Is bar for sainthood being lowered?

[SecularMotion]

VATICAN CITY — Catholic saints are said to be the stuff of miracles, celestial servants who bend God’s ear to aid the desperately ill. But Pope Francis may be sending a new message to the globe’s 1 billion Catholics.

In the 21st century, maybe saints can be a little less miraculous.

On Sunday, hordes of pilgrims will mass in St. Peter’s Square and in front of big screens erected across Rome for the canonizations of John Paul II and John XXIII. The crowds, along with a global audience, will watch as two popes are jointly proclaimed saints for the first time in the 2,000-year history of the church. But is the bar being lowered for sainthood?

The path to sainthood for John Paul II was the fastest in modern history, raising eyebrows among traditionalists for packing a painstaking process that can sometimes take centuries into nine incredibly short years.

http://www.pressherald.com/life/Is_bar_for_sainthood_being_lowered__.html

[cbayer]

1. Sure seems so to me, but I never thought much of sainthood to begin with.

I remember being enthralled with the concept of it at one time, mostly spurred by epic films.

But then a ran into a few that made me scratch my head.

And these two? I just don't get it. No more miracles?

While I can understand the pope's wish to change the overall emphasis from the miraculous to role models, it seems that a new category may be in order.

[hrmjustin]

2. Personally I think that John the 23rd should be made a saint but not Jp2.

My view on sainthood is more protestant in nature. A saint is a believer living or dead.

[YarnAddict]

3. So, why not JPII? n/t

[hrmjustin]

4. Well I think it is a bit early and his role in the coverup needs to be explored more.

[YarnAddict]

6. I hear you,

but I think the cover up was more of a political issue than a sainthood thingy, if we're talking about sainthood. JMHO.

[YarnAddict]

5. I asked my dh about this yesterday

He went through 12 years of Catholic school, so even though he is "fallen away" he knows a lot of this stuff. He said there had been some miracles attributed to them. Don't know what other "qualifications there are.

[Brettongarcia]

7. The number of miracles required has been going down; down to one or two today. Soon, none?

A positive side to saint inflation: soon the whole term may be valueless.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. JP-II appears to have cured a woman of parkinsons.

Which of course is an incurable disease that can only be diagnosed with certainty by autopsy. Generally, other less miracle afflicted people who "recover" from pd are considered to have had some other condition.

[skepticscott]

8. Not really

The whole thing is an invented notion from the start. It can be ginned up to be whatever the RCC wants. There are no objective and independent criteria for being a "saint".

[Iggo]

9. It's still three magic tricks and you're in, right?

[cbayer]

10. Nope. According to the article, miracles are no longer required.