Since the pontificate of John Paul II, the calendar of beatifications and canonizations has accelerated. And, the people being raised to the altars reflect more recent and diverse profiles.
Still, in proportion to the growth of Catholicism around the world, Europe remains largely overrepresented when it comes to the saints.
First, a word of clarification. The Church believes that all people who are in heaven are saints. The vast majority of them, across the millennia, have never been and will never be canonized. However from the beginning, the Church has recognized the holiness of certain individuals as particularly significant for the faithful. Over the centuries, processes were developed to recognize these individuals and include them in a "canon" -- a list -- of canonized saints. Sometimes these are referred to as Saints with a capital S, to distinguish them from all the other saints in heaven.
A costly process
One of the reasons for the lack of representation of countries such as the Philippines or Latin American countries — many of which are nevertheless characterized by strong popular piety and even many martyrs — is primarily due to the cost of processing the dossiers. Pope Francis attempted to establish a scale of fees to make the paperwork more affordable for poorer and more distant countries, but all of the research that goes into a canonization remains a cumbersome and costly process.
A beatification process can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, between the diocesan phase, the remuneration of the postulator, the registration of the dossier with the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and all the expenses incurred, particularly for travel to and from Rome. Consider the interviews that have to be conducted, the history that has to be unearthed, and the writings that have to be meticulously examined.
There are approximately 2,500 beatification processes under review in the Vatican's offices. Naturally, it’s easier to follow up and ensure that your preferred candidates remain “at the top of the pile” if you're located in Italy, France, or Spain instead of Brazil or Australia.
In addition, the expertise required to authenticate certain miracles requires resources and an administrative culture that are beyond the reach of some countries.
Nevertheless, solutions are underway and sometimes they come from the pontiff himself.
Such is the case of St. Peter To Rot, the first saint from Papua New Guinea, canonized on October 19. Pope Francis chose to exempt the cause from the formal identification of a miracle to validate the canonization of this man murdered during World War II. The pontiff considered it sufficient to acknowledge his reputation for holiness transmitted by oral tradition.
Too many saints from religious congregations?
The most traditional pool for "capital-S saints" remains that of the founders or foundresses of religious communities. Their dossiers are submitted by their congregations, whose general houses are often located in Rome.
This approach can sometimes seem a little too systematic. It is rather to be expected that a group of men or women dedicated to seeking a holy life would want their spiritual mother or father to be canonized.
In addition, the largest congregations have a “procurator” responsible for following up on the causes of community members. This powerful institutional support mobilizes significant human and financial resources, which naturally helps to advance causes.
Consistent testimonies
When someone is particularly famous, studying the case can be both easier and more difficult. The cases of John Paul II and Mother Teresa were able to move forward very quickly, as their reputations for holiness were known worldwide and widely documented. They were both beatified six years after their deaths, having been exempted from the minimum five-year waiting period required by canon law to open the diocesan phase.
In the case of Carlo Acutis, the five-year waiting period was respected, but the consistent testimonies of his relatives and the numerous audiovisual resources left by this Italian teenager made his cause straightforward.
His young age — only 15 at the time of his death — also naturally helped to speed up the examination of his case. He didn't have time to write or create too much! This led to his beatification in 2020, 14 years after his death, and his canonization in 2025.
Martyrdom
The consistent testimonies of several witnesses can also help to identify martyrdom in certain cases. Such could be the case of Father Jacques Hamel, murdered on July 24, 2016, in his church in Normandy in front of witnesses. The consistency of the accounts could logically pave the way for a relatively quick beatification and subsequent canonization, although nothing has yet been formally announced in this regard.
Steps to unity
A look at ecumenical dimensions (the effort to foster Christian unity) also sheds light on differences in timeframes between denominations.
When the Coptic martyrs were executed by ISIS on a beach in Libya, the Hollywood-style filming organized by the jihadists paradoxically helped their martyrdom to be recognized; it was directly documented. The video of their execution shows them with surprisingly serene faces, and they can be heard invoking the name of Christ before they die.
Executed on February 15, 2015, they were immediately recognized as martyrs and canonized by Coptic Pope Tawadros II on February 21, just six days after their death.
The Catholic Church joined in this recognition in 2023 by including these Coptic martyrs in the Roman Martyrology. A first liturgical commemoration common to both Churches was held on February 15, 2024, at the Vatican.
