VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is making it tougher to become a saint. New procedures were announced Monday calling for more “rigor” and “sobriety” by bishops when deciding to begin the process of beatification and in determining the required miracles.
Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, head of the Vatican’s sainthood office, has suggested the Vatican is overwhelmed following the pontificate of the late Pope John Paul II, who elevated more people to sainthood than all his predecessors combined. More than 2,200 beatification and sainthood causes are pending, he said.
The cardinal on Monday stressed the need for a “true reputation for holiness” among candidates. He said “rigorous historical research is obviously intrinsic” to the investigation.
