We Nominate Charlie Kirk to Sainthood

By LTG Tom McInerney USAF (Ret) and MG Paul Vallely US Army (Ret)

Charlie’s life was taken too soon in a senseless act of terrorism. His beautiful wife, Erika and the two young children are now left without Charlie. Knowing the man Charlie was, it is unfathomable how she will be able to find her way forward without the lion of a man she married and being at her side. She will rely heavily on her faith, knowing Charlie is safe in the loving embrace of God. She will need the support of the Turning Point family, her family, and the prayers of all that grieve for her loss. We also grieve for this country. America lost a great leader who touched the heart of the nation with nothing more than words and faith.

Charlie had a way of speaking to people that was unique to him. His analysis of the horizon that college students have as they continue their educational pursuits was accurate and dire.  Addressing the concerns about affordability, the sham that a college education has become, and somehow helping youth understand that true happiness is found at home with a spouse and children were pillars of his mission, all with God as his guide. We should all embrace his concerns and give voice to the next generation. We need to see them as Charlie saw them – disenfranchised, with little hope of ever being able to afford to live the life that their parents and grandparents enjoyed. Our youth deserve more. Charlie offered hope and direction in a world that has lost its way.

In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term saint depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, and Lutheran doctrine, all of their faithful deceased in Heaven are considered to be saints, but a selected few are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation. Official ecclesiastical recognition, and veneration, is conferred on some denominational saints through the process of canonization in the Catholic Church or glorification in the Eastern Orthodox Church after their approval.  In many Protestant denominations, and following from Pauline usage, saint refers broadly to any holy Christian without special recognition or selection.[1]

While the English word saint (derived from the  Latin word sanctus) originated in Christianity, historians of religion tend to use the appellation “in a more general way to refer to the state of special holiness that many religions attribute to certain people”, referring to the Jewish ḥasīd or tzadik, the Islamic walī/fakir, the Hindu rishi, Sikh bhagat or guru, the Shintoist kami, the Taoist immortal or zhenren, and the Buddhist arhat or bodhisattva also as saints. Depending on the religion, saints are recognized either by official declaration, as in Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy, or by popular acclamation.

How to become a Saint?

Banners with the official images of  Sister Irmã Dulce Pontes, Mother Giuseppina Vannini, John Henry Newman, Mother Mariam Thresia and Marguerite Bays hang on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica Oct. 10, 2019, three days before their canonization. When the Church declares holy people to be saints, we are assured they are in heaven and eager to intercede for us.[2]

Short or long, the steps to sainthood follow a definite route, with all roads to it leading to and from Rome. These steps on the way to declaring a person a saint have no set time limit. Well on his way is Carlo Acutis, who died at age 15 in 2006 and was declared “Blessed” in October 2020. Then there is Blessed Margaret of Castello, who lived and died 700 years ago. Pope Francis approved her canonization this past April. Let’s look at the steps leading to someone being declared a saint, dictating for certain they are in heaven with the Lord.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints points out that it begins with a person’s “fame for holiness.” Do the faithful speak of these men and women and their exemplary lives, positive influence, apostolic fruitfulness and edifying deaths? To make sure their reputation for sanctity is enduring, the official process of looking into their cause for canonization can’t begin until five years after they died. Although it rarely happens, the pope can waive this requirement. Pope John Paul II waived three years from the waiting period for Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Benedict XVI waived all five years for John Paul II, whose cause started immediately.

The Diocesan Phase

Next comes the diocesan phase. A petitioner — usually a religious order or the bishop of the diocese where the man or woman died — can petition Rome to start the cause for canonization. With a nod of approval, he gets the ball rolling by appointing a postulator to collect documents and testimonies about the life and holiness of the possible saint-to-be who at this step is named a “Servant of God.” This step aims to confirm the person’s heroic virtues — with emphasis on “heroic,” meaning well above average.

The postulator will also seek further evidence of the person’s reputation for holiness — whether, in life and death, they had a reputation for sanctity and a life rich in virtues — or whether they were a martyr, confessor (a witness of the faith without being martyred) or made an offering of life (a new category added in 2017, which is defined “as the experience of a premature death due to the offering, or sacrificing, of one’s life out of Christian charity”).

The two ways used to reach this goal are, first, through the testimonies of people who knew the Servant of God and can give as many details about him or her as possible, and, second, though collecting and examining all the writings and documents concerning the Servant of God, including, of course, his or her own public and private writings. In the case of John Paul II, that was voluminous. Sister Lucia of Fatima, whose cause is in progress, also has a long paper trail. This process looks to make sure there is not something contrary to faith or morality among this written content. It often takes years to complete, especially when the writings are extensive.

