How many popes were canonized as saints

Giant portraits of the two popes flanked Francis as he celebrated Mass. Pope Francis greeted crowds from the "popemobile" after the ceremony. Image source, AFP. Papal politics. Related Topics. Ceremony images. Published 27 April In the last 1, years, just seven popes have been made saints, including the two being canonized on Sunday. It will be the first time in the 2,year history of the church that two popes will be declared saints at one time.

John Paul himself had shortened the waiting period to five years from the traditional To put that in perspective, since , when the Catholic Church created an office called the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the average time between the death of an eventual saint and canonization is years.

Non-papal saints outnumber canonized pontiffs, of course. In , St. And in , Pope Gregory IX asserted that only a pope had the authority to declare someone a saint. A version of that canonization process is still in place. Recent popes are known for canonizing in large numbers: John Paul II canonized saints — more than the or so canonizations in the previous years.

Saints originally came in two varieties — martyrs and confessors of the faith. Martyrs require the posthumous performance of one miracle to be declared a saint. In the year , Pope Gregory IX affirmed that only the pope had the authority to declare someone a saint.

Pope John Paul II shortened that time frame to five years. The average waiting time for a person to be canonized after death has been around years. Pope St. John Paul II was canonized just nine years after his death.

Let us meet some of the popes who have been canonized and who have stood tall throughout the centuries protecting, and many times dying in defense of, the Church founded by Christ Himself.

Linus St. Linus was preceded only by St. The office was entrusted to Linus by both St. Peter and St. Paul, after the Christian Church had been established in Rome. The actual duties and responsibilities entrusted to Linus are somewhat vague because the Church hierarchy was still being established. It is known that Linus was martyred and that he was buried close to St.

His name is mentioned in the Roman Canon. Paul also mentions Linus in his Second Epistle to Timothy. Cletus Pope St. Newly canonized popes were voices for the voiceless Apr 28, Where are all the saints without cassocks?

Apr 28, The creation of Sts. Wrapping up decades of change, conflict, Francis saints two popes Apr 27, Join the Conversation Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. Enter your email address to receive free newsletters from NCR.

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