The Fast Track to Becoming a Saint There is no waiting list to become a saint. Instant access, like the Internet, is now available if you can demonstrate some miracle and get enough people to rally on your behalf to become a saint in less than a few years. On May 9, 2005, Pope Benedict read a letter in which he «asked the head of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, to waive the five-year waiting period between the time of a person's death and when the beatification process can begin, a fundamental step towards sainthood (Fisher and Goodstein1). There are certain requirements for becoming a saint that must be met before beatification (being blessed) can be sanctioned by the). Church". The first requirement is that the deceased enjoy an authentic "fame for sanctity" among the faithful. The Church then interprets this as the work of the Holy Spirit” (Woodward 9). A beatification requires that the candidate have performed a miracle during his or her lifetime. "It is then necessary to certify a miracle attributed to his intercession after his death so that he can be beatified" (Winfield 1). Peter Gould describes that the results are examined by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints which will present its conclusions to the pope. The blessed can be granted a day of celebration, and personal items and relics are joined by the candidate. The final step for canonization is evidence of a second miracle (4). The Vatican laws are explicit regarding the steps required to be canonized and the time necessary to process potential candidates to create saints took decades, if not centuries” (Gould 1). The fast-track approach to beatify and canonize John Paul before due process of church doctrine demonstrates the inconsistency of the Roman Catholic Church and its approach to self-serving methods, which is not in the best interest of them or the people. The Vatican documents several miracles attributed to John Paul. “Among them came a Cardinal Francesco Marchisano of Italy, who said that his vocal cords had been paralyzed by a medical error” (Goodstein and Fisher 1). In a telephone interview with Goodstein and Fisher, the cardinal explained that «the pope caressed his throat and after seven months of therapy Marchisano was able to speak again» (1). In Italy, "Italian newspapers already report alleged miraculous events attributed to the intercession of John Paul II, who died only a week ago" (Winfield A.1).