published. Meanwhile, all necessary preparation was 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 was of primary importance. The point was discussed in three meetings or congregations called respectively, ante-preparatory, preparatory, and general. The first of these meetings was held in the palace of the cardinal Relator of the cause, and in it only consultors of the Congregation of Sacred Rites, and with their prefect presiding, the third was also held in the Vatican City, and at it the Pope presided, and both cardinals and consultors voted. For each of these congregations the Advocate of the cause prepared and printed official reports (positiones), called respectively "report", "new report", "final report", report "concerning the virtues", et cetera (positio, positio nova, positio novissima, super virtutibus, et cetera). 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 had been satisfactorily solved. When the Congregation of Rites in the above described general meeting had decided favourably, the Pope was asked to sign the solemn decree which asserted that there existed evidence of the heroic virtues of the servant of God. This decree was not published until after the Pope, having commended the matter to God in prayer, gave a final consent and confirmed by his supreme sentence the decision of the Congregation. The miracles now remained to be proved, of which two of the first class were required in case the practice of virtues in the heroic degree had been proved, in both ordinary and Apostolic inquiries or processes by eyewitnesses: three, if the eyewitnesses were found only in the ordinary processes and four, if the virtues were proven only by hearsay (de auditu) witnesses. If the miracles had been sufficiently proven in the Apostolic processes (super virtutibus) already declared valid, steps were taken at once to prepare the documents with regard to miracles (super miraculis). If in the Apostolic processes only general mention had 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. The discussion of the