CASE FOR QUICK SAINTHOOD HAS CHURCH SUPPORT.

Byline: Celestine Bohlen The New York Times

During the early centuries of Christianity, it was often enough to be saintly to be declared a saint, sometimes by popular acclaim. It was only later, starting in the 12th century, that the Roman Catholic Church moved to bring the bestowal of sainthood under control, instituting strict and lengthy procedures to determine who is, and who isn't, worthy to be venerated as a saint.

As people all over the world mourned the death of Mother Teresa, the diminutive nun noted for her unwavering devotion to the poor and the dying, the church sent signals that in her case it might once again bend to the popular will and put her on a fast track to sainthood.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of the most powerful men in the Vatican and the chief guardian of Catholic doctrine, told reporters last week that the life of Mother Teresa was ``so lucid, limpid and transparent'' that the process of canonization - or declaration of sainthood - should not take long. ``I am not privy to the innermost thoughts of the Holy Father,'' said Ratzinger, referring to Pope John Paul II, ``but I think he wants it speeded up.''

In the eyes of the church, of course, a saint is made by God, not by the Vatican. But as one of the few churches and religions that still regularly confers sainthood, the Catholic church, acting through its Congregation for the Causes of Saints, generally chooses caution over emotion, waiting years, even decades or centuries, before moving ahead with canonization or with beatification, the first stage of a candidate's road to sainthood.

Prolific saint-maker

Pope John Paul II, in his 19-year pontificate, has done much to open up the process of canonization and, by relaxing some requirements, he has contributed to a remarkable proliferation of new saints and blesseds, many from parts of the world that had been previously overlooked by the church.

As of 1995, according to the latest full report issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the pope had canonized 276 saints and beatified 768 people, making him by far the most prolific saint-maker in history. He has eclipsed the 20th-century record of Pius XII, who beatified 23 individuals and canonized 33.

While the Catholic church venerates several thousand saints altogether, the large majority - and many of the best known, including early Christian martyrs - were declared during the church's first millennium, before the process was first brought under Vatican control by Pope Alexander III in 1170.

The naming of new saints has been an important part of Pope John Paul II's pontificate, described as a ``gift for local churches'' that he has often brought with him on his many pastoral visits around the world. It is one of the paradoxes of this pontificate that Pope John Paul II, in his evangelical zeal to broaden the base of the church, has relaxed the rules for sainthood while at the same time reasserting a strict interpretation of doctrine in other areas, particularly those regarding sexual issues like birth control and the ordination of women priests.

Slow, laborious process

But even under this pope, canonization and beatification are slow, laborious processes. Although some of the church's new saints were born in this century, many others have been awaiting the church's official blessing for hundreds of years. On his last trip to Poland in May, the pope canonized Queen Jadwiga, a revered figure from the 14th century. On a trip to Moravia, in the Czech Republic, in 1995, he canonized a 17th-century priest who had been tortured to death during the religious wars that followed the Counter-Reformation.

Mother Teresa may be the rare exception, a person who within days of her death has been judged publicly by several top Vatican officials to be an almost certain candidate for sainthood.

It seems the issue is not whether Mother Teresa will become St. Teresa, but when.

``I think there are cases that are so clear that even the ordinary procedure can move more swiftly,'' said Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

On his way to Calcutta to attend Saturday's funeral for Mother Teresa as the head of the Vatican state delegation, Cardinal Angelo Sodano noted that it only took two years for St. Francis of Assisi to be canonized and just one year for St. Anthony of Padua, two of the church's most beloved saints who lived during the Middle Ages.

But both St. Francis and St. Anthony became saints before the Vatican standardized the procedures for canonization in 1642, instituting the intermediate stage of beatification. Normally, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints waits at least five years after a person's death before it begins to examine a petition for beatification brought by a candidate's local bishop.

Postulator argues the cause

A ``postulator'' is then appointed to argue the cause, seeking evidence of the candidate's holiness and examples of ``heroic'' virtues.

In the case of Mother Teresa, the postulator would probably be a member of the Missionaries of Charity Order, which she founded. People who knew her would be questioned, and her writings would be subjected to a theological examination. If she is found worthy, the pope would issue a declaration that allows her to be called blessed, and she could be venerated in her local community. Only after sainthood is declared would she be venerated throughout the church.

Until 1983, beatification required two miracles, and canonization another two, except in the cases of martyrs. But in a change instituted by Pope John Paul II as part of his effort to open the doors to sainthood, just one miracle is required for each step on the road to sainthood. Miracles are usually healing miracles that science can't explain, worked by God through the intercession of the candidate-saint.

Another major change introduced in 1983 was the elimination of the office of the promoter of the faith - known as the ``devil's advocate'' - whose role had been to spot flaws in the arguments on behalf of sainthood.

Miraculous healing

Given her many years spent in selfless devotion to the poor, her tireless efforts to expand her mission and the wide recognition of her good deeds, including the award of Nobel Prize in 1979, the case for Mother Teresa's sainthood would be off to a good start. John Paul II himself was a fervent admirer of the Macedonian-born nun, whom he met several times, and in recent days he has repeatedly praised her as a historical figure.

It is too early to talk about miracles, although the Italian press last week was already reporting on a case of a man from Trieste, Italy, who suddenly recovered from a fatal illness after meeting Mother Teresa. This, and other cases of miraculous healing that are sure to be reported, will be examined exhaustively by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The selection and promotion of saints is a process usually accompanied by heavy political overtones. Pope John Paul II has made a point of promoting new saints from Africa, Asia and also from Eastern Europe, as a way of broadening the church's base. In 1988, he canonized 127 Vietnamese martyrs at a single ceremony; last May, he presided at the beatification of a Spanish Gypsy who was killed by a firing squad during the Spanish Civil War, the first time a Gypsy had been so recognized by the Catholic church.