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'''Canonization''' is the process of posthumously declaring someone to be [[saint]], as exercised by a canonical Christian authority. The process resembles a legal trial, where the supporters of the cause must demonstrate the sanctity of their proposed candidate. The confirmation of an individual's sainthood is both theologically and practically significant, as it is, in essence, a public declaration that they remain effective intercessors on behalf of the living. At the same time, it affirms the propriety of venerating them, under the theological assumption that all such prayers will be redirected to God.  
 
'''Canonization''' is the process of posthumously declaring someone to be [[saint]], as exercised by a canonical Christian authority. The process resembles a legal trial, where the supporters of the cause must demonstrate the sanctity of their proposed candidate. The confirmation of an individual's sainthood is both theologically and practically significant, as it is, in essence, a public declaration that they remain effective intercessors on behalf of the living. At the same time, it affirms the propriety of venerating them, under the theological assumption that all such prayers will be redirected to God.  
  

Revision as of 18:39, 24 October 2006

Canonization is the process of posthumously declaring someone to be saint, as exercised by a canonical Christian authority. The process resembles a legal trial, where the supporters of the cause must demonstrate the sanctity of their proposed candidate. The confirmation of an individual's sainthood is both theologically and practically significant, as it is, in essence, a public declaration that they remain effective intercessors on behalf of the living. At the same time, it affirms the propriety of venerating them, under the theological assumption that all such prayers will be redirected to God.

It is currently practised by the Catholic Church (including the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches), by the Eastern Orthodox Church, and by the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Church of England does not rule out canonization, but it has only ever canonized one man: Charles I of England).

Roman Catholicism

The process of an individual being declared a saint in the Catholic Church began in the 900s, when the church in Rome demanded that all saints throughout her jurisdiction be added to an official list ("canon") to be kept in Rome. Before that time, the name "saint" was applied more informally (as the plural form was often used in Scripture to designate the faithful), and many early saints have never been formally canonized. The first saint to be added to this official list was Saint Ulrich of Augsburg, who was canonized in 993. The process has become a detailed study of the life, writings, and posthumous miracles of the candidate. The process involves first beatifying and, only later (and with further scrutiny), canonizing the prospective saint.

Canonization is taken very seriously. Most Catholic theologians hold canonization to be an infallible act of the Church. In particular, Thomas Aquinas says, "Since the honor we pay the saints is in a certain sense a profession of faith, i.e., a belief in the glory of the Saints [quâ sanctorum gloriam credimus] we must piously believe that in this matter also the judgment of the Church is not liable to error."

Historical development of the process

According to some writers the origin of beatification and canonization in the Catholic Church is the ancient pagan apotheosis. Pope Benedict XIV examined and refuted this view. He showed that both the grounds for and meaning of apotheosis differ markedly from Christian beatification. Apotheosis often came from the statement of a single person that while the body of the new god was being burned, an eagle (for emperors) or a peacock (Juno's sacred bird) (for imperial consorts) was seen to carry heavenward the spirit of the departed (Livy, Hist. Rome, I, xvi; Herodian, Hist. Rome, IV, ii, iii). Apotheosis was awarded to most members of the imperial family, with no regard to virtues or remarkable achievements. Also, apotheosis was often given to escape popular hatred by distracting attention from the cruelty of imperial rulers. Romulus was deified by the senators who slew him; Poppaea owed her apotheosis to her imperial paramour, Nero, after he had kicked her to death; Geta had the honour from his brother Caracalla, who had got rid of him through jealousy.

The Catholic Church, on the other hand, canonizes or beatifies only those whose lives have been marked by heroic virtue, and only after this has been proved by common repute for sanctity and by conclusive arguments. Finally, the Church sees saints as nothing more than friends and servants of God whose holy lives have nevertheless made them worthy of His special love. This is why Catholics do not "worship" saints.

