Pope says church must be more selective in picking saint candidates

Published: 2006-05-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church should be more selective and very rigorous in choosing candidates for sainthood, Pope Benedict XVI said in a message to the Congregation for Saints' Causes. The pope, who as a cardinal expressed concern over the number of causes being promoted, wrote to the congregation as its members met April 24-26 for a plenary assembly. Congregation members discussed a new instruction for the initial diocesan stages of the sainthood process and were looking at possible changes to the formal criteria for determining martyrdom and for miracles. Pope Benedict told the congregation that, from the moment of his election a year ago, he had put into effect changes that met the "widespread hope" that the difference between beatification and canonization would be underlined and that local churches would be more involved in the entire process. Modern men and women need true models of holiness, he said, and they must be chosen with care.

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