Reference

Paths to Sainthood. In May 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued the document Sanctorum Mater (Instruction for Conducting Diocesan or Eparchial Inquiries in the Causes of Saints) that denoted the three principal criteria for starting a sainthood cause: martyrdom, heroic virtue, and reputation for holiness.Popes may on their own initiative recognize someone as a saint in an "equivalent canonization ...

Today the process proceeds as follows: When a person dies who has "fame of sanctity" or "fame of martyrdom," the Bishop of the Diocese usually initiates the investigation. One element is whether any special favor or miracle has been granted through this candidate saint's intercession. The Church will also investigate the candidate's ...

Martyrdom according to the Catechism is "the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death" (#2473). Rather than renounce his faith, the martyr bears witness with extraordinary fortitude to the belief that Christ suffered, died, and rose from the dead for our salvation, and to the truths of our ...