The Rocky Road to Sainthood

Saints may hold a place in heaven, but the process of attaining sainthood—beatification and then canonization—is rarely safe from controversy. Even as the speedy beatification process for Pope John Paul II is celebrated worldwide, some critics question whether the Vatican is moving too fast. Others suggest that the process has been unduly influenced by conservative religious groups eager to enshrine his policies. As the pope who made more saints than all his predecessors combined, John Paul II was acquainted with saintly controversy. Below, a sampling of religious figures and their pit stops in the purgatory of dissension.

1. Oscar Romero. The archbishop of San Salvador and a champion of human rights, Romero was murdered—reportedly by a right-wing assassin—while celebrating mass in 1980. Fearful of the political implications of putting a suspected Marxist on the path to sainthood, the Vatican delayed his beatification for a quarter century ...