To make blessed or supremely happy; to declare someone officially blessed by the church.
From Latin 'beatificare,' combining 'beatus' (blessed) and 'facere' (to make). The term has been used in Catholic theology for centuries, related to the formal process of canonization.
Beatification is an official church process—the step just before canonization (sainthood)—so a pope beatificates someone to recognize they lived with extraordinary virtue and likely performed miracles.
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