How does pope became saint

Here's a look at the most widely traveled pope and his journeys around the world:. Hide Caption. The pontiff drew vast crowds as he crisscrossed the globe. John Paul II was the first pontiff to visit the Caribbean island nation. Papacy controlled process later, he says Perry: In canonizing one conservative, one liberal pope, Francis sends unifying message. That John-Paul II, whose pontificate dominated the late 20th century, is on a fast-track to sainthood should not come as a surprise.

At his death in , the crowds chanted, "Santo subito! The Vatican verified his first miracle, the curing of a French nun of Parkinson's, from which he also suffered, just two months after his death. He was beatified in and his second miracle, the healing of a Costa Rican woman with an aneurism after her family prayed at one of his shrines, was ratified that same year.

John presided over the Second Vatican Council, the great midcentury meeting that completely transformed modern Catholicism, and which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Pope Francis has emphasized the divine nature of this council's work frequently over the last few months and has waived the requirement that two miracles be credited to his intervention. David Perry. The new pathway is the result of years of discussion by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints—the Vatican body that oversees the process—that began in Francis's letter technically has the status of a motu proprio , Latin for "on his own impulse.

Prior to Francis, Pope John Paul II created the most saints of any pope in the church's history, canonizing people. Francis has canonized people so far, although the of these were a single group of Italian martyrs who were killed in the 13th century for refusing to convert to Islam. It's not easy to become a saint in the Catholic Church. Related: The Mafia may have to choose between "the family" and the Catholic Church, if Pope Francis gets his way The pope's letter means that someone who voluntarily dies in place of another person can be considered for beatification—a process that declares the subject "blessed" and is a precursor to being made a saint—and canonization.

Francis wrote that the new means of becoming a saint came with four essential conditions: The person must give up their life freely, and this act must lead to premature death. But it can also be "fast-tracked," for instance in the case of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, widely known for her work with the poor in India. Soon after her death in , Mother Teresa's followers began pressing the Vatican to waive the rule that prevents the process of canonization from beginning until five years after a candidate's death.

This rule has traditionally been used to allow for a more objective look at a person's life and achievements. In , the pope did waive the five-year rule, allowing the canonization process to begin. These alleged miracles must be submitted to the Vatican for verification. Sister Teresia Benedicta of the Cross was canonized in after the Vatican verified that a young girl who ate seven times the lethal dose of Tylenol was suddenly cured.

The girl's family was said to have prayed to the spirit of Sister Teresia for help. In Mother Teresa's case, there were some "almost-miracles" but they didn't meet the church requirement fully that there were no medical explanations for the cures. The first miracle that did meet that involved a woman in going to a Missionaries of Charity home in India, with a fever, headaches, vomiting, and swollen stomach, as she had tuberculous meningitis.

As she was praying in the Missionaries of Charity chapel she saw a light coming from a photo of Mother Teresa. Later a medallion that had touched Mother Teresa was placed on her stomach. In the morning her tumor had disappeared and she no longer needed surgery. The second miracle was in when a Brazilian man with brain abscesses was close to death. His wife prayed to Mother Teresa for help and put a relic of Mother Teresa on his head.

He was scheduled to go into surgery but before he did, doctors found he was completely healed. All the brain abscesses and fluid were gone. No medical explanation was found for this miracle. The nun was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in Once a person is a saint, he or she is recommended to the entire Catholic church for veneration. Some saints are selected as patron saints , special protectors or guardians over particular occupations, illnesses, churches, countries or causes.

For example, the pope named Isidore of Seville a patron saint of Internet users and computer programmers. He is credited with writing the world's first encyclopedia. In this case, he didn't go through the canonization process, but was simply declared a saint in Click here to see a full list of patron saints. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots.