliminary stages (e.g., being declared "Venerable" or "Blessed") before full sainthood.
- After the miracle was confirmed, the blessed was put on the path to canonisation.
- The concept can be used metaphorically in secular contexts to describe treating someone with extreme or unquestioning reverence.
- The media's canonisation of the celebrity made a balanced biography impossible to write.
Variants and Related Words
- Canonize (verb): To officially declare (a deceased person) a saint.
- The church voted to canonize the 19th-century missionary.
- Canon (noun): In this context, the official list of recognized saints. (Also has other meanings, such as a general rule or a collection of sacred texts).
- Canonical (adjective): Conforming to a general rule or accepted as being part of a canon.
- The canonical process involves several stages of investigation.
Synonyms
- Beatification (specifically the step before canonisation where a person is declared "Blessed").
- Enshrinement (in a broader, often non-religious sense of giving someone a revered status).
- Glorification (a more general term for treating someone as glorious or ideal).
Antonyms
- Damnation (condemnation to eternal punishment).
- Excommunication (expulsion from the communion of the church and its sacraments).
- Denunciation (public condemnation).
Noun
- (Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church) the act of admitting a deceased person into the canon of saints