Are there any Protestant saints?

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Has the Catholic Church ever canonized someone that was Protestant?
 
ajpirc said:
Has the Catholic Church ever canonized someone that was Protestant?
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Protestants who converted to Catholicism have been canonized, but why would the Church canonize someone outside her communion? Even if an individual protestant is not guilty of heresy due to ignorance, his adherence to a heretical faith makes him at least a material heretic. The Church cannot canonize people in such a state, even if they are in fact saved.
 
I am not sure the Catholic Church would wish to put someone, not Catholic, under the microscope in investigating their lives. And I am pretty sure the living family, or the remaining congrehation to which the person belonged, would not look kindly on the Catholic Church poking around “their” person’s life.
 
Wasn’t there a Protestant school girl who was killed some years back in the Columbine shooting? Wasn’t she a martyr? The killer asked if she were Christian, she said yes, and was immediately shot dead. Am not entirely sure about all the details of this story, but wouldn’t you think she’d be a saint, even if not canonized?

Anyone with more information or insight is most welcome to jump in and clarify.
 
ajpirc said:
Has the Catholic Church ever canonized someone that was Protestant?
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It seems you don’t understand what canonization is or its purpose. From the catechism:

*By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to Gods grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessor. “The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church’s history.” Indeed, “holiness is the hidden source and infallible measure of her apostolic activity and missionary zeal.” *

It is only Catholics, those withint the Church, that the Church can and does make a determination on regarding sainthood.
 
Everyone who gets to heaven is a saint. I don’t think it is much of a stretch to think that most saints are unknown to us. A declaration of sainthood is actually an ‘after the fact’ kind of thing, a process of discovery.

It is quite clear that by and large the people who are considered saints by the church were not perfect people, there is no such thing as perfect as far as creatures are concerned. That goes for what they thought as well as how they behaved.

Saints are usually held up to us as examples to follow, and of course we ask their prayers on our behalf …

However, no church can make a judgment on the sacraments or the salvation of those not under it’s care. It can’t be done.

God does what He wills, God wills what He wishes. Far be it for any of us to declare what God can not or must not do. Better to say nothing than to put God in a box.
 
ajpirc said:
Has the Catholic Church ever canonized someone that was Protestant?
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You may need to do some google searching for this.

Some months ago, I think Pope Benedict beatified 3 priests imprisoned and executed by the Nazis in WWII. With them was a lutheran minister who was executed with them. Pope Benedict did not beatify the Lutheran minister.
 
Hesychios said:
Everyone who gets to heaven is a saint. I don’t think it is much of a stretch to think that most saints are unknown to us. A declaration of sainthood is actually an ‘after the fact’ kind of thing, a process of discovery.

It is quite clear that by and large the people who are considered saints by the church were not perfect people, there is no such thing as perfect as far as creatures are concerned. That goes for what they thought as well as how they behaved.

Saints are usually held up to us as examples to follow, and of course we ask their prayers on our behalf …

However, no church can make a judgment on the sacraments or the salvation of those not under it’s care. It can’t be done.

God does what He wills, God wills what He wishes. Far be it for any of us to declare what God can not or must not do. Better to say nothing than to put God in a box.
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Well said, Michael. 👍

Jon
 
pablope said:
You may need to do some google searching for this.

Some months ago, I think Pope Benedict beatified 3 priests imprisoned and executed by the Nazis in WWII. With them was a lutheran minister who was executed with them. Pope Benedict did not beatify the Lutheran minister.
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Maybe we should. 🙂

On the other hand, I’m sure all four of them are already saints. 👍

Jon
 
Hesychios said:
Everyone who gets to heaven is a saint. I don’t think it is much of a stretch to think that most saints are unknown to us. A declaration of sainthood is actually an ‘after the fact’ kind of thing, a process of discovery.

It is quite clear that by and large the people who are considered saints by the church were not perfect people, there is no such thing as perfect as far as creatures are concerned. That goes for what they thought as well as how they behaved.

Saints are usually held up to us as examples to follow, and of course we ask their prayers on our behalf …

However, no church can make a judgment on the sacraments or the salvation of those not under it’s care. It can’t be done.

God does what He wills, God wills what He wishes. Far be it for any of us to declare what God can not or must not do. Better to say nothing than to put God in a box.
Click to expand...
The Catholic Church doesn’t pass judgement on anyone’s salvation. Sainthood is an official statement that they are in heaven through investigation. When enough evidence is found, they are recognized as saints. There are probably many saints that we just don’t know about. The Catholic Church just announces that enough evidence has been found, their declaration doesn’t get people into heaven. These saints would already be in heaven, this is just letting us on Earth know that they made it.
 
Newsy said:
The Catholic Church doesn’t pass judgement on anyone’s salvation. Sainthood is an official statement that they are in heaven through investigation. When enough evidence is found, they are recognized as saints. There are probably many saints that we just don’t know about. The Catholic Church just announces that enough evidence has been found, their declaration doesn’t get people into heaven. These saints would already be in heaven, this is just letting us on Earth know that they made it.
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I have always wondered about the sainthood possibility of Martin Luther king Jr and have long suspected he was a closeted Catholic. Unlike some protestants of his era that favored wearing white hoods and burning crosses, Martin was a true worker of Christ.
 
Sometimes, we (Baptists) will refer to individual apostles as saints. We, like Catholics, believe that all Christians are saints. The difference is that the majority of Protestants do not seek intercession from them.

One priest told me that intercession is most often sought from saints who have been beatified. It should not necessarily exclude Christians from seeking assistance for petitions from a favorite grandparent.
 
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