On February 21, Pope Leo XIV chose to beatify a 15th-century Franciscan who was believed to be a saint already immediately after his death.
At the time, there was no formal beatification or canonization ceremony, and the local people all revered him for the holiness of his life. It wasn't until the 20th century that local Church authorities decided to initiate a canonical investigation into his life to determine if he was worthy of the title "saint."
After careful deliberation, Pope Leo XIV reviewed the case and beatified Gabriel-Maria using what is called an "equipollent beatification."
With the “equipollent” canonization or beatification (sometimes called “equivalent”), the recognition of a person as "blessed" or "saint" is done by a simple decree of the pope without the regular, lengthy process.
Other equipollent beatifications/canonizations
Over the years, Pope Francis carried out quite a number of equipollent canonizations.
On December 17, 2013, he included in the catalog of saints the French Jesuit priest Pierre Favre (1506-1546). He was a companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola who participated in the founding of the Society of Jesus. This decision, promulgated on the birthday of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was interpreted as a sign of the pope’s personal devotion to the saint — himself a Jesuit.
Others:
Joseph de Anchieta (1534-1597), Spanish Jesuit priest missionary to Brazil,
François de Laval (1623-1708), French missionary who was the first bishop of Quebec in Canada, and
Marie of the Incarnation (1599-1672), French Ursuline nun, also missionary in North America,
Bartholomew of the Martyrs (1514-1590), archbishop of Braga,
Margaret of Castello (1287-1320),
The ‘Dialogue of Carmelites’ nuns.
Essentially it recognizes the long-standing belief of the people that this person qualifies as a "blessed" or "saint," based on the history of devotion to that individual and a review of their heroic virtues.
Who is Blessed Gabriel-Maria?
Born Gilbert Nicholas into a devout Catholic family in Riom, Auvergne in France, he was attracted to the faith at an early age. It is believed that what spurred him in his desire for religious life was a sermon on the Immaculate Conception by local Franciscans.
He then walked to a distant town to join the Observant Franciscan friars of Lafont in 1480. Eventually he was ordained a priest and initially taught theology to young friars.
Unexpectedly, Blessed Gabriel-Maria became acquainted with Joan of Valois, the repudiated wife of King Louis XII of France. VaticanNews explains how he became "her confessor and spiritual father, he helped her found the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1501. For some thirty years, he served as superior general as the new religious family expanded into Belgium, the Netherlands, England, and Spain."
For the remainder of his life he held a variety of roles in the Observant Franciscan order and had a profound influence on Franciscan spirituality. The Dicastery of Causes and Saints lists his many virtues:
The testimonies collected highlight the practice of theological and cardinal virtues, as well as of the Evangelical Councils in an extraordinary way. He manifested faith in the ardent zeal for the salvation of souls, professing it in the various areas of his apostolate, from preaching, to teaching theology and to spiritual help towards those who approached him. Announcer of the Word of God through popular preaching, he had deep devotion to the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary, and worked ardently to propagate popular worship to the’ Immaculate Conception.
Immediately after his death people began to invoke his intercession and miracles were quickly attributed to him. Devotion to Blessed Gabriel-Maria was never hindered by Church authorities and so this action by Pope Leo XIV is simply a recognition of what the faithful have believed for many centuries.