The origin of canonization and beatification comes from the Catholic doctrine of the devotion to, invocation and intercession of the saints. As was taught by St. Augustine, Catholics honour God in His saints as the loving distributor of supernatural gifts. Scholastic theologians have defined three types of worship. Strict adoration, or latria (λατρια), is given to God alone. Honor and humble reverence, or doulia (δουλια), is given to the saints. A higher form of doulia, hyperdoulia (υπερδουλια), is given to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church erects altars to God alone, though in honour and memory of the saints and martyrs. It claims Scriptural warrant for such honor in the passages it interprets as veneration of angels (Ex 13:20ff; Jos 5:13ff; Dan 8:15ff; 10:4ff; Luke 2:9ff; Acts 12:7ff; Rev 5:11ff; 7:1ff; Matt 18:10; etc.), whom holy men are not unlike, as sharers of the friendship of God.

The basis of prayer to saints is simply that, as believers can help each other with prayers (intercessory prayer) while living, so they may pray for the living after their deaths. Thus, praying to St. Paul is a prayer asking Paul, alive in heaven, to pray for the believer. As Paul's holiness is attested in his beatification and canonization, his prayers will be well received.

A different service is provided by the beatified in the celebrations of their feasts. In the celebrations of feasts, believers celebrate the holiness of the blessed and are reminded of their good examples.

It follows naturally that for the public veneration of saints the ecclesiastical authority of the pastors and rulers of the Church was constantly required. The Church did not grant liturgical honours indiscriminately to all those who had died for the Faith.

The first practice of beatification and canonization was directed toward martyrs. The decision as to the martyr having died for his faith in Christ, and the consequent permission of honor, lay originally with the bishop of the place in which he had borne his testimony. The bishop inquired into the motive of his death and, finding he had died a martyr, sent his name with an account of his martyrdom to other churches, especially neighboring ones, so that, in event of approval by their respective bishops, the cultus of the martyr might extend to their churches also.

The honoring of "confessors" — of those, that is, who died peacefully after a life of heroic virtue — is not as ancient as that of the martyrs. In the beginning, "confessor" denoted only those who confessed Christ when examined in the presence of enemies of the Faith, or, as Pope Benedict XIV explains, to those who died peacefully after having confessed the faith before tyrants or other enemies of the Christian religion, and undergone tortures or suffered other punishments of whatever nature. Later on, confessors were those who had lived a holy life and closed it by a holy death in Christian peace. It is in this sense that we now treat of the honor paid to confessors. It was in the fourth century that confessors were first given public ecclesiastical honor, though occasionally praised in ardent terms by earlier Fathers. Still Robert Bellarmine thought it uncertain when confessors began to be objects of public veneration, and asserted that it was not before 800, when the feasts of Sts. Martin of Tours and Remigius are found in the catalog of feasts drawn up by the Council of Mainz. However, in the East, for example, Hilarion, Ephrem of Syria, and other confessors were publicly honoured in the fourth century; and, in the West, St. Martin of Tours, and St. Hilary of Poitiers were objects of a like honor in the same century.

Later on, the names of confessors were inserted in the diptychs, and due reverence was paid them. Their tombs were honored with the same title as those of the martyrs. It remained true, however, that one could not venerate confessors without permission of the ecclesiastical authority.

For several centuries the bishops, in some places only the primates and patriarchs, could grant martyrs and confessors public ecclesiastical honor; such honor, however, was always decreed only for the local territory over which the grantors held jurisdiction. Still, it was only the Bishop of Rome's (Pope's) acceptance of the honor that made it universal, since he alone could permit or command in the Universal Church. Abuses, however, crept into this form of discipline, due to popular fervour and the carelessness of some bishops in inquiring into the lives of those whom they permitted to be honored as saints. Towards the close of the eleventh century the popes found it necessary to restrict episcopal authority on this point and decreed that the virtues and miracles of persons proposed for public veneration should be examined in councils. Even after these decrees, "some, following the ways of the pagans and deceived by the fraud of the evil one, venerated as a saint a man who had been killed while intoxicated". Pope Alexander III (1159 - 1181) prohibited popular veneration in these words: "For the future you will not presume to pay him reverence, as, even though miracles were worked through him, it would not allow you to revere him as a saint unless with the authority of the Roman Church." Thus, the pope for the first time reserved the right of beatification. Some bishops did not obey it in as far as it regarded beatification (which right they had certainly possessed before this), so Urban VII published, in 1634, a Bull which put an end to all discussion by reserving to the Holy See exclusively not only its immemorial right of canonization, but also that of beatification.

