Beatification

The papal decree permitting the public ecclesiastical veneration of a faithful Catholic after his death. This veneration is limited to a particular locality and is not binding on the whole church. It is unlawful to pay to the person known as the Blessed (Beatified) public reverence outside of the place for which permission is granted. Up to the seventeenth century the public service of beatification was performed by the bishops in their local churches. Unlike decrees of canonization, those of beatification are not regarded as infallible: they only grant permission and do not give commands. Also, the cultus permitted by beatification is restricted to a determined province, city, or religious order.