Pope Francis wants a new path to sainthood. To see what it is, look at the saints he's promoting

Pope Francis wants a new path to sainthood.

Pope Francis has canonized ten saints in the past year. Who he's recognized reveals something about his perspective. He is also considering opening a new path to sainthood.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- Over the past year, Pope Francis has recognized ten new saints of the Catholic Church.

Any person who enters heaven is a saint. The Church holds that some people can be verifiably known to be in heaven, usually as a result of living a particularly meritorious life. Often, there are signs of sainthood, such as miracles associated with the saint. Only God can make a saint, and the Church recognizes some of these people as such.

Saints are recognized following a vigorous process of investigation, and that process can take years, or even centuries. Popes have some say in the matter, and can push certain saints through the process a little faster, although popes do not dictate the process.

In the case of Fr. Jacques Hamel, for example, Pope Francis waived the customary 5-year waiting period before opening his case of beatification. Hamel was killed by ISIS-affiliated terrorists during Mass at a church in France.

Pope Francis has approved or accelerated the cause for the following saints and blessed in the past year:

Fr. Jacques Hamel (Sept. 14, 2016)
St. Fr. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero
St. Fr. Jose Sanchez del Rio, from Argentina
St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, martyr of the Mexican Revolution, 1928
St. Salomon Leclercq, a martyr of the French Revolution (Oct. 16, 2016)
St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta (Sept. 4, 2016)
Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto of Fatima, visionaries of Our Lady (May 13, 2017)
Blaise Pascal, philosopher (July 8, 2017)

These individuals are from a variety of nations, which underscores Pope Francis' desire to highlight contributions from a variety of places.

They also show his interest in opening a new path to sainthood, the offering of one's life for martyrdom. This path, if accepted, could enable people who sacrificed their lives for others or for the faith to be considered for sainthood. An example might be a mother with cancer who foregoes an abortion and treatment so their baby can live. Other examples might be people who work with the sick at a dangerous time, or who work to protect the innocent in war.