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

Current practice

The 1983 reform of the Catholic Church's canon law has streamlined the procedure considerably compared to the process carried out previously. The new process was established by Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic constitution of January 25, 1983, Divinus Perfectionis Magister, and by Pietro Cardinal Palazzini, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, in the New Laws for the Causes of Saints, published on February 7, 1983.

The process begins at the diocesan level, with the bishop giving permission to open an investigation of the virtues of the person who is suspected of having been a saint.[1] This investigation may not open until permission is given by the Vatican, and not sooner than five years after the death of the person being investigated.[2] However, the pope has the authority to waive this waiting period, as was done for Mother Teresa by Pope John Paul II [3] as well as for John Paul II himself by his immediate successor, Benedict XVI.[4] When sufficient information has been gathered, the subject of the investigation is called "Servant of God", and the process is transferred to the Roman Curia—the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints—where it is assigned a postulator, whose task is to gather all information about the life of the Servant of God. When enough information has been gathered, the congregation will recommend to the pope that he make a proclamation of the Servant of God's heroic virtue, which entitles him or her to receive the title "Venerable". A Venerable has as of yet no feast day, but prayer cards may be printed to encourage the faithful to pray for a miracle wrought by his or her intercession.

The next step depends on whether the Venerable is a martyr. For a martyr, the pope has only to make a declaration of martyrdom, which then allows beatification, yielding the title "Blessed" and a feast day in the Blessed's home diocese and perhaps some other local calendars. If the Venerable was not a martyr, it must be proven that a miracle has taken place by his or her intercession. Today, these miracles are almost always miraculous cures, as these are the easiest to establish based on the Catholic Church's requirements for a "miracle." (The patient was sick, there was no known cure for the ailment, prayers were directed to the Venerable, the patient was cured, and doctors cannot explain it.)

To pass from Blessed to Saint, one (more) miracle is necessary. A saint's feast day is considered universal, and may be celebrated anywhere within the Catholic church, although it may or may not appear on the general calendar.

In the case of persons that common usage has called saints from "time immemorial" (in practice, since before 1500 or so), the Church may carry out a "confirmation of cultus", which is much simpler. For example, Saint Hermann Joseph had his veneration confirmed by Pope John Paul II.

Previous practice

Main article: Historical process of beatification and canonization

The process for making a saint was considerably more involved. To achieve the declaration of venerability, the process was essentially the same, but with more people and reports involved. Beatification of a non-martyr required three miracles if direct witnesses to his or her sanctity could be called, and four if this was not possible. For a martyr, one miracle less was needed, and the requirement of miracles could be waived by the Congregation of Rites.

Two additional miracles were required for the canonization.

Historical Process of Beatification and Canonization

The process of beatification and canonization has undergone various changes in the history of the Catholic Church. (For current practice, as well as a discussion of other churches, see the article on canonization.) This article describes the process as it was in 1914, in particular before the major reworking of Canon law in 1983.

The causes of martyrs were handled somewhat differently from those of confessors or virgins, so will be handled separately.

The Beatification of Confessors

In order to secure beatification (the most important and difficult step in the process of canonization) the regular procedure is as follows:

