Pope Francis’ death on April 21 left people around the globe in a state of mourning. His funeral on April 26 was a low-key ceremony but a historic moment while also marking the presence of several world leaders including Donald Trump. After the Pope was laid to rest in the attendance of 250,000 mourners, his admirers now wonder if he would gain the status of a saint.
Earlier, being a pope automatically carved the path to sainthood. Many centuries ago, sainthood was more of a parting gift for the popes. It is reported that out of first 50 popes, 48 were sainted, as per The New York Post.
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However, the scenario has drastically changed in recent times. Only 80 popes out of 266 who have reigned since St. Peter have been canonized. A Hola report mentions that another 11 popes “are in beatification limbo.” Being in beatification means a pope is one miracle away from full sainthood.
The statistics mean that the automatic upgrade of popes to sainthood don’t happen anymore. In fact, there’s a thorough vetting process after which a pope is given the status of a saint. The process can be divided into three steps for easy understanding.
Step 1: The Vatican assess a pope’s life work. If the portfolio seems impressive, the application moves further for consideration.
Step 2: A verified miracle must be attributed to a pope.
Step 3: To achieve sainthood, a second miracle is also required. After all the conditions are met, the reigning pope makes a decision about granting the status of a saint.
The road to sainthood has always been longer. As per Harvard researcher Rachel McCleary, between 1588 and 1978, the average time between someone’s death and sainthood was 262 years. However, things have started moving quite faster in the last few decades. Pope John Paul II fast-tracked the process by shortening the mandatory waiting period after death to just five years.
When he died in 2005, the crowd at the funeral demand his immediate sainthood. Eventually, he was canonized just nine years after his death, making it one of the fastest sainthoods in modern history.
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Ideally, the slow process of canonization is a healthy approach as being a spiritual leader doesn’t necessarily mean they are saints. It is important to recognize extraordinary holiness along with the usual background and portfolio check. The road to sainthood is definitely a lengthy one but it is exactly how it should be because sainthood is forever and it is necessary to ensure that the title goes only to the deserving ones.
It remains to be seen if Pope Francis will become a saint keeping in mind that the process is more rigorous than ever.
