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Does It Take a Million Pesos to Make Someone a Saint? A Vice-Postulator Responds and Speaks About Forgotten Women
Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas explains why canonization causes can take decades, the essential role historians play, and why the Church needs to rediscover the testimonies of holiness of more Mexican women.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | CHURCH IN MEXICO
Ana Paula Morales
11/6/20264 min read
Panoramic view of St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican during a major Catholic liturgical celebration. Thousands of faithful gather in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Photo: File photo.
MEXICO CITY.— When it comes to canonization, one of the most frequently asked questions is how much money it takes for someone to be declared a saint. There is a widespread belief that these processes necessarily cost millions or that the speed of a cause depends on the financial resources available. Yet behind the Church’s official recognition of sainthood are investigations that can extend over decades and require the work of historians, theologians, and other specialists.
Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas, an Opus Dei priest, a historian with a doctorate in Church History from the University of Navarra, and vice-postulator of the canonization cause of the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala, addressed these questions in an exclusive interview with Press Crux.
Referring to the idea that simply raising enough money could secure a canonization, the priest joked about those who imagine that the entire process could be resolved with a million pesos.
“I’ll give you the million pesos, and you go ahead and make it happen. Let’s see how that works out,” he remarked, before summarizing what he considers truly indispensable: “Work, work, work, but work done very well.”
How Much Does a Canonization Really Cost?
Beatification and canonization causes do involve expenses, as the Holy See explicitly acknowledges. Funding is needed for research, travel, documentary studies, translations, professional fees, and other procedures involved in the diocesan and Roman phases.
In 2016, during Pope Francis’ pontificate, the Holy See issued regulations governing the administration of funds for beatification and canonization causes, establishing mechanisms for financial oversight and accountability.
The regulations provide for the management of funds, the submission of financial statements, and the supervision of expenses. They also include solidarity mechanisms for certain causes experiencing financial difficulties.
It would therefore be inaccurate to claim that canonization costs nothing. But it would be equally misleading to suggest that recognition of sainthood can be bought.
The final decision does not depend on a financial contribution, but on the canonical process and the evaluation carried out by the competent Church authorities.
The Invisible Work of Historians
Father Rodríguez participated in the cause of Saints Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan, canonized by Pope Francis in 2017, and later collaborated in other investigations, including that of Arturo Álvarez Ramírez in Guadalajara.
He recalled that the diocesan phase of the latter cause was completed in approximately two years, thanks to the collection and organization of numerous documents.
According to the priest, the case file is now in Rome, where work is underway on the positio, a document that systematically brings together the evidence needed to examine the candidate’s life and virtues.
The historian also noted that approximately 2,500 documents have been gathered in another investigation in which he is involved, concerning Friar Antonio Alcalde.
These examples demonstrate that the recognition of sainthood does not depend solely on popular devotion. It requires reconstructing a person’s life, distinguishing verifiable facts from traditions, and carefully examining historical sources.
Why Are There So Few Mexican Women Saints?
The conversation also addressed a question that goes beyond canonical procedures: Why is the history of Mexican sainthood represented overwhelmingly by men?
Father Rodríguez pointed to the significant disparity between the number of canonized Mexican men and women and encouraged greater recognition of women’s testimonies of holiness.
Among the women born in Mexico who have been canonized are Saint María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas, canonized by Saint John Paul II on May 21, 2000, and Saint María Guadalupe García Zavala, canonized by Pope Francis on May 12, 2013.
In his homily at the canonization of Saint María de Jesús Sacramentado Venegas, Saint John Paul II highlighted her charity toward the poor and the sick, as well as the deep connection between her Eucharistic spirituality and her service to others.
The question of women whose holiness has not yet received public recognition also invites reflection on how history has been written and preserved.
For centuries, many women lived in domestic, community, and religious settings whose records did not always receive the same attention as the lives of bishops, priests, or founders.
Although this historical reality cannot, by itself, explain the differences in the number of canonizations, it does raise an important challenge: to seek out, study, and preserve the testimonies of women whose Christian lives left a profound mark on their communities.
Three Indigenous Children, Laypeople, and Saints
Father Rodríguez himself found a striking example of the different paths to holiness in the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala.
Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan were neither priests nor members of religious orders. They were Indigenous adolescents who embraced the Christian faith during the earliest years of Mexico’s evangelization.
“One hundred percent Indigenous. Laypeople, not seminarians,” the priest recalled.
All three were canonized by Pope Francis on October 15, 2017, an event that reminded the universal Church that holiness is not reserved for those who hold ecclesiastical positions or belong to religious congregations.
For the historian, the challenge is to continue uncovering testimonies that time, lack of awareness, or insufficient research have pushed into the background.
“Mexico is a truly extraordinary country. We are just beginning to discover it,” he said.
Perhaps one of the unfinished tasks facing the Church in Mexico is precisely this: to investigate the holiness that remains hidden within the pages of its own history.
Father Rubén Rodríguez Balderas