  1. Choosing of a vice-postulator by the postulator-general of the cause, to promote all the judicial inquiries necessary in places outside of Rome. Such inquiries are instituted by the local episcopal authority.
  2. The preparation of the inquiries (processus) all of which are carried on by the ordinary episcopal authority. They are of three kinds: (a) Informative inquiries regard the reputation for sanctity and miracles of the servants of God, not only in general, but also in particular instances; there may be several such inquiries if the witnesses to be examined belong to different dioceses. (b) Processes de non cultu are instituted to prove that the decrees of Pope Urban VIII regarding the prohibition of public worship of servants of God before their beatification have been obeyed; they are generally conducted by the bishop of the place where the relics of the servant of God are preserved. (c) Other inquiries are known as Processiculi diligentiarum and have for their object the writings attributed to the person whose beatification is in question; they vary in number according to the dioceses where such writings are found, or are thought likely to be found, and may not be judicially executed before an "Instruction" is obtained from the promotor of the Faith by the postulator-general and by him sent to the bishop in question.
  3. The results of all these inquiries are sent to Rome, to the Congregation of Rites, in charge of a messenger (portitor) chosen by the judges, or by some other secure way, in case a rescript of the congregation dispenses from the obligation of sending a messenger.
  4. They are opened, translated if necessary into Italian, a public copy is made, and a cardinal is deputed by the pope as relator or ponens of the cause, for all which steps rescripts of the congregation, confirmed by the pope, must be obtained.
  5. The writings of the servant of God are next revised by theologians appointed by the cardinal relator himself, authorized to so act by a special rescript. Meanwhile, the advocate and the procurator of the cause, chosen by the postulator-general, have prepared all the documents that concern the introduction of the cause (positio super introductione causae). These consist of (a) a summary of the informative processes, (b) an information, (c) answers to the observations or difficulties of the promotor of the Faith sent by him to the Postulator.
  6. This collection of documents (positio) is printed and distributed to the cardinals of the Congregation of Rites forty days before the date assigned for their discussion.
  7. If nothing contrary to faith and morals is found in the writings of the servant of God, a decree is published, authorizing further action (quod in causâ procedi possit ad ulteriora), i. e., the discussion of the matter (dubium) of appointment or non-appointment of a commission for the introduction of the cause.
  8. At the time fixed by the Congregation of Rites an ordinary meeting (congregatio) is held in which this appointment is debated by the cardinals of the aforesaid congregation and its officials, but without the vote or participation of the consultors, though this privilege is always granted them by prescript.
  9. If in this meeting the cardinals favour the appointment of the aforesaid commission, a decree to that effect is promulgated, and the pope signs it, but, according to custom, with his baptismal name, not with that of his pontificate. Thenceforward the servant of God is judicially given the title of Venerable.
  10. A petition is then presented asking remissorial letters for the bishops in partibus (outside of Rome), authorizing them to set on foot by Apostolic authority, the inquiry (processus) with regard to the fame of sanctity and miracles in general. This permission is granted by rescript, and such remissorial letters are prepared and sent to the bishops by the postulator-general. In case the eye-witnesses be of advanced age, other remissorial letters are usually granted for the purpose of opening a process known as "inchoative" concerning the particular virtues of miracles of the person in question. This is done in order that the proofs may not be lost (ne pereant probationes), and such inchoative process precedes that upon the miracles and virtues in general.
  11. While the Apostolic process concerning the reputation of sanctity is under way outside of Rome, documents are being prepared by the procurator of the cause for the discussion de non cultu, or absence of cultus, and at the appointed time an ordinary meeting (congregatio) is held in which the matter is investigated; if it be found that the decree of Urban VIII has been complied with, another decree provides that further steps may be taken.
  12. When the inquiry concerning the reputation of sanctity (super famâ) has arrived in Rome, it is opened (as already described in speaking of the ordinary processes, and with the same formalities in regard to rescripts), then translated into Italian, summarized, and declared valid. The documents super famâ in general are prepared by the advocate, and at the proper time, in an ordinary meeting of the cardinals of the Congregation of Rites, the question is discussed: whether there is evidence of a general repute for sanctity and miracles of this servant of God. If the answer is favourable, a decree embodying this result is published.
  13. New remissorial letters are then sent to the bishops in partibus for Apostolical processes with regard to the reputation for sanctity and miracles in particular. These processes must be finished within eighteen months and when they are received in Rome are opened, as above described, and by virtue of an equal number of rescripts, by the cardinal prefect, translated into Italian, and their summary authenticated by the Chancellor of the Congregation of Rites.
  14. The advocate of the cause next prepares the documents (positio) which have reference to the discussion of the validity of all the preceding processes, informative and Apostolic.
  15. This discussion is held in the meeting called congregatio rotalis from the fact that it is only judges of the Roman Rota who vote. If the difficulties of the promotor of the Faith are satisfactorily answered, the decree establishing the validity of the inquiries or processes is published.
  16. Meanwhile all necessary preparation is made for the discussion of the question (dubium): Is there evidence that the venerable servant of God practiced virtues both theological and cardinal, and in an heroic degree? (An constet de virtutibus Ven. servi Dei, tam theologicis quam cardinalibus, in heroico gradu?) In the causes of confessors this step is of primary importance. The point is discussed in three meetings or congregations called respectively, ante-preparatory, preparatory, and general. The first of these meetings is held in the palace of the cardinal relator (reporter) of the cause, and in it only consultors of the Congregation of Sacred Rites, and with their chairman, or prefect, presiding, the third is also held in the Vatican, and at it the pope presides, and both cardinals and consultors vote. For each of these congregations the advocate of the cause prepares and prints official reports (positiones), called respectively report, new report, final report, concerning the virtues, etc., — positio, positio nova, positio novissima, super virtutibus. In each case, before proceeding to the subsequent meeting, a majority of the consultors must decide that the difficulties of the promotor of the Faith have been satisfactorily solved.
  17. When the Congregation of Rites in the above described general meeting has decided favourably, the pope is asked to sign the solemn decree which asserts that there exists evidence of the heroic virtues of the servant of God. This decree is not published until after the pope, having commended the matter to God in prayer, gives a final consent and confirms by his supreme sentence the decision of the congregation.
  18. The miracles now remain to be proved, of which two of the first class are required in case the practice of virtues in the heroic degree has been proved, in both ordinary and Apostolic inquiries or processes by eyewitnesses — three, if the eyewitnesses were found only in the ordinary processes; four, if the virtues were proven only by hearsay (de auditu) witnesses. If the miracles have been sufficiently proven in the Apostolic processes (super virtutibus) already declared valid, steps are taken at once to prepare the documents with regard to miracles (super miraculis). If in the Apostolic processes only general mention has been made of the miracles, new Apostolic processes must be opened, and conducted after the manner already described for proving the practice of virtues in an heroic degree.
  19. The discussion of the particular miracles proceeds in exactly the same way and in the same order as that of the virtues. If the decisions be favourable, the general meeting of the congregation is followed by a decree, confirmed by the pope, in which it is announced that there is proof of miracles. It must be noted here that in the positio for the ante-preparatory congregation there are required, and are printed, opinions of two physicians, one of whom has been chosen by the postulator, the other by the Congregation of Rites. Of the three reports (positiones) above mentioned, and which are now also required, the first is prepared in the usual way; the second consists of an exposition of the heroic virtues of the servant of God. an information, and a reply to later observations of the promotor of the Faith; the last consists only of an answer to his final observations.
  20. When the miracles have been proved, another meeting of the Congregation of Rites is held in which it is debated once, and only once, whether or not, given the approbation of the virtues and miracles, it is safe to proceed with the solemnities of beatification. If a majority of the consultors be favourable, a decree to this effect is issued by the pope, and at the time appointed by him the solemn beatification of the servant of God takes place in the Vatican Basilica, on which occasion a pontifical Brief is issued permitting the public cultus and veneration of the beatified person now known as Blessed (Beatus).

