The cause for the beatification and canonization of the Servant of God Jorge Novak, first bishop of Quilmes in Argentina, has been halted following the decision of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to revoke the nihil obstat that allowed its progress, according to a statement disseminated by the Diocese of Quilmes and the Society of the Divine Word. The measure, confirmed on October 13, 2025, by Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro, prefect of the dicastery, was adopted after the examination of the documentation submitted in the process.
A possible procedure not carried out
In concrete terms, the decision is linked to a possible canonical procedure that would not have been carried out by Monsignor Jorge Novak in relation to the conduct of a priest in his diocese. However, Cardinal Semeraro himself emphasized that this determination is taken “without expressing any moral judgment on the life, virtues, and pastoral action of the Servant of God”, while specifying that Novak retains his status as Servant of God.
Revocation of the “nihil obstat” and halting of the cause
From this resolution, the revocation of the nihil obstat effectively means the interruption of the beatification process initiated on December 11, 2017. The Diocese of Quilmes and the Society of the Divine Word have acknowledged that the news has been received “with pain”, although they have expressed their trust in divine mercy.
A cause opened since 2017
It is worth recalling that the canonization cause of Jorge Novak, bishop of Quilmes from 1976 to 2001, had followed until now the usual channels of this type of processes. With the decision of the Vatican dicastery, the procedure is halted, but retaining the ecclesial recognition as Servant of God, the first step on the path to the altars.
Who was Monsignor Jorge Novak
Jorge Novak was born on March 4, 1928, in San Miguel Arcángel, in the province of Buenos Aires, and entered the Congregation of the Divine Word, where he made his perpetual profession in 1953 and was ordained a priest the following year. His academic formation was completed at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in Church History in 1958.
After holding various responsibilities within his congregation—including formator, seminary rector, and provincial superior—in 1976 he was appointed by Paul VI as the first bishop of Quilmes, a newly created diocese, beginning an episcopal ministry that would last twenty-five years.
During that time, he also developed teaching activities and actively participated in the life of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, integrating various commissions. In the context of the last military dictatorship, his figure gained relevance due to his involvement in the defense of human rights, being a co-founder of the Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights and one of the episcopal voices that denounced the regime’s abuses.
Despite suffering from a serious neurological illness in the 1980s, Novak continued his pastoral work until the end of his life. He died on July 9, 2001, leaving a trajectory marked by his episcopal activity, his social commitment, and his presence in the Argentine Church. His beatification cause was initiated in 2017.