Fr Walter Ciszek’s Cause for Canonization Has Been Suspended

Could the reason that it was suspended be that his persecutors shared the same Satanic ideology as the Vatican's BFFs in the ChiCom slave camp?

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

The Walter Ciszek Prayer League announced the news on Facebook that they are no longer able to pursue his beatification or canonization.

In the past few years Fr. Walter Ciszek has become well-known among Catholics in the United States and beyond. His book, He Leadeth Me, was featured on the prayer and meditation app Hallow and soon after became a bestseller on Amazon. He's also well known for his book With God in Russia.

For those who are not familiar with Ciszek, Theresa Civantos Barber explains for Aleteia that he was, a "Polish-American Jesuit priest who conducted clandestine missionary work in the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1963. Fifteen of these years were spent in confinement and hard labor in the Gulag, plus five years preceding that in Moscow’s infamous Lubyanka prison, where he suffered extreme and psychologically devastating isolation in solitary confinement."

He wrote about much of his grueling experience in his two primary books, both of which have inspired many to grow in their spiritual lives.

His cause for canonization was opened in March 2012 and he was known under the title of "Servant of God."

Suspension of cause

However, the Walter Ciszek Prayer League announced on Facebook that they have suspended the cause:

The Diocese has been informed that the documentation relating to his Cause does not support advancing his Cause for Beatification or Sainthood. This development comes after years of careful study and discernment at the level of the Holy See, which bears the responsibility of evaluating each Cause with thoroughness, integrity, and fidelity to the Church's norms.

Each cause for canonization needs to undergo a thorough review by the Vatican to ensure that the individual can be publicly recognized as a saint.

In some cases, the Vatican has reviewed the life of an individual and, while they may have lived a holy life, they do not suggest going any further.

G.K. Chesterton's cause for canonization met a similar end in 2019. His cause was not allowed to progress because, according to Bishop Peter Doyle, "Firstly, and most importantly, there is no local cult (devotion to the person, ed's note). Secondly, I have been unable to tease out a pattern of personal spirituality. And, thirdly, even allowing for the context of GK Chesterton’s time, the issue of anti-Semitism is a real obstacle particularly at this time in the United Kingdom."

Thomas Kempis is another example of a cause that was never able to continue, due to a variety of reasons. It is believed that a cause was started, but then questions were asked about his death, leading Church officials to abandon his cause.

In all three cases, those entrusted with the task of evaluating the lives of each proposed saint found sufficient evidence to discontinue the cause. This doesn't mean they were great sinners, only that there was not sufficient evidence to allow the official declaration of sainthood to continue.

The Walter Ciszek Prayer League will continue its mission as the Father Walter Ciszek Society, promoting the life and works of an inspirational priest.