The Beatification of Martyrs

  1. The causes of martyrs are conducted in the same way as those of confessors as far as the informative processes and those de non cultu and ad introductionem causae are concerned. But when once the commission of introduction has been appointed they advance much more rapidly.
  2. No remissorial letters are granted for Apostolic processes concerning the general reputation for martyrdom and miracles; the letters sent call for an immediate investigation into the fact of martyrdom, its motive, and the particular miracles alleged. There is no longer a discussion of the general reputation for martyrdom or miracles.
  3. The miracles are not discussed, as formerly, in separate meetings, but in the same meetings that deal with the fact and the motive of the martyrdom.
  4. The miracles (signa) required are not those of the first class; those of the second class suffice, nor is their number determined. On some occasions the decision as to miracles has been entirely dispensed with.
  5. The discussion as to martyrdoms and miracles, formerly held in three meetings or congregations, viz. the ante-preparatory, preparatory, and general, is now usually conducted, through a dispensation to be had in each instance from the sovereign pontiff, in a single congregation known as particularis, or special. It consists of six or seven cardinals of the Congregation of Rites and four or five prelates especially deputed by the pope. There is but one positio prepared in the usual way; if there be an affirmative majority a decree is issued concerning the proof of martyrdom, the cause of martyrdom, and miracles. (Constare de Martyrio, causâ Martyrii et signis.)
  6. The final stage is a discussion of the security (super tuto) with which advance to beatification may be made, as in the case of confessors; the solemn beatification then follows.

