History Fact Finder | Religion - What Are The Criteria For Sainthood?

What are the criteria for sainthood?

Criteria for sainthood or canonization (being declared holy by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church) are leading a holy life, conducting miracles, and suffering or sometimes dying because of one's faith (martyrdom). The Roman Catholic Church keeps a list of saints. However, some names were dropped from the list in 1969 because inclusion could not be justified by history.

Further Information: "Beatification and Canonization." Catholic Encyclopedia. [Online] Available http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02364b.htm, October 20, 2000; Woodward, Kenneth L. Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn't and Why. New York: Simon & Schuster Trade Paperbacks, 1996.

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