Collective Memory and Sanctity: the Case of Equivalent Canonization

Abstract – The paper aims to examine the case of ‘equivalent canonization’ in the Catholic tradition of making saints as an example of interaction between individual behaviour, institutional processes and collective memory. In the first section (§ 1-2), the paper sketches a philosophical and sociological framework to highlight different actors and elements in the process of beatification or canonization. In the second section (§ 3-4), the paper offers a historical overview of equivalent canonization and analyses the cases of Luigi Rabatà and Angela da Foligno, focusing on the Informatio for the former, and the Positio and Decretal Letter for the latter. The conclusion emphasizes the role of collective memory and tradition in the procedure of casus exceptus.