Pontiffs Must Demonstrate ‘Extraordinary Virtue’ to Become Saints, Says Religious Studies Professor

On Sept. 4, 2022, Pope John Paul I will be beatified, which is the last step before being canonized as a Catholic saint, begging the question: Does every pope become a saint?

In an article for The Conversation, Joanne Pierce, professor of religious studies at Holy Cross and a scholar of Catholicism, explains the highly regulated and complex process of becoming a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

According to Pierce, while the process has changed through history, the Catholic Church’s view of canonization has remained the same: “No one, even a pope, becomes a saint automatically – but every Catholic whose life and actions demonstrate ‘extraordinary virtue,’ famous pope or obscure layperson, may be proposed.”

To read the full article, go to TheConversation.com.