emeraldboreas-deactivated201809:
I did some quick research on him, and I couldn’t even find evidence of an appeal for canonization. I don’t know why there hasn’t been one.
Don’t they have to give cases of miracles happening through his intercession? If that hasn’t happened yet, then there really isn’t much to be done (unless I am wrong about the process)
Well there is that part about martyrs not needing two miracles attributed to them to open the cause for canonization. But there may be some kind of differentiation towards those who died in an armed conflict in the name of Catholicism and those who died peacefully in the name of Catholicism.
I know that in “The Stand of the Swiss Guard” 189 Swiss Guard died protecting the Pope (Pope Clement VII) in the Sacking of Rome and gave him enough time to escape what was one of the most violent attacks on the Papal States in history. But none of them were recognized with sainthood. Again, I don’t know if there’s a distinction, but if Shiro and others fought a rebellion, I’d assume there would be sympathy on the part of the Church but a slower consideration for sainthood.
Addition for clarification: It may seem a bit unfair to some that those who die fighting for Catholicism aren’t looked into for sainthood immediately, but I think they’d do this so as not to define anyone who died in a war claiming it was done for Catholicism is also a martyr. For instance, in the Mexican-American war, some American mercenaries joined the Mexican side. A big reason for this was that the mercs were Irish and had been mistreated due to being Catholic, and the Mexicans (who were notably more Catholic than the US) promised them easy access to religious obligations and a sense of brotherhood through shared beliefs. So some could make the argument that these people were fighting and dying “for Catholicism” despite it being a more secular conflict.
Then there are other acts of violence done “for Catholicism” (the Gun Powder Plot for one) that really aren’t in line with what the Church tries to promote. So I think that it’s more or less trying to avoid blurring the line of violence and martyrdom that they avoid canonizing people who died just for their involvement in armed conflicts. They certainly have canonized military fighters before, but being a fighter usually isn’t all (or most) of what they were known for.
Causes for canonization also, by custom, are begun at the local level. The Japanese faithful and/or a Japanese bishop would have to start the process in this case.