Confirmation of cult

This procedure is followed in all cases of formal beatification in causes of both confessors and martyrs proposed in the ordinary way (per viam non cultus). Those proposed as coming under the definition of cases excepted (casus excepti) by Urban VIII are treated in another way. In such cases it must be proved that an immemorial public veneration (at least for 100 years before the promulgation, in 1640, of the decrees of Urban VIII) has been paid the servant of God, whether confessor or martyr. Such cause is proposed under the title of "confirmation of veneration" (de confirmatione cultus); it is dealt with in an ordinary meeting of the Congregation of Rites. When the difficulties of the promotor of the Faith have been satisfied, a pontifical decree confirming the cultus is promulgated. Beatification of this kind is called equivalent or virtual.

The Canonization of Confessors or Martyrs

The canonization of confessors or martyrs may be taken up as soon as two miracles are reported to have been worked at their intercession, after the pontifical permission of public veneration as described above. At this stage it is only required that the two miracles worked after the permission awarding a public cultus be discussed in three meetings of the congregation. The discussion proceeds in the ordinary way; if the miracles be confirmed another meeting (super tuto) is held. The pope then issues a Bull of Canonization in which he not only permits, but commands, the public cultus, or veneration, of the saint.

It may be easily conjectured that considerable time must elapse before any cause of beatification or canonization can be conducted, from the first steps of the information, inquiry, or process, to the issuing of the decree super tuto. According to the constitution of this Congregation, more than one important discussion (dubia maiora) cannot be proposed at the same time. It must be remembered

  • that the same cardinals and consultors must vote in all discussions;
  • that there is but one promotor of the Faith and one sub-promotor, who alone have charge of all observations to be made with regard to the dubia;
  • that these cardinals and consultors have to treat questions of ritual as well as processes of canonization and beatification.

To execute all this business there is but one weekly meeting (congressus), a kind of minor congregation in which only the cardinal prefect and the major officials vote; in it less important and practical questions are settled regarding rites as well as causes, and answers are given, and rescripts which the pope afterwards verbally approves. The other meetings of the congregation (ordinary, rotal, and "upon virtues and miracles") may be as few as sixteen in the course of the year. Some other cause must therefore be found for the slow progress of causes of beatification or canonization than a lack of good will or activity on the part of the Congregation of Rites.

Canonization in Other Christian Contexts

The processes of canonization in the Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches are similar in all respects to the system described above, save differences in their respective internal organizations. More specifically, as each of these religious organizations are led by councils of bishops (unlike the unitary authority of the Roman Catholic Pope), the propriety of venerating a particular figure is determined by a synod of bishops corresponding to that geographical area. An interesting difference, likely stemming from the increased importance of saints in the Orthodox liturgy, is that "local saints may be venerated if the bishop does not object" (Beinert, 816), allowing the public greater autonomy in the formation of popular cults.

Though it may seem like the above article privileges the Roman Catholic experience, it is simply the case that their religious tradition developed a far more involved (even juristic) process for determining which figures are suitable subjects for veneration. This is not to deny the importance of saints or sainthood to any of these other traditions, though for more information on those topics, please consult the articles on saints, iconography, the Byzantine section of the article on idolatry, as well as the general articles on Eastern Rite Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Oriental Orthodox Christianity.

A Sociological Perspective

<differences between worship and veneration (theologically valid but unlikely to be popularly understood)>

<routinization of charisma (Weber (individual charisma vs charisma of office)) and Sharot> http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/teaching/503/weber_links.html

External links

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Beinert, Wolfgang. "Saints, Veneration of" in The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Vol. 4). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005.
  • "Canonization." The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

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