What is the meaning of Beatification?
The canonization of a saint is a solemn act by which the Pope, the supreme authority in the Catholic Church, declares that a person practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to Gods grace, is with God in heaven and is to be venerated throughout the whole Church. The Pope enrolls the person on the list of Saints. Another word for list is canon, hence the term canonization. The expression, raised to the altars, often used as an equivalent of canonization, means that the person is assigned a feast day in the yearly schedule of the Churchs liturgical celebrations. This assigning of a feast day is done at the time of beatification. Beatification is a step in the process of canonization. By it the Pope allows public veneration of the person in the local Church, within the religious congregation with which he or she was associated, and in other places by those who receive such permission. Note the difference: a Saint should be honored in liturgical celebrations by the universal, that is,
