How the Catholic Church determines who is canonized?

In the last five years, the Church has canonized several individuals, including Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. There are several others who have not been formally canonized, but many Catholics are promulgating for their canonization. It has become a more popularized event, considering the continued increase and accessibility of media and instant news, but perhaps you are unsure about how the Church determines who is canonized.

An individual is formally canonized a saint by the pope through a papal decree during a special mass (normally held in St. Peter’s Square, but not always) that honors the new saint. More than one saint can be canonized simultaneously. The decree is a formal declaration that the Church believes the candidate for sainthood is holy and in heaven. That fact leads to the first requirement of canonization: The candidate must be deceased.

The first requirement (the candidate must be deceased) appears to be obvious. After all, you can’t be in heaven if you’re still alive on earth. It includes a little more than that because there is also a timeline. For most cases, the candidate must be deceased for a minimum of five years before a formal cause for canonization is opened by the Church. There are cases where the pope can waive this five-year waiting period if there is significant evidence that the person lived a holy life dedicated to the Lord. The most recent times when the five-year waiting period has been waived were for the canonizations of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict waived the waiting period for Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, and Pope John Paul II waived the waiting period for the canonization of Mother Teresa, who died in 1997.

The second requirement is that a request for the individual’s cause for sainthood must be made to the Vatican. The request goes to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Once the Congregation accepts the recommendation and request, the person (candidate) is given the title of “Servant of God.” This is the first title the individual will receive on the way to canonization. Once the individual has been given the title “Servant of God” and the Congregation opens a cause for the candidate, then the investigation begins.

The investigation of the candidate for sainthood includes an examination of the person’s life. The examination and scrutiny include, but is not limited to, the individual’s personal life, writings, and interviews with people who directly knew the person. Their life must exhibit that the individual had “heroic virtues” to be given the title of “Venerable.” The life of the candidate must include evidence the individual has submitted his or her life to the will of God and has a life that is worthy to be imitated. Remember, one of the purposes of canonizing a saint is to elevate one to the status where the Church encourages others to consider that person’s life as one that can be emulated to follow the Lord. To do this the Church scrutinizes the individual’s life to ensure the life they are promulgating to be emulated is, indeed, one that points others to Christ.

Following a candidate being named “Venerable” comes the waiting part of the process. The examination of one’s life and assurance of their virtues is the simpler part. The next step from Venerable comes the title of “Blessed.” However, to receive the title of “Blessed” a miracle attributed to the prospective saint’s perceived intercession must happen and it must be validated as an authentic miracle. The typical miracles that are associated with canonizations are medical miracles. It is important to remember, however, that the prospective saint is not the one who performs the miracle. It is God who, because of the intercession of the candidate for canonization, performs the miracle. If the potential miracle is medically related, it is presented to the Vatican and assigned to a medical commission. It is the responsibility of the appointed medical commission to examine the proposed medical miracle and provide a conclusion as to if the healing can be explained medically or if it is a miracle. If the commission determines the miracle can be, or is likely due to, the intercession of the candidate then that candidate (if they are not a martyr) can be given the title “Blessed.” Being named “Blessed” places the individual one step away from canonization. If the candidate is a martyr, however, they can be named Blessed without a verified miracle. (They will, however, need at least one miracle attributed to their intercession and validated by the Vatican as a miracle before they can be canonized)

For a person who is not a martyr, there must be a second miracle (validated by the Vatican commission) attributed to the individual. Once the second miracle has been declared then that individual can be canonized by the Church and declared a saint. There is an exception, however, to the second miracle requirement. The second miracle requirement, similarly to the five-year waiting period after death, can be waived by the pope if the pope determines the individual was a holy and just person.

The most recent of these waivers happened when Pope Francis waived the requirement of a second miracle in order to canonize John XXIII. Pope Francis declared that although John XXIII had only been credited with one miracle, after more than a half century he had no doubt that John XXIII was a holy man. Francis waived the requirement and, as a result, John XXIII was canonized. There are, however, two miracles attributed to Pope John Paul II. A waiver was not needed.

The process has not always been this complex or layered. Historically, an individual could be declared a saint simply from an acclamation by the people, the cardinals, or a declaration by the pope. Although the process has changed over time, the one truth of canonization is still as relevant today as it was in the early Church. It is possible for anyone to become a saint. It is possible for you to become a saint, and in fact, that is the desire and will of God.