How many saint in the world

Lives of such well-known figures as St. George, St. Valentine, and St. Christopher were based either on a legend that often predated Christianity or were entirely made up.

Other saints had local followings. In rural France, St. Guinefort was a dog. The prospect of venerating dogs or folk heroes troubled some church leaders. During the Middle Ages, popes began claiming canonization was a power of their office alone. In , Pope Sixtus V integrated the sainthood process into the papal bureaucracy, charging the Congregation of Rites and Ceremonies with vetting potential saints. People already under their patronage could continue to venerate these saints, but they no longer appear on the Roman calendar, and no new parishes or other institutions would open under their name.

It's hard to pin down an exact number, but more than you might think. In the old days — as in the first thousand years of the church's history — saints were created by popular demand.

Ulrich of Augsburg was the first to be canonized by a pope, in , and the Vatican eventually took over and formalized the process.

The Vatican's Roman Martyrology says some 7, people have been canonized or beatified an earlier step , but some scholars believe the total number of saints is more like 10, Pope Francis, who has been pontiff for just over a year, has already canonized men and women, but of them were martyrs from a single group of Italians who were beheaded by Ottoman Turks in the 15th Century. John Paul II canonized during the quarter-century he presided over the church, but more than of those were from groups of martyrs, according to the Catholic World Report.

With so many halos being handed out, you might think so. Yet only about a third of all popes are saints, and it's getting harder to make the leap the from St. Peter's throne to sainthood, according to the Pew Research Center.

Fifty-two of the first 55 popes got the nod but that pace has slowed dramatically. Only five popes have become saints in the last 1, years, although that will now shoot up to seven. Fabian, Pope. Perpetua and Felicity. Frances of Rome. Francis of Assisi. Francis of Paula.

Francis of Sales. Francis Xavier. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Priest. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin. Gabriel, Archangel. George, Martyr. Gertrude the Great. Gregory the Great. Gregory Nazianzen. Gregory VII. Guardian Angels. Holy Cross. Holy Family. Holy Innocents. Hilary of Poitiers. The Holy Innocence. Holy Trinity. The Immaculate Conception. Ignatius of Antioch, Martyr. Ignatius of Loyola. Saint Isaac Jogues. James, Apostle.

Jane Frances de Chantal. Jerome Emiliani. Joachim and Ann. John I, Pope. John the Baptist. John the Baptist, Beheading of. John Baptist de la Salle. John Bosco. John Cantius. John Chrysostom. John of the Cross. Saint John Damascene. John Eudes. John, Evangelist, Apostle. John Fisher. John of God. John Leonardi. Saint John Neumann, Bishop. John Paul II, pope. John Vianney. Josaphat, bishop and martyr. Joseph the Worker. Joseph Calasanctius. Saint Josephine Bakhita, virgin.

Juan Diego. Jude, Apostle. Saint Junipero Serra, Priest. Justin Martyr. Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin. Lawrence, Deacon. Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor.

Leo the Great. Louis, King. Saint Louis de Montfort. Dedication of St. Mary Major.