Beatification of late Carinal Stephen Kim Sou-Hwan is approved by Vatican

The beatification of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-Hwan was approved by the Vatican.

“The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints of the Roman Curia said ‘Nihil Obstat,’ which means nothing hinders, in its letter to Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick about the beatification of Cardinal Kim on June 18,” said the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul on Friday. ‘Nihil Obstat’ means the dicastery has no objection to the beatification of the cardinal after review. As a result, Cardinal Kim has earned the name of a ‘Servant of God,’ which refers to those waiting for official beatification.

Beatification is an official process of recognizing a martyr or someone with holy virtue as a beata, which is a step before becoming a saint. Once he or she becomes a beata, they can be recognized as a saint. The committee of beatification and canonization of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul will form a history committee with a focus on the beatification of Cardinal Kim and conduct research about his life, heroic virtuous conduct, and reputation.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul decided to pursue Cardinal Kim’s beatification in March last year, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea agreed unanimously with the decision during its regular general meeting in October. The South Korean Catholic Church has 103 saints and 124 beatus, including Saint Andrew Kim Taegon.


Chin-Ku Lee sys1201@donga.com