The Congregation for the Causes of Saints (now part of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints) investigates and approves miracles used in the canonization (sainthood) process in the Catholic Church. These miracles are typically medically inexplicable healings attributed to the intercession of a candidate for sainthood.
Here are some notable examples of miracles approved by the Congregation:
🩺 1. Healing of Marie Simon-Pierre (Pope John Paul II’s cause)
Year: 2005
Condition: Advanced Parkinson’s disease
Miracle: After praying for Pope John Paul II’s intercession shortly after his death, her symptoms disappeared overnight. Neurological tests confirmed the disease had inexplicably vanished.
Significance: This healing was used for John Paul II’s beatification in 2011.
🩺 2. Healing of Floribeth Mora Diaz (John Paul II’s canonization)
Year: 2011
Condition: Inoperable brain aneurysm
Miracle: From Costa Rica, she prayed for John Paul II’s intercession on the day of his beatification. Her aneurysm disappeared without surgery.
Significance: Approved as the miracle for John Paul II’s canonization in 2014.
🩺 3. Healing of a newborn (Mother Teresa’s cause)
Case: A tribal woman in India gave birth to a child with multiple brain abnormalities.
Miracle: The child recovered suddenly after the family prayed to St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Significance: Used for her canonization in 2016.
🩺 4. Healing of a Brazilian man (Fulton Sheen’s cause)
Year: 2010
Condition: Stillborn baby, no heartbeat for 61 minutes
Miracle: After prayers for the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the baby revived suddenly without brain damage.
Significance: Approved miracle for Sheen’s beatification (though it has since been delayed).
🩺 5. Healing of a woman with tuberculosis (St. André Bessette)
Year: Early 20th century
Condition: Tuberculosis of the spine (Pott’s disease)
Miracle: The woman claimed to have been healed instantly after praying to Brother André and touching a relic.
Significance: One of the miracles used for his canonization in 2010.
How the Vatican verifies miracles:
Strict medical review by independent doctors
No natural explanation must be possible
Instant, complete, and lasting healing required
Must be linked specifically to prayer for the intercession of the candidate
The Law of Love 