This is a list of people who died during the 21st century, who have received recognition as Blessed (through beatification) or Saint (through canonization) from the Catholic Church.
| Name | Birth | Birthplace | Death | Place of death | Beatification date | Canonization date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope John Paul II | 1920 | Wadowice, Poland | 2005 | Vatican City | May 1, 2011 | April 27, 2014 | Pope [1] |
| Blessed Leonella Sgorbati | 1940 | Piacenza, Italy | 2006 | Mogadishu, Somalia | May 26, 2018 | Nun and martyr | |
| Blessed Carlo Acutis | 1991 | London, United Kingdom | 2006 | Monza, Italy | October 10, 2020 | April 27, 2025 | Layman |
| 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya | 2015 | Sirte, Libya | February 15, 2015 | February 21, 2015 | Laymans and martyrs [2] |
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of saints, or authorized list of that communion's recognized saints.
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 Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, and Lutheran doctrine, all of their faithful deceased in Heaven are considered to be saints, but a select are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation. Official ecclesiastical recognition, and consequently a public cult of 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 saint refers broadly to any holy Christian, without special recognition or selection.
In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification. After preparing a case, including the approval of miracles, the case is presented to the pope, who decides whether or not to proceed with beatification or canonization.
A list of people, who died during the 3rd century, who have received recognition as Saints from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 4th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 5th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 9th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 10th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 11th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 12th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 13th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 16th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 17th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 19th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
A list of people, who died during the 20th century, who have received recognition as Blessed or Saint from the Catholic Church:
The Martyrs of Japan were Christian missionaries and followers who were persecuted and executed, mostly during the Tokugawa shogunate period in the 17th century. The Japanese saw the rituals of the Christians causing people to pray, close their eyes with the sign of the cross and lock their hands together – this was seen as psychological warfare against the Japanese and this was punished as such. More than 400 martyrs of Japan have been recognized with beatification by the Catholic Church, and 42 have been canonized as saints.
