Q. When did the process of canonizing saints begin? Were saints always declared by the pope?
A. Canonization, the process the Church uses to name a saint, has only been used since about the 10th century. For hundreds of years, starting with the first martyrs of the early Church, saints were chosen by public acclaim or vox populi. Though this was a more democratic way to recognize saints, some saints’ stories were distorted by legend and some never existed.
Gradually, the bishops and finally the Vatican took over authority for approving saints.
The first papal canonization of which there are positive documents was that of St. Udairicus in 973.
Through the reigns of the Roman Pontiffs, papal canonization received a more definitive structure and juridical value. Under Gregory IX in 1234, the canonical process and norms were the only legitimate way one could be made a saint.
In 1983, Pope John Paul II made sweeping changes in the canonization procedure, which shortened the time for the process that begins after the death of a Catholic whom people regard as holy.
The local bishop investigates the candidate’s life and writings for heroic virtue (or martyrdom) and orthodoxy of doctrine and the practice of the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity.
Then a panel of theologians at the Vatican evaluates the candidate. After approval by the panel and cardinals of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the pope proclaims the candidate “venerable.”
The next step, beatification, requires evidence of one miracle (except in the case of martyrs). Since miracles are considered proof that the person is in heaven and can intercede for us, the miracle must take place after the candidate’s death and as a result of a specific petition to the candidate.
When the pope proclaims the candidate beatified or “blessed,” the person can be venerated by a particular region or group of people with whom the person holds special importance. After the miracle is declared, the pope may canonize the person.
Remember canonization does not “make” someone a saint, it simply recognizes what God has already done.