When everything is collected and the bishop approves, the results are sent to Rome, to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. What the diocese has gathered is placed into a formal volume called the positio — a work summarizing the evidence to demonstrate convincingly the life, heroic virtues and renown or reputation of the Servant of God. A theological commission studies and votes on it. It then moves to the cardinal and bishops of the congregation for their vote. Negative, and the cause stops with no appeal. Affirmative, it is sent to the Holy Father. If he agrees, the person gets the title of “Venerable.”

On to Beatification

The next step on the road to sainthood is beatification. If the candidate is a martyr for the faith, he or she is immediately made a “Blessed.” Others need a miracle recognized as happening through their posthumous intercession. This step is not easy. The miracle is commonly and normally a physical healing that medicine and science can’t explain. The miracle is presented to Rome, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has a group of specialists, believers and nonbelievers, who examine the miracle, which must be complete and lasting and have no natural explanation.

As far back as September 1743, Pope Benedict XIV created a guild of medical experts for this task. Over the years the regulations have been revised and updated by such popes as Venerable Pius XII, St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II. A majority of experts (5 out of 7, or 4 out of 6) must agree on the miracle.

 Additionally, a theological commission judges whether or not the cure was a miracle and if this miracle is attributable to God through the Venerable’ s intercession. Then the bishops and cardinals of the congregation approve and send the results to the Holy Father, who authorizes the beatification. The saint-in-waiting is beatified and called “Blessed.” Their name is added to the liturgical calendar of their diocese or religious family.

 At this point, the cause moves toward the final step of canonization and the title of “Saint.”

Necessary for this step is one additional miracle that happens after the beatification. The requirements are the same as for the first miracle, and the miracle must be attributed to the intercession of the Blessed. If everything passes the committees, the results are presented to the Holy Father, who then makes the final decision about declaring this particular man or woman to be a saint and worthy of public veneration by the whole Church.

Normally, the canonization takes place during Mass at the Vatican.

Particular Cases

The pope has the power to waive the requirements for one or both miracles. Recently, for the canonization of St. John XXIII, Pope Francis waived the requirement for a second miracle. And often that requirement for a second miracle is waived when it comes to martyrs. And this April Pope Francis canonized Blessed Margaret of Castello, a blind 14th-century Italian lay Dominican who was beatified way back in 1609. He waived the need for a second miracle using this procedure, which is called “equivalent” canonization.

The new saint might have universal appeal and may be added to the general liturgical calendar as a memorial or optional memorial. If their appeal is more localized, they can be added to the calendar of a particular region, country or religious institute.

In any event, when the Church declares holy people to be saints, we are assured they are in heaven and we have a definite heavenly helper to ask for intercession.

All you holy men and women, pray for us!

In Roman Catholicism the process of declaring someone a Saint is called canonization. According to the church’s law, the process cannot begin until five years after a person’s death, although this requirement can be waived by the Pope. Mothe Theresa for example, died in 1997, but her cause for canonization was opened in 1999 after Pope John Paul II waived three years of the waiting period. Generally, there are three steps to canonization.

Examination

The first step involves examining a person’s life for evidence of the individual’s holiness. This investigation must be opened by the bishop of the deceased person’s local diocese, although anyone or any group, such as a religious believe can petition the diocese on the person’s behalf. If the cause for canonization is accepted and opened by the diocese, the person is recognized as a Servant of God. If the evidence for the person’s cause is favorable, it is presented to the pope, who approves the Servant of God’s candidacy for sainthood and declares the person Venerable.

The next step, beatification, involves verifying a miracle that has been attributed to the Venerable person’s intercession. This verification process is similar to that of the examination in the first step. If the miracle is confirmed as authentic—for example, if there is no scientific basis for its occurrence, such as an inexplicable healing from a terminal illness—the pope grants the beatification and the Venerable person is declared Blessed.

Canonization

The final step involves verifying a second miracle, after which a Blessed person can be declared a Saint. The saint is usually ascribed a feast day (typically the saint’s date of death), which is added to the Catholic Church’s general calendar and commemorated each year.

Conclusion: Based on Charlie’s life, his religious convictions and his spiritual actions, we nominate to Pope Leo and the Vatican that Charlie Kirk be considered for Sainthood.

Contact: suaus1961@gmail.com

[1] Wikipedia 9.26.2025

[2] Joseph Pronechen, May 28, 2021

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