Pope decrees sainthood for Italian, beatification for 11 others

“Vatican City, Dec 10, 2010 / 12:26 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy See’s Press Office has announced the Pope’s decision to advance the sainthood causes for 16 Catholics.

Pope Benedict XVI met with the head of the Vatican office for the causes of saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato, on Dec. 10 to discuss canonization causes ready to pass on to the next stage.

A series of steps marks the road to sainthood. First, the cause is begun on a local, diocesan level at which time information is collected on the person known to have led an exemplary or “heroic” Christian life.

Information is collected at the local bishop’s request, resulting in a biography of the person, any writings they created, and testimonies from witnesses being sent to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. After further investigation by a panel, those who advance are either recognized for their “heroic virtue” and declared “venerable” or declared martyrs for the faith, thus bypassing the venerable stage to be beatified and declared “blessed.”

“Venerables” to whose intercession a miracle is attributed advance by further papal decree to be beatified and declared “blessed.”

Once a person is declared “blessed,” the final step to canonization and recognition as a saint is the attribution of a second miracle for non-martyrs and a single miracle for those who suffered martyrdom.

These most recent decrees authorized by Pope Benedict XVI include a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Guido Maria Conforti. Bishop Conforti of Parma, Italy died in 1931.

Oh yes. I want to be in that number!