The Positio had as speaker Msgr. José Jaime Brosel Gavilá, Fr Pierluigi Cameroni as Postulator, and Dr. Mariafrancesca Oggianu as Collaborator. Structural elements of the "Positio" - which presents in an articulated and in-depth manner the entire documentary and testifying apparatus of evidence regarding the virtuous life of the Servant of God - are: a brief presentation by the Speaker; the Informatio super virtutibus, that is, the theological part in which the virtuous life of the Servant of God is demonstrated; the two Summarium with textual and documentary proofs; the Biographia ex Documentis; the latest Sessions and the iconographic apparatus.
After delivery, the Positio will be examined by the Theological Consultors of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Then it will be studied by the Cardinals and Bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints: these articulated stages of study and evaluation will allow the Supreme Pontiff, in the event of a positive outcome, to declare Fr Carlo Crespi "Venerable Servant of God". A miracle attributed to his intercession will then be needed to pave the way for beatification.
This news has aroused great joy, both in Ecuador, in particular in Cuenca, where it is welcomed as a sign of hope in this time of trial that touches the whole world; and in Legnano (Milan), the birthplace of the Servant of God, where for some years a group of people has dedicated itself to promoting the Cause of the Servant of God, highlighting the brilliant, highly original figure of Fr Crespi who stands out for his intelligent sympathy and his absolute non-uniformity to the usual “norms”.
Fr Crespi welcomed the Salesian call and, as a true imitator of Don Bosco, became a witness to a Church that urges people to “go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel” (Pope Francis, Evangelii gaudium, 2013). Fr Crespi's life tells Christians of yesterday and today how prayer can and must be inserted into the concrete actions in everyday life, encouraging and inspiring it. He is a credible witness of an "evangelizing style capable of affecting life" (Pope Francis, Address to Italian Catholic Action, May 3, 2014). To this day his tomb and his monument continue to be perennially embellished with fresh flowers and thank-you plaques. While the reputation for holiness of this illustrious son of Cuenca shows no signs of diminishing, the drafting of the Positio super virtutibus marks an important step as far as the Cause of Beatification is concerned.
All that remains is to wait with confidence for the wise judgment of the Church.
