Rev Dorian Llywelyn Photo: Supplied
The path to sainthood can be long - as long as a 1000 years. For Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert, who died in 1926, that path hit a snag earlier this year when the Vatican Medical Council decided a potential miracle attributed to her could be explained by medical science.
Meanwhile Pope John Paul I, who died in 1978 after being pope for only 33 days, was beatified last month, the last step before sainthood.
So what exactly is a miracle and how does the Catholic church decide?
Father Dorian Llywelyn is a Jesuit priest, author, academic and President of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies in Los Angeles.
Pope John Paul I photographed from his study's window in 1978. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
