The process of officially declaring that a deceased person is a saint, recognized by the Christian church as holy and worthy of veneration.
From canonise (British spelling of canonize) plus -tion suffix. It comes from Latin canonicus, meaning 'according to rule,' since saints are the official, rule-approved holy people.
When the Pope declares someone a saint through canonisation, it's based on proof of miracles—people have to verify that something impossible happened because they prayed to that person.
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