A South African man murdered for his stand against witchcraft may become the country’s first recognised saint. The first phase for the Canonization of Benedict Daswa has been completed.
The
Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) says this first phase, called the Inquiry into the Life and Death of the Servant of God, has been completed and was announced in the northern town of Tzaneen.
The SACBC says this was a ”historic” event and might become the first step in the making of a first South African saint. The final documents have been sent to the Prefect for the Congregation for Causes of Saints.
This first phase took five years to complete.
Benedict Daswa, a member of the small but very traditional Lemba tribe, felt that witchcraft practices were in conflict with his Catholic religion and rejected them.
His main reason for taking a position against witchcraft was that it led to the killing of innocent people accused of being witches. He also rejected the use of muti or magical amulets or potions for protection against evil or used to bring luck.
Daswa was eventually stoned and bludgeoned to death for refusing to give money for the act of ”smelling out” witches. He was murdered in 1990.
The process whereby the Catholic Church recognises a person as a saint is long and complex. According to
Catholic Pages, the process can only begin five years after the candidate’s death. The Pages says: ”This is to allow greater balance and objectivity in evaluating the case and to let the emotions of the moment dissipate.”
The case is then handed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the life of the person is scrutinized in detail for the exercise of ”heroic virtue” in his or her faith.
An equally complex procedure is followed to prove one miracle attributed to the person, after which they are ”Beatified,” and the person is then referred to as ”Blessed.”
In order to be declared a saint, the candidate must fill all the above conditions and also have another miracle proven.
The Orthodox Church also recognises saints, as does the Anglican or Episcopalian tradition, as being examples to the faithful. Well known saints include Francis of Assisi and Mother Theresa of Calcutta.
Religious leaders of these churches emphasize that churches do not make people saints, but only recognised their sanctity.
