canonisation

Canonisation is the act of declaring a person a saint by a Christian church, most commonly within the Catholic Church, and more broadly the process by which someone is added to the church’s official list of saints. The term also enters secular usage to mean inclusion in a canon, such as the body of recognized literary, musical, or other cultural works.

In the Catholic Church, canonisation is a doctrinally authoritative declaration that the person is in heaven and worthy of public veneration. It follows beatification and requires a thorough examination of the candidate's life and miracles attributed to them. The process begins at local diocesan level as a cause for canonisation; the candidate is titled Servant of God, then Venerable after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints validates their heroic virtues. Beatification grants limited veneration and requires evidence of a miracle attributed to the candidate, usually verified after death. Canonisation, the final step, ordinarily requires one or more miracles confirmed to attribute to the intercession of the candidate after beatification (miracles are not required for martyrs). The pope issues the decree of canonisation, and the saint is added to the universal calendar of saints.

In other Christian traditions, process and terminology vary: the Eastern Orthodox Church uses the term glorification or canonization and exercises local authority, while not always requiring miracles. In secular contexts, canonisation denotes the formal inclusion of a person or work into a recognized canon or list, as in literature, film, or music.