beata

…Because it was originally a natural custom, the procedure for declaring a saint was unclear. It was thought that the mere fact that a corpse did not decay was proof of sainthood, and at most a bishop could declare a saint. However, from the 12th century, the right to declare new saints came under the exclusive authority of the Holy See, and the procedures and ceremonies for canonization were also established. In the 17th century, the order of blesseds, Beatus and Beata, which are one level lower in holiness, was also established. Luther and other Reformers were uniformly opposed to the worship of saints. …

*Some of the terminology that mentions "beata" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…もと自然に発生した習慣だっただけに聖人認定の手続も定かでなく，死体が腐朽しないことだけでも聖性を証すると考えられ，せいぜい司教が認定するのみであったが，12世紀から新聖人認定権は教皇庁の独占するところとなり，列聖の手続や儀式も整った。17世紀には一段下の聖性をもつ福者beatus,beataの位階も設けられた。ルター以下，宗教改革者たちは一様に聖人崇拝に反対した。…

※「beata」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報