Trivia: According to the Catholic Church, who is a saint?

Question

A) All members of the Body of Christ.
B) Only those in Heaven.
C) Only those in Heaven and canonized by the Catholic Church.

Congratulations to everyone who correctly answered "A"! To those who answered "C", especially those who made negative remarks about the Catholic Church, please read the section on 'The Communion of Saints' in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and you will see that Catholic teaching is very much in line with the Bible: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2B.HTM

Answer 1

A.

Saints are people in heaven or on their way to heaven. All Christians dead and alive are saints.

The Catholic Church selects some of the most extraordinary examples, does in-depth research, and canonizes them.

Canonization is the solemn declaration by the Pope that a deceased member of the faithful may be proposed as a model and intercessor (not mediator) to the Christian faithful on the basis of the fact that the person lived a life of heroic virtue or remained faithful to God through martyrdom.

Here is the modern method of canonization:

In order to allow greater objectivity and less emotion, no petition for sainthood can be made until at least 5 years after the candidate’s death.

+ Diocesan Investigation +

A diocese, parish, religious congregation, or association asks the bishop of the diocese in which the candidate died to open the investigation. After Vatican approval, the bishop forms a diocesan tribunal.

Witnesses are called before the tribunal to recount the candidate’s heroic exercise of Christian virtues. All documents regarding the candidate must be gathered.

At this point he is entitled to the title of Servant of God.

+ Vatican Investigation +

All documentation is passed on to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.

The cause undergoes an examination by nine theologians.

If passed, the cause is for examined by the Congregation.

If passed, the cause is presented to the Pope for approval. A decree is published and read publicly.

+ Beatification +

A miracle attributed to the Servant of God is necessary.

The miracle must be proven through an appropriate investigation and another decree is issued.

Then the Pope decides on beatification.

With beatification, the candidate receives the title of Blessed.

+ Canonization +

Another miracle occurring after beatification is needed for canonization (sainthood), attributed to the Blessed’s intercession.

This miracle must again be proven through an appropriate investigation.

Papal infallibility is involved with canonization.

The Blessed acquires the title of Saint.

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Many do not understand that the Communion of Saints means all the members of the Body of Christ and that all who die in the state of grace are saints and that when the Church the person does not only then and there get into heaven or become a saint. Almost all the saints are never canonized by the Church because there are so many.

Answer 3

To be a Christian is to be a believer of Jesus Christ and a follower of His teachings. The basis of the beliefs of a Christian is the Holy Scripture better known as the Bible. He must have been baptized in one of the Christian churches. Christians are divided into different groups or religious denominations or sects. Among these are the Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, etc. I believe when you say Church Militant, you are referring to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). And when you say other Christians, you are referring to those not belonging to RCC. Remember that all Catholics are Christians but not all Christians are Catholics. I was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church. Now, I consider myself as a non-denominational Christian, a plain follower of Jesus Christ. Salvation is not a monopoly of any one denomination. It is not a guarantee that because you belong to a particular church, you will go to Heaven. I am for the unification of all Christians. Instead of being divided because of differences in the interpretation of the same Bible, we should unify and become one. Who can tell us which is right and which is wrong, which is true and which is false? Our fellowmen? Look at the proliferation of different Christian denominations and sects. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 tell us who we should listen to—the Spirit or the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised that He would send (John chapters 14, 15, and 16). Revelation says: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

Answer 4

Hi Meg... Saints by the Roman Catholic literature clearly calls all believers in Christ "saints" which is only a select group of "super" Christians in Heaven. Now The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a saint as "a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord". A saint according to Rome is a Christian who during his/her life lived a life of exemplary holiness. Now canonized would be only partially true because technically speaking, the process of canonization does not create a saint. Canonization is the official sentence by which the Pope declares that a previously beatified Christian is definitely in Heaven. So with all this in mind, a Christian becomes a saint by living an exemplary life of holiness, by performing at least one miracle while living and by having at least one miracle associated with the Christians grave or relics occur. So looking at your answers, it can't be (A) since not all members of the Body of Christ are classified as saints. It can't be (B) since only a selected group are chosen as Saints. And finally (C), which is partially right but not totally correct so I would have to say none of the above. Have a Blessed day!

Answer 5

I am going back and forth from a to b. I believe B. Everybody in Heaven is a saint. However, there are some the Church has officially recognized as a Saint. When we pray to saints we are asking them to pray for us.
Pray means to petition. I can ask a person I call the friend of my guardian angel I feel is in Heaven to pray for me. I do a lot.

Answer 6

I believe it is A. They talk about the Communion of Saints, which is the belief that all Christians, dead and alive are united in Christ. Of course the feast of All Saints celebrates all who are in heaven, both canonized and not. The feast of All Souls is the celebration of all of those on earth and in purgatory who havent made it yet.

Answer 7

The answer is (B) only those in heaven.

The difficulty for those of us on earth though is knowing with certainty who is in heaven and who isn't. The Church looks for evidence of the sanctity of the deceased and, when it believes it has determined that a particular person is certainly in heaven, they are declared a saint. That's not to say that others in heaven aren't saints, we just can't say for certainty who all is there.

Answer 8

Our Holy Mother church, the Roman Catholic Church, with it's authority derived directly from Our Lord Jesus Christ, is the only earthly institution that has the power to canonise a person to sainthood. So the answer to your question would be C).

Answer 9

b, everyone in heaven is a saint they just aren't recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. Relatives may pray to them in heaven that mean they are a saint, they are not canonized intil they have performed miracles.

Answer 10

answer is A.

cannonized saints are usually those with particularly public gifts that they displayed. when their lives are described it can help uplift those who feel that the cross is to difficult to bear. they are meant to be an inspiration to other followers , not an exhaustive list of the only saints in heaven.